40 water bottling companies banned
Saturday, 19 November 2011 00:00
Peter Matambanadzo Senior Reporter
GOVERNMENT has banned 40 water bottling firms for failing to meet safety and quality standards. This follows an influx of bottled water suppliers in response to a surge in demand.
Acting Secretary for Health and Child Welfare Dr Davis Dhlakama yesterday said only nine firms were authorised to sell mineral and bottled water.
"To date, 49 potential bottlers submitted their water for testing and possible certification. Out of these, nine were advised that their water was suitable for bottling.
"The other 40 were advised that their water was not suitable for bottling for various reasons including contamination, unsuitable packaging and wrong labelling. They were barred from selling the water," Dr Dhlakama said.
While Dr Dhlakama declined to name firms that were certified to sell water saying the ministry did not have a provision to publish names, private and voluntary standard organisation, Standards Association of Zimbabwe named 12 water bottling firms certified with the national body after independent surveillance.
"The ministry does not have a provision to publish names of companies that have been certified. The role of the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare is to ensure that bottled water sold on the market is safe to drink," Dr Dhlakama said.
The companies certified by SAZ are Schweppes Zimbabwe Ltd, Tanganda Tea Company Ltd, Century Ice, ZLG, Brackenridge T/A Kanyerere Investment, Reichmark, Aqua Crystal, Chromopak Investments, Somerby, Chilruff T/A Springvale, Mukati Investments and Blester Marketing.
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Although SAZ approved the 12 companies to sell their products, some of them might not be on the list of Government-certified firms.
Dr Dhlakama said although SAZ uses logo marks to identify certified products, some of the products still violated quality and safety requirements.
"Some private and voluntary standards institutions such as SAZ use logo marks to identify certified products but even those products bearing logo marks sometimes violate quality and safety requirements of the law," Dr Dhlakama said.
The ministry as provided for by the Public Health Act and the Food and Food Standard Act, delegates powers to municipal authorities to enforce food laws and regulations in their respective areas.
Dr Dhlakama said the ministry's surveillance and monitoring programmes for food in general were difficult to implement due to lack of resources under the current economic challenges.
"Currently, the ministry realises some challenges being faced by municipal authorities and also itself in monitoring and enforcement of food laws," he said adding that they would strive to maintain an eagle's eye on the monitoring and enforcement activities.
"The ministry carry out campaigns when it sees that there are too many suspicious bottled water on the market. This is also done when the ministry realises that local health authorities are not performing to expectations in terms of monitoring," he said.
Although only nine companies are approved to deal in water bottling, the market has been flooded with several brands are sold in shops.
Some of the companies have premises that do not meet the required minimum basic hygienic requirements, while others are not bottling their water at the source of the water as required.
Some were also violating the factory by-laws requirements of municipal authorities.
Investigations have attributed the proliferation of suppliers to the alleged poor quality of tap water and rising health consciousness by the public.
Although most suppliers indicate the mineral elements content on the label, the quality of water is not just about mineral elements, but also the microbiological safety of the water, among other quality requirements.
Labels: BOTTLED WATER, PUBLIC HEALTH, WATER
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CCPC seizes expired baby formula from Kamwala shop
By Ndinawe Simpelwe
Wed 19 Oct. 2011, 15:20 CAT
THE Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) have seized
69 tins of expired S26 infant formula worth K2.2 million from a named
wholesaler in Kamwala trading centre.
CCPC public relations officer Vaida Bunda confirmed in a statement
that the products were seized on Thursday last week after a combined
team of Zambia Police, Intellectual Property Unit, the Public Health
Department of the Lusaka City Council and the CCPC pounced on the
wholesaler.
Bunda stated that the sale of expired products was prohibited under
section 45 (a) and (b) of the Competition and Consumer Protection
Commission which states that "a trading practice is unfair if it
misleads consumers or compromises the standard of honesty and good
faith which an enterprise can reasonably be expected to meet and
thereby distorts, or is likely to distort, the purchasing decisions of
consumers".
Bunda stated that the CCPC had in the past few months received
numerous complaints about the infant formula and would carry out
inspections to ensure that any baby milk or other food products unfit
for consumption were not sold to consumers.
She further stated that culprits found in breach of the law would be
fined and where necessary, products will be recalled from the market.
"The Commission is of the view that the sale of expired baby milk is a
serious matter which should not be taken lightly and hence after
consultations with relevant stakeholders and the manufacturers as well
as the conclusion of investigations, a product recall may be
considered," she stated.
"The commission would therefore like to urge parents to ensure that
when buying the S26 baby milk they check for the expiry dates as a
precautionary measure for any health implications on babies that might
arise from consumption of expired milk.
We have also been observed
that most traders still want to sell the baby formula even after it
has expired and will conceal the original expiry date by placing a
sticker on top of it with a new date of expiry. The consumer should
try and scratch off the sticker to determine if there is another date
of expiry below it."
Bunda stated that the commission would continue advising the public on
what to look for on a genuine tin of S26 infant formula as it
investigated more on the matter and urged the public to report any
such matter.
The Commission has also noted that all the complaints received were
Lusaka-based and urged consumers with similar complaints from other
provinces to report to CCPC.
And Bunda has stated that 10 per cent of 300 shops that were inspected
were still displaying disclaimers in their shops despite the
prohibition by the CCPC to do so.
Bunda stated that traders that would be found with "no refund, no
return" disclaimers in their trading premises would be fined up to a
maximum of 10 per cent of their annual turnover as provided for in the
law.
Labels: CONSUMERS, PUBLIC HEALTH, VAIDA BANDA
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COMMENT - Hmmmm, how we all love asbesthos. I guess there are 'good' kinds of asbesthos - the white kind? Huh? Has The Herald been taken over by the MDC, just because they are in government. This is serious garbage. Last week, they were defending GMOs. The Herald should seriously take charge of it's reputation, and ban industry fluff pieces like this. Get the MDC out NOW.
Asbestos: When white is right
Monday, 10 October 2011 00:00
Tichaona Zindoga Features Reporter
WHEN young Dr Godfrey Mataka arrived in Zvishavane in 1984 to take up the post of medical director at Shabanie Mine Hospital, he expected the worst.
Dr Mataka's fatalism was informed not only by his youthful learnedness, but also the reality of the danger of asbestos, which was being mined here since the early 1930s.
Shabanie and Mashava mines are producers of white asbestos fibre known as chrysotile.
Asbestos is a generic name of fibres with a magnesium silicate base whose products are used for domestic and industrial purposes including, commonly, roofing and piping. They are also noted for tensile strength, durability and fire resistance.
But exposure to the fibre leads to potentially harmful respiratory conditions such as asbestosis and cancers.
The working conditions of the 1960s had been so bad without safety standards being observed, all sacrificed on the altar of productivity.
The working environment of the old mills was characterised by high levels of dust.
This background presented a scary prospect: a generation of workers being gnawed away by disease, with some already having succumbed to it.
There was also a geographical extent of the worry: in the surrounding areas of Zvishavane and Masvingo, generations had worked and lived off the mine.
The World Health Organisation estimates that 125 million people in the world are exposed to asbestos at the workplace.
Of these, over 107 000 people die each year from asbestos-related lung cancer, mesothelioma and asbestosis resulting from occupational exposure.
One in every three deaths from occupational cancer is estimated to be caused by asbestos.
In addition, it is estimated that several thousands of deaths can be attributed annually to exposure to asbestos in the living environment.
Expecting a high disease burden, Dr Mataka immediately knew what had to be done.
"I called all workers who I thought were at high risk and examined them. Some of them had been working in the mines for as many as 33 and 45 years."
And he got a pleasant surprise.
"All of them had no problems", associated with asbestos, he said. Examination of the subjects, which are internationally recognised, objective, scientifically proven and reproducible, include asking the subjects on whether they cough or have difficulty in breathing.
A chest X-ray and vitalograph (which checks for the expansion and contraction of lungs) are also conducted.
"Therefore I had a good baseline and worked on improving the working conditions at the mines," he said.
His early encounter at the mine confirmed one thing in particular: that when it comes to the family of asbestos, white is right.
This type of asbestos mined in Zimbabwe is generally safe and free from the hazards that characterise other types mined like crocidolite, and amosite mined in such countries as South Africa and Australia.
Dr Mataka, who is also the Medical Advisor of the African Associated Mines, explained: "Over and above the magnesium silicate base (that make asbestos), crocidolite and amosite have iron.
"The difference in chemistry is responsible for the behavior of the fibres. Studies have been done testing the three in mice as well as the alternatives."
He pointed out that the studies sought to see the behavior and effects in the lungs; on the admission that all fibres were potentially dangerous.
It was established that while chrysotile was broken down in the lungs within 20 days of introduction into the body, crocidolite and amosite stayed longer for up to 400 days.
This biodegradability, or lack of it, and bio-persistence proved the difference.
The physical characteristics of the fibre account also for its effect in the body.
Chrysotile fibre is curly and short and takes longer to reach the lungs while the other fibres are needle-shaped and manoeuvre fast from the nose to the lungs.
The longer fibre takes in the body, the more harm it causes.
Man-made alternatives to asbestos, which have been championed by some countries, have been shown to stay longer in the body (300-400 days), apart from their structural and usage shortcomings.
Besides, they have not been around for long, explained Dr Mataka, for their effects to be manifest as it takes between 30-40 years for them to.
He fears they could be a time bomb.
The World Health Organisation and the International Labour Organisation which have crafted regulations on the use of asbestos, recognise the safety of chrysotile.
International authorities, such as Dr Davd Bernstein, a toxicology expert based in Switzerland, have explained that chrysotile is safe and mining white asbestos was no more hazardous than mining other dust-related minerals like gold and coal.
Back home, Dr Mataka has made sure that there is a safe working environment and use of chrysotile products and a healthy environment and community around.
"We know the dangers of mineral dust and address the work environment," he begins.
"What is the impact of the work environment on the health and safety of the worker; the environment and community? That assessment has to be done," he stated.
Adding: "We identify a hazard; and we identified mineral dust, rocks and noise. We drew a plan on how we would mitigate the effects of those hazards."
To minimise harmful effects of fibre, workers at Shabanie and Mashava mines are given respirators, while there is a central laundry system as workers' protective clothing is laundered here not at home.
But what sticks out among the contingencies that have been put in place is the system of monitoring the health of workers.
Workers are tested and monitored at entry, during the course of their employ and afterwards.
Dr Mataka said workers' lungs are examined at intervals of five years, 10 years and every two years after 20 years.
A worker who retires is recalled after every five years.
"We have an extra incentive," Dr Mataka explains, "we provide health care for former workers and their spouses until they die."
This, he said, allowed the authorities to track and record the health status of the workers and possibly their families.
Each worker and former worker has a medical file which is updated.
A recent visit by The Herald showed the thousands and thousands of files which have been updated at regular intervals.
Dr Mataka says that since 1984, he has not recorded a case of asbestos-related cancer.
Twenty cases of asbestosis had been recorded before; and three people had died of smoke-linked cancer.
Rock dust, instead, had been identified as a big problem.
He revels in the findings.
For him, major disasters like those that occurred in Europe are out of the way.
This owes much to the relative safety of chrysolite as to the efforts of authorities to minimise harm.
He explained that in Europe where harmful types of asbestos had been used in the navy to reduce fire damage, many people who had had a stint at sea came back afflicted by disease.
The same goes for South Africa where even mine waste had been used to pave roads, leading to the affliction of many communities.
These countries are now stigmatising asbestos.
However, major chrysotile producers like Russia, China and Canada and Brazil are fighting to keep production motivated much by scientific evidence that points to the safety of chrysotile, and of course, trade.
In fact, it has been pointed out that the issue of asbestos has gravitated from health concerns to the economy as countries lose or win in the light of the battle.
Stakeholders such as Zimbabwe's cement producer Turnall, which uses white asbestos, have said large companies sought to ban asbestos to push to have the market themselves.
Countries pushing for the ban of white asbestos have been sponsoring individuals and organisations to decampaign the fibre, ostensibly on health grounds.
"Perception is the only problem now," says Dr Matake, as chrysotile has proved safe.
"In fact, had I my way I would minimise the tests we have been carrying out regularly for years now as they always produce the same result. They might even prove dangerous themselves," he said, referring to prolonged exposure to chest X-rays.
Labels: MINING, PUBLIC HEALTH, RACISM
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COMMENT - GMOs are not the answer, they are the problem. They are a clear and present danger to the health of people. They induce sterility in lab tests of hamsters, and they are a pandora's box of unknown and unknowable side effects, both to human health and nature. AND WE DO NOT NEED THEM. The farmer in question who is describes as 'a distressed farmer', probably only needs a few rainwater harvesting ditches, so he can store more water for his crops to grow. Access to water is the main hindrance to agriculture in Zimbabwe and Southern Africa today, not absence of genetically engineered crops. Expect more pro-GMO articles like this to appear, because MONSANTO's reach is far and wide, and facilitated by the US government and US embassies, as evidenced from Wikileaks (see
here).
GMOs have found their way on shelves of local supermarkets but local farmers are not allowed to grow them.
Saturday, 08 October 2011 23:16
By Faith Mhandu
Mr Muchabaiwa Tagarika (72) from Mwenezi District in Masvingo Province is a distressed farmer. Despite employing double efforts on his land each year, he has failed to attain a meaningful harvest.
Mr Tagarika’s nightmares are a combination of incessant droughts and poor soil ph caused by land over-use. The farmer has a passion for agriculture, the main food source for his family.
Being a family man, Mr Tagarika is conscious of the need to devise other means to improve the output on his land or join the list of several Zimbabweans in dire need of food aid this year.
Despite farmers working flat-out on their pieces of land to produce food for the country, Zimbabwe’s agricultural output has for the past decade dwindled because of harsh weather conditions.
The situation has seen lobby groups engaging in a robust debate on the adoption of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) as a way to guarantee the country’s food security.
According to the 2011 Consolidated Appeal Process, more than 1,4 million Zimbabweans urgently needed food assistance since February this year.
The crisis was a result of a poor 2010-2011 agricultural season which was struck by a deadly mid-season drought between January and February.
The Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers’ Union (ZCFU) acting director, Mr Peter Gambara, said it was time for the country to start considering GMOs.
He said the shortage of food is not peculiar to Zimbabwe but is a global crisis.
“With the current food shortages not only in Zimbabwe, but across the globe, the Government should start to reconsider allowing GMO grains in the country,” said Mr Gambara.
He said despite the ban of grains by the Government, processed GMO products were being imported and dominated the market because of their affordable prices.
“Ban or no ban, GMOs are there in the country and are on the market, putting the local farmers at a disadvantage. The agronomic cost of production in our country is very high while on the market we are expected to sell at the same price,” Mr Gambara said.
There have been concerns from various stakeholders that GMO foods had long-term health effects.
But Mr Gambara said no scientific evidence had proved the harmful nature of GMOs, adding that locals were currently consuming GM foods in imported products like chicken, rice and cooking oil. Zimbabwe imports most of its food products from South Africa.
According to the United States National Academies of Sciences 2004 report, no adverse health effects attributed to genetic engineering have been detected.
A 2005 review in Archives of Animal Nutrition concluded that first-generation of genetically modified foods had been found to be similar in nutrition and safety as the non-GM foods.
“It was noted that second-generation foods with significant changes in constituents would be more difficult to test, and would require further animal studies,” stated the review.
A Biosafety Board member and National University of Science and Technology scientific researcher Professor Yogeshkumar Naik in 2006 said Zimbabwe had no need to fear GMO as according to his research they did not pose a health hazard.
However, 2009 Nutrition Reviews found that although most studies concluded that there was a small percentage of cellular-level changes detected in some specimens as a result of modified foods.
This, researchers said, gave more need for further investigation on the use and consumption of GM foods.
Zimbabwe Farmers’ Union director Mr Paul Zakariya said there was a need for public education before the country subscribes to the adoption of GMOs.
“We noted that most farmers do not know what GMOs were. A survey on our members showed us that most of them were misinformed. To be precise, the farmers do not have a clue on what GMO are,” said Mr Zakariya.
“We are concerned on who is going to help us in disseminating the information. Let us talk about this subject so that experts will not be the only ones with the knowledge.”
Government, however, has maintained a ban on the importation of GM seed maize and grain, citing environmental and health concerns.
Ironically, there are no restrictions on the importation of GM mealie-meal.
Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister Joseph Made warns that GMOs had long-term negative effects on agricultural yields.
Advocates of genetically modified crops, however, say that resistance on the scientific products needs to change since traditional methods had failed to withstand
the weather patterns.
The Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries has also expressed concern over the continued ban of GMO raw materials in food manufacturing despite the country being among the top four countries in Africa to embark on research into GMOs.
-The Sunday Mail
Labels: GMOS, NATIONAL SECURITY, PUBLIC HEALTH
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Anthrax outbreak in Tsholotsho
Friday, 07 October 2011 20:17 Agriculture
Chronicle Reporters
An outbreak of anthrax has been reported in two areas of Tsholotsho district with 34 cattle reportedly having died in the past week.
In a telephone interview yesterday, the Tsholotsho district administrator, Mr Themba Moyo, who is the chairperson of the district Civil Protection Unit, said 12 cases had been observed in people.
“These are confirmed cases and they are all from Bubude area of the district. The outbreak has also been reported in the Dlamini area with 30 cattle having died from suspected anthrax while four cases in humans were reported at Dlamini Clinic,” he said.
Mr Moyo said the results were from a rapid assessment carried out by the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare and the Veterinary Services Department. The police and the Veterinary Services Department have been asked to mount roadblocks to limit the movement of meat to and from areas outside the district while transportation and slaughter of any beasts has been banned until the situation has been brought under control.
“We got the first report over the weekend and the Civil Protection Unit held an emergency meeting today. We are expecting to send about five teams per day so that we cover the whole district,” said the Tsholotsho assistant district administrator, Mr Kelvin Mayoyo.
Mr Mayoyo said the district is yet to get vaccination but remained optimistic that they would get some from Harare. He said they were facing serious fuel challenges as they needed about 600 litres of diesel if they were to effectively prevent the disease from spreading to more humans.
“We urge villagers to desist from eating meat from cows suspected to have died from the disease. Villagers should burn the carcass instead of endangering their lives by consuming the meat,” said Mr Mayoyo.
The district has since written a letter to the Matabeleland North Provincial Administrator, Ms Latiso Dlamini, informing her of the disease outbreak. Mr Mayoyo said non-governmental organisations operating in the district have offered to assist authorities in containing the disease. The district suffered a similar outbreak last year around July.-CHRONICLE
Labels: MATABELELAND NORTH, PUBLIC HEALTH
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WHO issues asbestos-related deaths warning
By Sututu Katundu
Wed 05 Oct. 2011, 06:40 CAT
A STUDY published in this month's bulletin of the World Health Organisation has warned that many l
ow and middle-income countries that continue to use asbestos in building and transport industries face many deaths in the coming decades. The WHO has called on countries to stop using all types of asbestos and improve reporting.
"We know the risks," says Dr Ivan Ivanov, scientist at WHO. "All forms of asbestos are carcinogenic and may cause mesothelioma and cancer of the lung, larynx and ovary, as well as other diseases. Even if these countries stop using asbestos today, they are going to see an increase in asbestos-related deaths for many decades to come."
The study, for the first time, counts total deaths reported to WHO from malignant mesothelioma, a rare but fatal cancer that is almost always traced to exposure to asbestos. It usually takes longer than 30 years to develop but once diagnosed, average survival time is less than one year.
The bulletin of the WHO however said cancer deaths caused by asbestos exposure were starting to fall in high-income countries that have since banned the use of asbestos.
"We found that mesothelioma deaths are starting to decrease in the USA but are still increasing in Europe and Japan, reflecting the time lag following historical use of asbestos," says researcher Ken Takahashi from the University of Occupational and Environmental Health in Kitakyushu City, Japan.
"The real concern is that many developing countries continue to use this deadly material but don't report data to WHO on the deaths it causes."
Malignant mesothelioma affects the protective lining that covers many of the body's internal organs, most commonly the outer lining of the lungs and the chest wall, but also the lining of the abdominal cavity, and sacs around the heart and testes.
Labels: HEALTHCARE, PUBLIC HEALTH, WHO
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Harbour workers ‘in danger’ from cement
By Ernest Chanda in Mpulungu
Thu 11 Nov. 2010, 04:01 CAT
SOME casual workers at Mpulungu Harbour Corporation Limited have complained of
poor treatment from management and
lack of protective clothing. But superintendent in charge of operations, Anthony Sichivula said the company was
in the process of purchasing protective clothing for the workers.
The workers who spoke on condition of anonymity when The Post conducted a tour at the harbour on Tuesday complained that
the cement they loaded everyday without protective clothing was a serious danger to their lives.
At the time of the tour, most of the workers had no protective shoes and overalls, and even those who had overalls did not have shoes.
One of the workers said: “We have been asking for boots and overalls for a long time now. And all management has been telling us is that we are casual workers who should not be asking for such conditions. But you see, even then we need those safety clothes and gumboots because the work we are doing is hard. When our government talks about labour laws they should also look at us.”
The workers said the government could only blame itself and not the investors because Mupulungu Harbour was a parastatal.
“Just look at me boss, look, I have no shoes. Look at that one and that one they don’t have shoes as well,” one of the workers said. Another worker complained that the wages they received were not enough.
“What we get is nothing compared to the work we do. We lift cement every day on our heads, but the money we get is not even peanuts. And the company makes a lot of money because they always have orders from Burundi and Congo DR Democratic Republic. Every day we have to load cement and sugar on these cargo ships you see here. They say we are special casuals but even casuals deserve some respect. Some of us have been here with them for a long time,” complained the worker.
But Sichivula assured that management had sent people to purchase protective clothing for workers.
“We have 100 workers we call stevedores. Besides, we have five gang leaders; the groups we divide them into we call them gangs. And these workers are special casuals, but we employ more when the amount of work increases. We have people who have travelled to Lusaka to buy protective clothing for these workers. So we have not ignored them, these things are on the way,” assured Sichivula.
Labels: CASUALISATION, CEMENT, LABOUR, MPULUNGU HARBOUR CORPORATION, PUBLIC HEALTH
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Mwale brands CCZ statement on uranium mining as alarming
By Speedwell Mupuchi in Kitwe
Tue 31 Aug. 2010, 04:00 CAT
MINES minister Maxwell Mwale has said the recent report of the Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ) which indicated that Zambia is not ready for mining uranium was alarming.
In an interview yesterday, Mwale dismissed claims that his ministry was threatening to make life for the church mother body difficult if it continued telling Zambians that uranium was dangerous and that Zambia, policy-wise, was not ready for mining it.
According to the CCZ report themed ‘Prosperity Unto Death –Is Zambia ready for Uranium mining’, uranium mining is a dangerous venture that requires stringent safety measures to prevent the environment, communities and workers from getting exposed to radiation from it.
The report on uranium mining in Zambia reviews the mining policy in existence and concludes that Zambia does not have a specific policy that governs uranium mining.
According to sources in the Ministry of Mines, Mwale last week invited CCZ general secretary Reverend Suzanne Matale to his office for a talk over CCZ’s position as presented in its latest report.
According to the source, the meeting with the minister was also attended by the two deputy ministers, Gabriel Namulambe and Boniface Nkhata, as well as permanent secretary Dr Godwin Beene.
“The ministry has not been happy with the campaigns that the mother church body has been doing. To make matters worse the Church has visited areas such as Solwezi and Siavonga where this uranium mining is taking place,” said the source.
According to the source, CCZ told Mwale that their duty was to provide information to the ministry to help them formulate a better policy to safeguard the interests of Zambians.
Another source said Dr Beene had even asked CCZ not to go ahead and launch their report on uranium because “it was not factual and alarming”.
The source said CCZ disregarded that “advice” and went ahead to launch the report.
According to another source, the ministry assured CCZ that government policies on uranium mining were adequate and that the mineral was not dangerous contrary to the church mother body’s position.
Another source who attended the Environmental Council of Zambia newsmakers forum at Protea Hotel at Arcades said the government “tried to paint a wonderful picture about uranium”.
Dr Beene, when contacted for comment said: “We do not threaten people, we did not threaten them. If that’s what they are telling you, then I am not saying anything and as far as I am concerned, you have not talked to me.”
But Mwale said his ministry believed in consultation and that all stakeholders were part of governance.
“The issue with CCZ is just lack of engagement,” Mwale said.
He said CCZ did not engage with government when publishing its report and that he made it clear to them that they were free to visit his ministry if they had issues.
Mwale said his ministry ensured it widely consulted on everything it wanted to do.
He explained that when uranium issues began in the 1970s, there was regulation and a commission called Prescribed Minerals and Materials Commission which looked at uranium exploration.
“…as government we believe the church is a social partner in development and CCZ is one wing for achieving advocacy. What’s lacking in their report is consultation, that’s what is missing in their publication. That publication sounds alarmist,” Mwale said.
He explained that uranium only became dangerous at enrichment stage, and said it could be mined just like copper.
Mwale said Gwembe Valley residents who had lived in the area where there is uranium deposits had not shown any health complications arising from the mineral.
Labels: CCZ, GODWIN BEENE, MAXWELL MWALE, PUBLIC HEALTH, URANIUM
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Investors should address issues of health, safety – MUZ
By Kabanda Chulu in Kitwe
Mon 22 Mar. 2010, 04:00 CAT
MINEWORKERS Union of Zambia (MUZ) has said there is need to compel investors to place emphasis on addressing issues of health and safety as compared to focusing on profits only. Opening the supreme council meeting, MUZ president Rayford Mbulu said too many lives in mine accidents were being lost.
“We have serious occupational health and safety concerns that need redress, we have lost too many lives in preventable mine accidents hence the need to compel our investors to put healthy and safety issues on the mines and casualisation as primary concerns and profits as secondary pursuit,” Mbulu said last week.
He challenged the government and other political leaders to regularly visit mine operations and communities to understand the challenges being faced in the sector.
“In line with promises made during elections, we expect our leaders to be accountable to the people and to consult the people on issues and their priority areas of development for good roads, good schools, good hospitals, clean and affordable water and other amenities,” Mbulu said.
He advised MUZ members to stand firm in solidarity to fight for the rights of workers in order to get a fair share of their toil and sweat.
The supreme council was held to review the previous year as well as appointing of a committee to plan for the hosting of the quadrennial conference that would usher in a new MUZ executive for 2010 to 2014.
Labels: MUZ, PUBLIC HEALTH, RAYFORD MBULU
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Filth at Kitwe taverns shocks local govt official
By Correspondent
Sat 21 Nov. 2009, 04:00 CAT
COPPERBELT provincial local government officer Solomon Sakala has expressed displeasure that
council health inspectors are not reporting the truth to him regarding hygiene of drinking places.
Speaking after he inspected some bars, taverns and other drinking places in Chimwemwe, Kwacha and Bulangililo townships on Wednesday, Sakala expressed disgust at the sight of human excreta in toilets at operating taverns.
Sakala, who was leading some officers from Cabinet Office in Ndola and the Kitwe City Council was shocked at the filthy state of Islamabad City Pub in Kwacha township where some heaps of human excreta were found in the toilets.
"After that tour we carried in the townships, it shows that council health inspectors are not telling the truth in the reports they were sending to the provincial office regarding the hygiene of the drinking places. You saw how dirty that place called Islamabad City Pub in Kwacha which was very dirty.
The place is so dirty with heaps of human excreta in the toilet, but when these healthy inspectors send reports to us, they paint a picture that everything is alright," he complained.
"This war of filthy drinking places can only be fought effectively when council health inspectors are truthful in the reports of their operations. We are receiving good reports which are painting a picture that everything is alright. We are receiving reports that drinking places are clean, but when we go on the ground, we find something else. We are finding dirty drinking places with heaps of human excreta in toilets."
Sakala said the Provincial Liquor Licensing Board would carry out periodical inspections to improve the situation in most drinking places.
At Sanjika bottle store, the team was shocked to find that both men and women were using the same toilet and that whoever goes in first, just needed to close the door to avoid the opposite sex getting in.
Many bar owners at Bulangililo market closed their premises after realising the presence of the health inspectors in the area.
Kitwe City Council health inspector Paka Nkonde expressed shock that some of the closed down drinking places in Kwacha and Bulangililo townships had been illegally opened.
He said most of the bars in the two townships were closed because they were dirty and filthy.
"We shall close them again," he said.
Labels: KITWE CITY COUNCIL, PUBLIC HEALTH, SOLOMON SAKALA
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