Posts in category: Uncategorized

By NATION REPORTER

RESPONDING to the urgent need for fertilizer, Alpha Commodities Limited has docked about 15, 000 metric tonnes of Urea at the Port of Dar-es-Salam, Tanzania, one of the many expected shipments, in readiness for the 2023/2024 farming season.

The 15, 000 metric tonnes, which has already landed in Dar es Salam, Tanzania is currently being dispatched to Zambia by both the rail and road in an effort to ensure the commodity is offloaded in its warehouses in Zambia in good time for farmers to begin accessing.

Alpha Commodities Limited operation manager Miyanda Ndeleki was recently in Dar er Salam, Tanzania to coordinate the movement of Urea fertilizer into Zambia as the shipment of the commodity is arriving at the Port of Dar er Salama. 

Mr Ndeleki said Alpha Commodities had decided to ship in Urea fetiliser so that the company could commence the delivery and distribution to different parts of the country including Muchinga, Luapula, Lusaka and Central Provinces.

He said in an interview that having started the delivery and distribution of fertilizer in Southern, Muchinga and Central Provinces, Alpha Commodities had decided to deliver Urea fertilizer to Mansa in Luapula so that farmers could begin accessing their inputs at their own convenient time.

“We have enhanced our preparations for the 2023/2024 farming season and so far, we have shipped about 15, 000 metric tonnes of Urea fertilizer into Dar es Salama, Tanzania in readiness for transportation into Zambia. We have been doing the bagging and loading of the fertilizer and as we speak, the wagons are being loaded.

“This is the preparedness we have been talking about and we are determined to deliver Urea fertilizer to our farmers. The farmers will have the liberty to begin accessing the inputs now or at any time convenient to them. A couple of months ago, we commenced the delivery of fertilizer in Southern Province. We have since made serious movement and we are now focusing on Muchinga and Northern as well as Mansa in Luapula,” Mr Ndeleki said.  

He said Alpha Commodities would work and ensure that within the next two months, Urea fertilizer should be as close to the farmers as possible so that they could easily access the commodity before the onset of the rains.

“Farmers free to walk into our warehouse and buy the urea fertilizer. We are trying hard to work within time because we do not want farmers to have the challenges of how to transport their inputs to their areas during the rainy season,” Mr Ndeleki said.

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THE Zambia meteorological department has disclosed that certain parts of the country are expected to experience increased wind speed and reduction in temperature. The change in the weather patterns will be from today to August 30,2023. In a statement released the meteorological department said strong, moist and cool airflow from the Southeast will affect the […]

TWO boys aged 15 and 16 have been arrested in Kitwe for stealing a motor vehicle valued at K180,000. The two juveniles went on a drive after stealing the Toyota Mark X registration number BCF 7626 which was parked with the engine running. Wallace Banda, 44 , a businessman, parked the vehicle at his plot […]

A WOMAN from Kalomo district has been axed to death by her husband after she served him divorce summons. Atrina Munsaka 33 died instantly after she was axed on the head as she was presenting the summons. Immediately Victor Sungababwa was given the summons he went into the house and returned with an axe which […]

THE Southern African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes -SACCORD has expressed disappointed at the decision by the Zambia Police to block the Patriotic Front -PF from holding a rally.

The Opposition PF were last week expected to hold a rally in Lusaka’s Zingalume grounds but were blocked by a battalion of Zambia Police officers who sealed the place.

SACCORD executive director Boniface Chembe says it is disappointing that the same trend that had been used by previous administrations had continued in the UPND administration.

Mr Chembe said the best to deal with such an undemocratic tendency was by doing away with the Public Order Act so as to give citizens and the opposition the latitude to express the freedom of assembly.

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A 14-YEAR-OLD female juvenile of Musele area in Kalumbila district, north-western province has allegedly been defiled by a known person.

North-western province commissioner of Police Dennis Moola confirmed the incident in a statement.

“Be informed that Kalumbila police station is in receipt of the case of defilement reported on 24 August, 2023 at 12:55 hours  by Sharon Sawalonga aged 35 of Musele area ,  Chifundwa village,  Chief Musele, Kalumbila district  on behalf of her daughter  female juvenile Barbara  Chifuntwe aged 14 of the same abode, that she was defiled by a man identified as Simon  Nyanga age unknown of Northern Resettlement area, Kalumbila district, who caused her to sustain painful private part,” reads the statement.

Mr Moola said the incident occurred between 23 August 2023 at 09:00 hours and 24 August 2023 at about 08:00 hours in the Northern Resettlement area of Kalumbila district.

“Brief facts of the matter are that the victim left her parent’s house around 09:00 hours and did not return home. On 24 August 2023 at about 08:00 hours, her mother found her at the Northern Resettlement area with a female friend identified as Susan Sakwanda, age not known. Upon asking her where she slept, she led the mother to a house where she spent a night and her slippers were found in the same house,” he said.

Mr Moola said the victim disclosed to the mother that the same man in question had carnal knowledge with her and police has since arrested the man. – ZANIS.

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COPPERBELT University Students Union (COBUSU) president Castro Mulilo has been expelled from the university after he allegedly canceled classes following the death of two students in June. Mulilo who was in his final year pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Transport and Logistics is also alleged to have called for a general assembly to condemn the […]

By NATION REPORTER 

PHARMANOVA Zambia Limited has appealed to the Ministry of Finance to reconsider the concessions given on imported drugs, as local pharmaceutical manufacturing companies are at a disadvantage. 

Pharmanova Zambia Limited’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Mohammed Umar says local pharmaceutical manufacturing companies are facing disadvantages as they have to pay customs duty and Value Added Tax (VAT) to produce the same products that are being imported into the country.

Mr. Umar made the appeal when he featured on the Zambia Development Agency (ZDA) program called ‘Investment Trends,’ which aired on Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) Television on Thursday evening.

“One or two appeals I would have for the government; the first one being to the Ministry of Finance to level the playing field in terms of concessions given on imports of finished products such as paracetamol. Foreign companies do not pay duties or VAT but as a local manufacturer, when importing raw materials to produce the same paracetamol tablets, unfortunately, I have to pay duty and VAT,” Mr Umar said.

He stated that local manufacturing companies could only achieve competitive parity if the Minister of Finance could revise the current policies.  

He also appealed to the Government, through the Ministry of Commerce and Trade, to incentivize the pharmaceutical manufacturing sector. 

Mr. Umar commended the Zambia Development Agency (ZDA) for creating platforms for the private sector to market their products both regionally and internationally, emphasizing that market access was crucial as the world had become a global village.

He said ZDA had been creating opportunities for private sector companies in Zambia to showcase their products in various countries during expositions and trade forums. 

“ZDA is doing a tremendous job to create a platform for private sector business to thrive not only within Zambia but on the continent as well. Any forum that is available for businesses ZDA ensures that private sector is involved by making them a part of the delegation,” he said. 

Mr. Umar said Zambia was well positioned to be a regional and global pharmaceutical manufacturing hub for essential medicines. 

“Recently, I was invited to present at the Africa vaccine manufacturing conference in Ethiopia, Addis Ababa and I did specify that Zambia is strategically located and investment of a vaccine facility in the country would be strategic not only for the country but for the region as well,” Mr Umar said. 

He revealed that Pharmanova was currently in the process of developing a state-of-the-art pharmaceutical manufacturing plant which had been approved by WHO, FDA, and EU standards. 

He explained that the facility would produce essential medicines to address the unique disease profile of the country and the southern African region. 

He said once the facility was complete, Pharmanova would start exporting essential medicines into the region. 

Mr Umar stated that with the new facility in place, Pharmanova was aiming to enhance healthcare security for Zambia and its neighboring countries.

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THE Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission CEEC says it is targeting to have as many beneficiaries for its various empowerment schemes as possible 

 The commission has noted that it is possible to have as many citizens as possible to be empowered especially when loans repayments were consistent and timely.

Commission public relations officer Michelo Mukanta said CEEC wanted to have as many people as possible benefiting from the empowerment initiatives as this was critical instead of waiting for government to release the funds for such.

Mr Michelo said the commission had also come up with various initiatives that would see many Zambians taken on board with their various empowerment initiatives

Meanwhile Mr Michelo has clarified that the reason most beneficiaries, especially with regards to the marketeers loans keep getting the loans was because they had proved that they could be trusted 

Mr Mukanta said those who were always getting the funds had proved to be trustworthy by always paying back, and as a result had created a relationship with the commission.

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By NATION REPORTER 

JUSTICE Minister Mulambo Haimbe has accused one of Zambia’s renowned lawyer, Makebi Zulu of practicing politics using a law firm in the raging gold and cash scandal that has since sucked in some State House personnel.

Mr Haimbe said The Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) should start being proactive on ethical issues, stating that the association could not allow a law firm allegedly politicking on national matters.

On Thursday last week, Makebi Zulu Advocates demanded that the State should immediately withdraw criminal charges against Shadrick Kasanda Kapasa, one of the suspects arrested in the country’s now infamous gold and cash scandal or the law firm would commence court proceedings that would expose some State House officials by naming and shaming them.

The law firm representing Mr Kasanda is demanding the withdrawal of the criminal charges and discontinuance of the matter, failure to which, it would have no choice but to take legal action that would require full disclosure of information about known State House personnel behind the goldgate scandal. 

 “In view of the State’s actions to proceed to charge and arrest our client in breach of the cited law to the exclusion of named persons behind the whole ordeal, who include known personnel at State House, who after the ordeal accompanied the Republican President to Angola and despite having returned, have not been availed for questioning  nor arrested, it is our demand that the State drops the charges forthwith and releases our client from the unlawful detention, failing which, we shall be left with no option but to commence proceedings for appropriate remedies, which action shall contain full disclosure of the information,” the firm  stated.

But Mr Haimbe is claiming that the law firm is playing politics in the gold and cash scandal and according to him, the defence Makebi Zulu and Advocates is putting up  for its clients should attract the attention of LAZ.

Mr Haimbe is of the view that the law firm was playing politics in the gold and cash scandal and not practicing law, telling LAZ to take an interest in the matter.

Commenting on a letter Makebi Zulu and Advocates, the lawyers representing Lusaka businessman, Shadreck Kasanda to the Attorney General in which the law firm accused President Hakainde Hichilema of prejudicing its client, Mr Haimbe claimed that it was mischievous for the law firm to attack the head of State on the matter.

Mr Haimbe said this when he featured on Radio Phoenix. He said the decision by Mr. Zulu to prosecute a criminal case by way of a letter to the Attorney General in the public domain was wrong.

 “Why is this mischievous way of doing things creeping in? Is there a fear that if I just go, I just go to court and I exhaust the matter in court then I will not gain comparative advantage or sympathy? What is he trying to be achieve,” Mr Haimbe said.

He said people needed to be calm and follow the prescribed channels, stating that if there were any complaints about the manner of treatment in prisons, there was a channel through which the law firm could have used.

Mr Haimbe proposed that the law firm should have considered engaging the Commissioner of Prisons and tell them that they were unhappy with the manner their clients were being kept.

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