Professional Documents
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NAPSA Sacks Boss - Page 2 Budget 2009: Likely More of the Same - Page 7
Evaluating the Banda Presidency - Page 5 Energy: A New Idea (At Last) - Page 10
Dr. Aubrey Chinyeke Chibumba, the recently “sacked” Director-General of NAPSA, Following the frequent newspaper advertisement of the sale of the farm, very few
had ignored a set of probing questions sent to him over a questionable investment credible investors showed interest owing to the complicated nature of coffee farming
he made using public funds. Chibumba decided to buy a failing and collapsing coffee and the collapse of the coffee prices on the international market. We hear the valuation
farm – Muyubu Farms in Receivership– at a cost of US$7.6 million at a time when of the farm was put at a lower price than what NAPSA paid, raising questions on the
coffee farming to collapsing in most parts of Africa. The transaction was concluded transaction. A set of questions set to the Receiver remains unanswered over the actual
on November 14, 2008 through the Receiver – Pricewatehouse Coppers. “This was value of the farm and the list of bidders who threw in their purchase intention. The
one of the worst investment for NAPSA, Someone must be made to pay for this waste deal was further suspicious when it was discovered that Chibumba decided to form
of public funds,” said one NAPSA manager who had opposed the deal. The board of a separate company, wholly owned by NAPSA, to be the purchaser of the farm. The
NAPSA announced the suspension of Chibumba recently and he has been replaced newly formed Munali Coffee Company Limited intends to continue with the growing
by Stanley Phiri who had been director of finance and investment at the state-run and processing of coffee despite the difficulties the farm was facing. “Buying such a
Zambia State Insurance Corporation (ZSIC). NAPSA board chairperson Professor farm is too risky an investment for NAPSA to make. It is not going to them a return…,”
John Lungu, who had defended another similar questionable NAPSA investment an agriculture economist said.
recently, announced the changes.
We hear NAPSA has approached Zambia’s agric-giant, ZAMBEEF, to manage the
Mubuyu Farms – otherwise known as Munali Coffee – is a classical failed project. The newly acquired farm on its behalf. It is not clear what terms will the management contract
farm, situated 1,600 hectares of land near Mazabuka has been slowly going down contain but Chibumba was recently nominated to sit on the board of ZAMBEEF.
following the capricious weather pattern in Southern Zambia as well as the lack of
capital injection. A US$10 million loan obtained from Barclays Bank Zambia by the NAPSA had also injected ZMK10 billion of pensioner’s funds into the gambling business,
owner Willem Lublinkhof failed to bring the farm to life despite sinking several bole Zambian Lotto, on the expense of credible projects in Zambia. The controversial lotto,
holes to mitigate the drought pattern on the farm. Barclays, the traditional lender to which is majority owned by Lebanese nationals, was launched barely few months without
the farm for several decades, appointed a receiver Nitesh Patel of Pricewaterhouse any track record but Chibumba pumped in the funds to acquire 10 percent of the stake.
Executive Issues
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Volume 7 - January 2009 News
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News Volume 7 - January 2009
Grant Aid…
(UPND) Hakainde Hichilema was to submit his party’s suggestions and ideas on how
best to respond to the global economic downturn. The opposition seemed persuaded to
give dialogue a chance and not least by the President’s earnestness. How government will
From page 3 build on that new willingness to talk remains to be seen but it seems to have a achieved a
was successfully concluded in June 2008 which how Zambia won eligibility for thaw and to have won for itself “a decent interval.”
more aid. Top MCA officials were expansive and congratulatory. More poignantly, mealie-meal prices have began to reduce as a result of measures
implemented by government, among them increased monthly supply of maize to millers
by the FRA and at a lower price. The FRA now supplies 60,000 tonnes a month up from
The CEO John Damilovich described Zambia’s winning of eligibility as “a huge 20,000 and has pledged a further increase should need arise.
milestone in assisting to improve economic development and reducing poverty.
The MCA has formally recognized the Zambian government’s commitment to “ Since the millers will now be accessing the maize from FRA, there is no reason why they
invest in its people through education, health care, its commitment to the free should not respond by reducing the prices of mealie-meal as well since their concern was
market, facilitating business, governance and fighting corruption,” said the official the cost of maize,” said Dr. Chituwo. Prices are now falling gradually and the supply side
is being taken care of by imports from South Africa and there is reason to believe that the
statement. situation will remain stable until the next harvest. These measures were corollary to the
earlier decision to increase the subsidy to small-scale farmers under the Fertilizer Support
Secretary to the Treasury Likolo Ndalamei has recently indicated that Zambia Programme (FSP). The IMF is known to have been non too pleased but as things are
has already initiated consultation on drawing up a work plan for the integrated turning out, the decision from the government’s point of view is apt. For, it is the small-scale
national five-year MCA programme. It is the government of Zambia that has farmer who is more likely to sell his crop to the domestic market without contemplating
exports which would appear to be new swan song of the “private sector.”
to drive the application process which has to involve public consultations and
the funds will be accessed only after detailed negotiations and signing of the Escalating food prices are however merely one strand of the effects of the global financial
necessary agreements. downturn. The meltdown has seen to a rapid collapse in commodity prices. Metal prices too
and copper, Zambia’s main export has been no exception. The copper mines scrambled to
The funds can be used for infra-structure development and improvement and adjust and in short order, the copper processing plant at Bwana Mkubwa, Ndola was shut
down. Next, the Luanshya mine-a low grade, ill-fated from the start operation also shut
poverty reduction in line with the goals of the Fifth National Development Plan down and the mine was rapidly put on a care and maintenance basis to prevent flooding.
(FNDP) and other areas. Upwards of 2000 workers were left high and dry.
Zambia joins 18 other countries around the world that have completed MCA The situation was particularly dire in Luanshya, a town that revolves around the mine.
compacts and a half dozen more that are in the process of negotiations. So far, Closure of the mine meant the virtual death of the town itself after a period of hope that it
would survive. President Banda traveled there to meet with management and the unions
Tanzania has qualified to access US700 million while Madagascar got US$100 for a brainstorming session on the way forward. In addition a cabinet level monitoring
million and Namibia, US$300 million. The MCA is one of the US team that includes Labour and Social Security Minister Austin Liato was constituted to
Government’s innovative foreign assistance programmes aimed watch the situation on the mines. But there are no easy answers. There are all manner of
poverty reduction. What remains to be seen is how much and how suggestions including the ‘heretical” one of nationalization like western governments have
soon Zambia will draw from the facility. To page 5
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The recent statement of the Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Dr. Brian But there are other strands as well.
Chituwo on the “government decision to import 100,000 metric tonnes of non-
GMO white maize” made interesting reading: When the 2008 budget was unveiled one of the earliest complaints about
an insufficient allocation came from the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) and the
… “[at meeting in June 2008] It was … agreed that the private sector, coordinated University of Zambia (UNZA). FRA chairman Costain Chilala said almost
by the Zambia National Farmers Union, prepares a draft Memorandum of immediately that the allocation of K80 billion for maize purchases was insufficient
Understanding (MOU) to facilitate the importation of maize stocks…However, and government had to give out more if the strategic national reserve was to
the preparation of the MOU did not go through as the private sector demanded exist.
for some clauses which the Government was not comfortable with. The most
contentious was to allow the private sector to export the maize in case there was There then ensued an exchange between the FRA and the Ministry of Finance. In
more maize by the time the imported maize landed in the country. The Government quite brusque terms, the Minister of Finance Ng’andu Magande said there would
was not comfortable with this clause as it could have given the private sector be no additional allocation and if the FRA needed more money it could borrow
express authority to export even the local maize without importing any.” from commercial banks. But Chilala in turn pointed out that this had been done
in the past but had only left the FRA with a debt that it was struggling to repay.
By then, the meeting that was chaired by former joint Minister of Agriculture, Sarah Unfazed, Magande stuck to his guns and invited the private sector to step into
Sayifwanda had arrived at the conclusion that “the country had no maize surplus any breach.
given the change in national consumption patterns” from 50,000 o 60,000 tonnes
and therefore that Zambia needed to take a precaution by allowing the private In the end, the FRA had to make do with the paltry allocation and the result was
sector to import maize preferably from South Africa to forestall a shortage. that it bought only 73,000 metric tonnes bringing the total in the national strategic
reserve to 150,000 metric tonnes.
The issue was clearly an imminent shortage and how to forestall it. The extent to which this inadequate national reserve influenced the price spiral
is an open question but could be a factor. The matter of maize exports cropped
But somehow and in the same breath, there was also this clear anticipation up again during the Euro-money conference held in Lusaka at which the export
of an export opportunity for Zambia for the same soon-to-run-out maize! This ban that was in force then was cast as a primary disincentive to production
ambivalence is hard to explain but there has to be an explanation. because it was an administrative instrument that ignored market fundamentals.
But crucially maize is the designated staple food of Zambia, though in practice
“The private sector was categorical that there was need to import maize because cassava seems to be more widespread and as a crop would appear to be less
they did not have enough maize of their own. How come six months later…there problematic than maize at least to grow.
is maize available on the local market. Where was this maize stock during
earlier discussions? Surely, Government cannot be held responsible for some For that reason Government is on guard twenty-four hours especially as the
stakeholders under declaring maize stocks in their possession.” reaction to any instability in the maize market tends to come from the politically
Reading through the Minister’s statement one is left to wonder what the real story organized urban elite. Thus government finds itself more readily impelled to
behind the high mealie-meal prices of the recent past is. Was it really a part of intervene on the side of consumption ignoring the blatant contradiction of that in
the global economic downturn or simply the result of the exigencies of the local the face of sermons about the need for a free market! At the same time, maize is
economy? grown by farmers looking to a return, preferably a good one on their investment
and they would for that reason sell it wherever it may attract that kind of return
Evaluating the Banda Presidency regardless of whether or not it is the domestic market.
– Two Months On! It is clearly the interaction between these two - the Government and the farmer-
that will decide whether or not the country will have a steady and stable maize
From page 4
supply or it will forever be fire fighting and on the tenterhooks as in the recent past.
done to most of the financial institutions! But there is as yet no decision on how to proceed
The matter goes beyond the private sector’s supposed perfidy or “hidden agenda”
and the stimulus and other relief measures for the mines may come via the budget.
There was this assurance from the President though: or for that matter government’s “high handedness.” It is economic.
“What we are considering is that if possible, we ensure that out workers do not remain
unemployed. How we are going to do it, we do not quite know yet, but we are definitely Clearly, if supply is to be stable and predictable in the main because Zambia still
making plans to enable our people in Luanshya continue with employment.” That effort relies on natural rainfall anyway for most of its core agriculture, the final price of
continues.
maize will have to reflect the cost of production and if those costs are high, maize
The larger picture is that there has been at least a partial review of expenditures leading to is unlikely to be cheap however hard the yearning for cheap maize even on the
a re-designation of priorities. part of government, may be. The official position at least when publicly stated is
that maize has to be “affordable” and that has policy implications that still have to
Zambia’s withdrawal from hosting the tenth all-Africa Games scheduled for Lusaka in be addressed. In a situation where compensation for the burden of production is
August 2011 has met with a mixed reaction but is connected to that process. There those
not enough, government’s intermittent interventions “to straighten up the market”
who argue that the country has lost a great opportunity to market and put itself on the world
map. That could well be so and the withdrawal cannot have enhanced Zambia’s credibility. will only add to unpredictability of the market and discourage production.
However, that decision does not appear to have been taken in isolation. Instead it came as
part of the re-ordering of priorities. “The combination of the recent presidential elections and Maize will progressively become a crop whose returns are uncertain and rather
the expected fall in revenue arising from the global financial crisis forcefully dictated that than spend sleepless nights calculating what they may be, farmers will simply skip
the Government chooses between the honour and pleasure of hosting the games and the
growing it and keep their sanity! So, while intermittent government interventions
duty to provide food and social service… Government has decided to shift resources for the
hosting of the games that would have been in excess of K800 billion to the identified priority may please everybody and lead to low retail prices in the short term, long-term they
areas such as food production, provision of social services, housing and infrastructure could be damaging leading to a situation where Zambia’s output will consistently
construction,” said Chief Government spokesman Ronnie Shikapwasha. be below national consumption. Zambia may in fact be at the crossroads on this
very fundamental issue and the primary role in resolving it, is government’s.
The first two months of President Banda’s stewardship present a mixed picture but one
characterized by moves to get to grips with a situation that is potentially a crisis. So far, that
has been averted. Whether the emerging approach will do for future crises which promise Agriculture has chronically under-performed since liberalization largely
to multiply as global downturn bites is at this stage an open question. because of so much “unfinished business” in the liberalization chain.
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Kwacha Nose-dives
Strong demand for the dollar and copper price fall blamed The depreciation is blamed on massive buying of the dollar by offshore players to
fund their US dollar requirement and on the inevitable capital flight in conditions
Zambia’s currency, the Kwacha depreciated by 70% during 2008, Standard of the uncertainties triggered by the credit crunch. The fall in the price of copper
Chartered Bank sources have disclosed. Most of the decline occurred in the last from highs of US$8,000 per tonne to US$2,770 at the end of December 2008
half of the year. At its strongest, the Kwacha fetched K3, 100 per dollar but fell to is cited as the other factor. Pundits expect the Kwacha to be stable in 2009 at
as low as K5000 a dollar by the last half. around K4, 800-K5000.
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Budget 2009: Likely More hillsides in its leafy suburbs and it has a modern and adequate shopping centre.
The nearby town of Manzini is the industrial hub. Its satellite town of Matsapha
of the Same
is the kingdom’s industrial centre. Sugar, pineapples and citrus fruits are among
its notable agricultural products. For its size, it has a vibrant economy with what
appears to be a growing middle-class. The kingdom is proud of its African heritage
times of metal price booms. and Swaziland is perhaps the closest one gets to an authentic African country
still run on ideas informed by the African heritage. It would have been a source of
This has reinforced the conventional wisdom that the sooner the country diversifies immense pride if it would work. But it doesn’t.
and moves away from dependence on mining, the better. That is of course as old
as Zambia itself. In fact, it is the system of government that is the source of growing internal
disaffection and now poses perhaps the single most potent threat to Swaziland’s
But there is now once more a renewed focus on diversification of the economy. continued stability. As an absolute monarchy, the last in the world, the King,
Finance Minister Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane’s, ministerial statement to Mswati III is the head of state and the kingdom’s chief executive officer.
the National Assembly on November 28, 2008 was explicit: “Government He is the absolute ruler of Swaziland by a traditional system that effectively
is considering measures in next year’s budget (2009) to enhance the defines the country as his fiefdom. He is above the law and the law is largely his
competitiveness of the economy and promote economic diversification” and that command!
infrastructure development would be given “high priority in the areas of agriculture
and tourism.” His dominant position derives largely from Swazi feudal tradition and increasingly
nowadays it can only be maintained by constantly stifling and outright warding off
Bank of Zambia Governor Dr Caleb Fundanga is on record on the need for a of “modernity” including universally adhered to tenets of government. Political
new push for economic diversification with agriculture as the centerpiece of it. parties are for instance, not allowed.
That again was more or less the theme of Chief Government Spokesman,
Information Minister Ronnie Shikapwasha’s press briefing on December 12, With a population that is increasingly eager to participate in governance, that sort
2008 when he said government had prioritized its expenditure to save money of posture by the king and can only come with a price and it a high price indeed that
and concentrate on selected areas “such as food production, provision of social the Swazi monarchy is having to pay for attempting to stem the movement of time.
services, housing and infra-structure construction.” All these are pointers to what In contrast to the exulted position and prestige that the king must have obviously
lies in store. enjoyed through most of history, the Swazi monarchy today is discredited and
damaged perhaps irretrievably.
How this increased shuffling of feet around diversification and poverty reduction
will in the long run differ from that of the past remains to be seen. However, As a result of being the country’s top politician, the King is in popular perception,
for the 2009 budget it is more likely to translate into increased allocations for the first and last villain. Even in matters where he may not have had a direct hand,
the agriculture sector and poverty reduction measures. Agriculture and social “the king is to blame.”
protection are expected to get some of the highest allocations in the 2009 budget
on account of the evident and pressing need to enhance food security and reduce Clearly, the king is sinking deeper into a quagmire from which he may not extricate
the effects of rising prices on the population. himself and could lose everything.
Curbing inflation which at around 15% has once more climbed to a double digit “…As long as political power remains in the hands of the king, you and I will never
figure will remain a key objective. Measures to reduce it to 10% during the year have a say on how the country’s resources should be allocated and utilized,” wrote
before further cutting it down to about 9% by 2010 are expected. No change a columnist in the Times of Swaziland who accurately reflected the frustration of
except more prudence and stabilization is expected in the management of the many in the country today. The growing frustration is over many issues but central
exchange rate. is the kingdom’s “African system” of government. It is loathed by many. It is seen
to interfere with and subtract from the rule of law and fundamentally to deny any
Sectors that will help improve the country’s food production and reduce poverty meaningful role or participation in the running of the country by anybody other
are set to receive priority in allocations. The 2009 budget is expected to more than the king and his placemen. The way the growing army of critics sees it, this
forthrightly put agriculture at the centre in line with the Fifth National Development system is nothing more than a corrupt dictatorship with the King and not some
Plan (2006-2010) than was the case with the 2008 budget. While that budget corrupt politician as the autocrat in-chief.
remained broadly within the set out framework of the FNDP and the Vision 2030,
fears were expressed by some that it did not put nearly enough emphasis on Under the system, effective planning is undermined. By tradition for instance, the
equity and poverty reduction-areas where agriculture is thought to be key. King has also to be the kingdom’s most married man and he can marry “as per
tradition,” which means in practice, at his and the royal establishment’s whim. He
Issues of equity and poverty reduction will undoubtedly have some play in the already has a seraglio of 14 wives, but against “tradition” he has of late neglected
2009 budget as will have the overall framework of the FNDP. There cannot be to take on more wives due apparently to international pressure to end these
too much of a departure especially as Zambia’s cooperating partners, the donors, repeated royal weddings!
have already pledged budget support for 2009 despite the effects of the global
slowdown on their own purses. Few however seemed to begrudge him his many royal wives as such. At issue was
the havoc that these marriages caused the kingdom’s capital budget. For sooner
For that reason, Zambia’s 2009 budget will have to be in line with mutually agreed or later, the new royal bride has to be ensconced in a brand new royal palace and
priorities and objectives. A broadly pro-poor budget would appear to be in the since there is no schedule, money has to be diverted, usually from the capital
offing. How far it will go in addressing the identified needs and the extent to which budget! The King has many residences and they can’t by definition be
it will pull Zambia away from the ravages of poverty is of course what will only be ramshackles. They must reflect his status and the Swazi monarchy has
clear come budget day. To page 8
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December 2008, may well go down in continental history as marking the beginning of an end to impunity in Africa.
In rapid succession, the United Nations Tribunal on Rwanda sitting at Arusha in Tanzania sentenced to life imprisonment, Theoneste Bagosora one of the master
minds of the 1994 genocide in which up to 800,000 people were massacred, in a pogrom that outraged the world and has continued to gnaw at its conscience.
Bagosora, a Colonel in the old Rwandan Army was found to have been at the head of a committee that plotted the harrowing massacres of ethnic Tutsis and was given
the life sentence for genocide and crimes against humanity.
In the same month, both the Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki and Prime-Minister
Raila Odinga were left with no alternative but sign into law legislation to set up a
Swaziland: King and Country
tribunal to try identified perpetrators of post-election political violence which left From page 7
1,300 dead and 300,000 homeless following that country’s failed General election elements of duality with a strong role for the king mother for instance who must
in December 2007. In both these cases, the thrust is to bring to book, those who also be taken care of appropriately as have to be the numerous other members
were behind these events that not only sullied Africa’s reputation and image but of the royal family!
fell far below accepted civilized standards.
Ordinary Swazis have the vote.
Together with Bagasora, two other commanders in the old Rwandan army were
convicted on the same charges and were similarly sentenced to life terms. In They elect a National Assembly that meets at Lobamba. But it pales in significant
Kenya, under the new law perpetrators of the violence may in addition to lengthy before the king and cannot match his power. The royal budget for instance is
jail terms be barred from holding or seeking public office. Under agreements merely presented and not debated by the National Assembly and to be elected or
for the power-sharing government signed in February 2008, a commission led nominated one needs to have “caught the king’s eye ” one way or the other.
by Kenyan Judge Philip Waki was appointed to inquire into the violence and
recommended the setting up of a special tribunal with Kenyan and international Political parties are outlawed “for the time being” and election to the National
membership to try perpetrators of the violence. There was some dilly-dallying but Assembly is strictly not along party lines. A “traditional” system governs elections
pressure mounted on the Kenya Government for action on the legislation and it and it invariably leads up to the king! This system has its supporters, some of
was recently signed into law. them die-hards. But it is dissatisfaction and anger that predominates across
Swazi society. The King is increasingly in the firing line because as things stand
It is a tough one: there is no way of avoiding him. Voices are raised to the effect that the king must
relinquish power to an elected executive. Allow political parties and generally
“The special tribunal will look into the prosecution of people bearing usher in a system of government in consonant with the 21st century if stability is to
the greatest responsibility for genocide, gross violation of human rights
To page 9
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Zambia has introduced the parole system to help decongest prisons and as part of a paradigm shift in its criminal justice system. Prison congestion had led to a progressive
deterioration in conditions leading to infection of inmates and poor and unhygienic living conditions generally. Many of those who have done time have been released only to die
shortly after. In these circumstances, custodial sentences were beginning to operate effectively as death sentences in a system that is supposed to help deviants reform.
Through the parole system, the country is opting for a more human rights based
Religion -
model away from a retributive one. There are about 15,000 prisoners today in
institutions built for a maximum holding capacity of 5000! Zambia is ranked to have
the third most congested prisons on the continent.
“The prisons in Zambia were built for a maximum capacity of 5,000 prisoners and
have not been expanded since, despite the prison population having increased to the
Pentecostals Mark
Declaration of Zambia as a
current 15, 000,” said Home Affairs Minister Dr Kalombo Mwansa when launching
the system. The minister said the congestion had greatly compromised human rights
in prisons. There was inadequate water, food, medicine and bed space. Classification
of prisoners according to age and type of crime had become impossible.
Christian Nation
“Those serving time for the worst crimes are mixed with new offenders or those
serving for minor offences, leading to a worsening of criminal behaviour and the The occasion was used by some to exalt former President Chiluba to Christ-
perpetuation of crime syndicates,” he observed. Now, under the Parole system, like status
prisoners serving custodial sentences will have the opportunity to appear before the
Parole Board for review and depending on the merits, the board will be in a position December 29, 2008 marked the 17th anniversary of the controversial declaration of
to commute some of the sentence to a non-custodial one. Zambia as a Christian nation. The occasion was used by some within the Christian
movement to exalt the former President Frederick Chiluba who as president made
There is a lot going for this system. Successive studies have established that non- the declaration to a Christ-like status. In reference to his cases in the courts, he was
custodial sentences offer better opportunities for rehabilitation and rehabilitation is likened to something of a Christ being persecuted and tormented presumably by the
what Zambian prisons are supposed to be all about. devil himself or his forces!
“It is the belief of this government that prisoners should be supported and given Some flyers distributed as part of the observance held at the Cathedral of the Holy
a chance to return to their communities in time to reconstruct their lives,” said Dr. Cross in Lusaka listed his achievements and called for a greater recognition of what
Mwansa. The parole system would also stabilize the family unit as often it is the he did for Zambia and to honour his memory! This was the closest Zambia came to a
bread-winner who goes to prison leaving the family in a precarious situation without celebration of the Chiluba years and rehabilitation of his legacy in recent years.
adequate support. “Adverse conditions of incarceration have the potential to reduce
one’s life due to disease. Parole in this regard will provide a window for those who The former President mostly cuts a lonely figure. His reputation and image severely
would be victims to prolong their precious lives once released,” the Minister said. dented by the criminal cases in which he is accused of primarily theft of public funds
To page 10
But in the manner of most tragic figures in history, the King seems oblivious to
From page 8 the growing discontent within. Most Swazis seemed to have long forgotten any
and crimes against humanity. Persons convicted of crimes by the tribunal shall in positive aspects of his stewardship. He dutifully presides at traditional ceremonies
addition to the prison terms be barred from holding public or elective office in like the Inca’wala recently. Except for the recent suspension of royal weddings,
Kenya,” the new law states. By some accounts, a secret list of culprits which the there is little discernable movement from him. There have instead been recently
commission has refused to reveal already exists and is said to contain the names suggestions of a hardening stance on his part. A draconian anti-terrorism law
of a number of prominent politicians and businessmen. is in place and the leader of one of the opposition parties Mario Masuku of the
The catch was always that if the Kenya Government did not go ahead, the list Peoples’ United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) has recently been arraigned
would be handed over to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for action. under its provisions.
From page 8
The setting up of the tribunal had become a virtual condition for aid to Kenya and However, it is reliably learnt that the action has met with the disapproval of
performance on many bilateral and multilateral agreements came to be conditional powerful international circles and government may be hard-pressed to proceed.
on the setting up of the tribunal. Still, it is an indication of the sort of response that the ruling circles consider
appropriate to what are legitimate demands for change. There is so far no
The Kenya Government has finally taken the plunge and overall in the right indication of willingness on the part of the king and his apparatus for genuine
direction as well. The point has to be made that there will be no impunity for dialogue on the future of the country. They are simply sitting tight until it seems
anyone. That will perhaps promote responsible actions on a continent not time runs out on them. On the basis of the current state of play, there may
particularly noted for scruples. be no happy ending to the growing political impasse in that country.
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From page 9
Energy: A New Idea (At Last)
discourage investment and lack of investment can affect the new power generation
The power debate must move on and focus on alternatives to hydro-power projects.” As a project, it has of course to be considered strictly on its merits but
is a refreshing proposal in any otherwise barren landscape and opens the way to
The debate on power triggered off by the necessity to ration electricity since the what should done more.
beginning of 2008 has singularly lacked in new or innovative ideas, going forward.
The damage to the economy and to Zambia as an investment destination has Not that HFO hasn’t got its down side.
continued unabated. Instead, the debate has largely been stuck at restating
and recycling the doubtful position that Zambia’s salvation lies in more hydro- It is a fossil fuel derivative. Its cost fluctuates with that of crude oil and there
power stations even though these have a long lead time, are expensive to build are suggestions that reliance on it was a factor in escalating production costs
and crucially are of no help in times of drought which is projected to recur under at defunct Kapiri Glass whose furnaces were fired by HFO. The proposal
conditions of climate change. More hydro power stations has been all the rage nevertheless opens the way to what ought to be done more-practical suggestions
and the sound approach of a mix of power sources that complement and on the way forward in order that there begins to emerge a blueprint on the way
supplement each other has received little play. Clearly, even if hydro-power is forward preferably based on alternatives to hydro-power.
to remain dominant it must progressively be supplemented and complemented
by a cocktail of other preferably renewable sources. There has been little said on Hydro power is of course the long term solution. But the short and mid terms
alternatives to hydro-power even though they do exist. The level of debate may remain un-provided for and the already fragile economy can only suffer as it
now be changing. already is as a result of this gap. Would for instance, the costs of “domesticating”
solar energy, a resource that is in abundance exceed the costs for the construction
A practical new idea from the Energy Regulation Board (ERB) for the construction of new hydro power stations? Properly harnessed, bio-gas for instance would
of a Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO)-driven electricity generating plant in the vicinity of open the way to rural electrification of at least some areas without drawing on the
the country’s only petroleum refinery in Ndola has recently been floated. The main national electricity grid.
underlying rationale is that the plant is the nearest the country can get to a “quick
fix” to the current electricity rationing as it can feasibility be constructed within 12 It is in a mix of energy sources and there are several, where salvation lies. The
months. ERB Executive Director Sylvester Hibajene has pointed out that the policy framework and package of incentives should begin to more seriously
hydro-electricity power stations that we must all wait for will not be coming on reflect this strategic reality and also the urgency of the matter. The dearth of
stream until 2013 and the country cannot possibly afford to wait until then and new approaches and the clinging to hydro-power in the manner of one, who is
continue the unpopular load-shedding in the interim. drowning, won’t help. It will be interesting to see the kind of hearing that the ERB
proposal will receive. But whatever it will be, the crying need is for more “savvy”
“We are proposing this new generator because continued load-shedding will approaches to a shortage that can’t be wished away.
Executive
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Issues
Volume 7 - January 2009 News
Obituaries
Emmanuel Kasonde JAPHET AARON BANDA
[1935-2008] [1943-2008]
Twice Zambia’s Finance Minister, Emmanuel Kasonde was eleven days short He handled sensitive cases with precision, calmness and composure
of his 74th birthday when he died rather suddenly at the Trust Hospital in Lusaka
on December 12, 2008. He had been born at Malole; Kasama on December 23, High Court Judge Japhet Banda (65) was killed in a road accident on the
1935 and like many of the brightest of his generation was educated at Munali Great North Road on the night of December 18, 2008.
Secondary School and started his working life in the colonial administration as a
Labour Officer. He died on the spot from head injuries sustained in a head-on collision with
a vehicle traveling in the opposite direction. Four other people were reported
He was to rise to the top position of Labour Commissioner after independence killed in the same collision. He was judge in- charge at Ndola and was returning
before being appointed the first Zambian Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of to that city when the accident occurred between Kabwe and Kapiri-Mposhi.
Finance.
Mr. Justice Japhet Aaron Banda had worked for the judiciary since 1971
He left the public service to go into business in 1971 and built one of the earliest when he entered service as a “lay” magistrate following his completion of a
Zambian-owned business empires around his Century Holdings Ltd. He seemed one-year magistrates’ court at the National Institute of Public administration
to enjoy the challenges of business and was totally immersed. Unlike many with (NIPA) in Lusaka. Subsequently, he obtained a law degree from the University
his background he seemed genuinely apolitical and for many years kept whatever of Zambia (UNZA) in 1980.
political judgments and views he may have had to himself and rarely volunteered
a political opinion publicly. He was admitted to the bar 1981 before returning to judicial service as
Resident Magistrate. He served successively as Senior Resident Magistrate,
For the duration of his life he was more of a technocrat than a politician. A genial Principal Resident Magistrate and Deputy Registrar.
man with a kind disposition, he was well liked and respected by many who knew
or met him. For much of his time outside the public service, he alternated between He was Registrar of the High Court for three years up to 1991. He was
running his businesses and his farm in Malole. His joining what was then the Commissioner of the High court from1991 until his appointment as Judge of
newly formed Movement for Multi-party Democracy(MMD) gave the party a the High Court on January 13, 1994. He served for the most part in the Ndola
tremendous fillip and had the effect of confirming it as a serious and respectable High Court rising to Judge-in-charge before his untimely end.
national political movement. It was only after he had joined the MMD in 1990
that he ventured perhaps his first ever public political utterance and it was a He was a widely respected judge as eulogies from among others, the Law
passion plea to Zambians to “put a new man in State House.” It is a message Association of Zambia who said of him that “he had been on the bench for a
that readily and easily resonated throughout Zambia at the time. long time and was one of the most experienced Judges this country has ever
had.”
In the historic October 1991 general election that marked the end of the one
party state in Zambia he was elected Member of Parliament for his home It was he who presided over the last treason trial in which about 55 soldiers
constituency of Malole and was the natural choice for Finance Minister in the from the Zambia Army including the late Captain Steven Lungu, more
new MMD government. It was he who largely laid he groundwork for the changes popularly known as “Captain Solo” faced charges of unlawfully attempting to
in economic policy that were to follow and given his business background overthrow the Government of President Frederick Chiluba by a coup d’etat.
and his having served at the top administrator at the Finance Ministry, he was Most received the mandatory death sentence.
eminently suited for the role.
He served as chairman of the Law Development Commission and in 1997 as
For reasons that remain unclear but would seem connected to fear of his stature, chairman of the commission that inquired into Torture in Zambia. He had been
he unexpectedly lost his cabinet post in a reshuffle. For a time, he joined the a member of Administrative Inquiry into the Administration and Conditions of
new opposition party, the National Party. He did not however take too active a the Prison Service.
part in the affairs of that party and seemed to retire back to his businesses which
were now largely ravaged by the effects of the Structural Adjustment Programme He born in Chipata on September 15, 1943 and educated at Chizongwe
(SAP) that his successor at the Finance Ministry Ronald Damson Siame Penza Secondary School before enrolling in 1963 for a teachers’ course at Malcolm
was now prosecuting with religious fervour. He returned to the Finance Ministry Moffat Teachers’ College, Serenje.
as Minister in 2002 following the election of the late President Levy Patrick
Mwanawasa. The country still needed a man of his stature and background for Chief Justice Ernest Sakala told the Joint valedictory session of the Supreme
that position. Kasonde obliged. and High Courts held in Ndola that the late judge “handled cases despite
their sensitive nature with precision, calmness and composure of mind. In
It was a short-lived and it would seem unhappy stay for a variety of reasons. his life as a judge, he added great value to the bench, which only posterity
He departed not a particularly happy man at the turn of events. Only at this will judge.”
time was there a hint of bitterness from this man who seemed in control of his
emotions throughout his life. But typically, it did not last. He again retired to his President Rupiah Banda described him as “a fearless judge who spared no
own exertions away from the limelight. Except for his time in public office, he lived effort to defend the constitution and the rule of law,” he declared. At the time
a quiet private life, minding his business quietly. He was a devote Catholic and of his death he had attained the statutory retirement age but had been readily
for most of the later part of his life, a widower although he later remarried at a granted a three-year contract by the President on account of his record.
quiet ceremony. He was buried in Malole on December 16, 2008. In his passing,
Zambia has lost a gentle giant of a man-one who would have had it fallen to him He was buried in Ndola, December 23, 2008.
led this country with quiet competence.
MHSRIP
MHSRIP.
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News Volume 7 - January 2009
Until December 12, 2008, the mood was upbeat: effusive government assurances that Zambia would go ahead to host the 10th All-Africa Games in August 2011 came thick and
fast; there was much shuffling of feet and more assurances that a cabinet committee overseeing the preparations was hard at work.
At the close of a three day consultation on the games held in Lusaka’s Mulungushi Hall at the end of November 2008, Zambia was pronounced to have demonstrated the
requisite “political will” to host the games. But that is precisely what seemed to rapidly fizzle out leading to the surprise withdraw. It came completely against the run of events.
Zambia seemed to be warming up to the task and when the shock announcement came: “Government,” said the Chief Government Spokesman, Information Minister Ronnie
Shikapwasha, “has prioritized its spending plans for 2009 to 2011…to concentrate on a few important programmes. Unfortunately, the hosting of the 2011 All Africa Games
is one of the programmes that have been affected.” He said government had decided to shift resources for the hosting of the games to identified priority areas such as food
production, provision of social services, housing and construction of infra-structure.
With that, Zambia baulked.The decision sent many sports associations reeling, their
plans in disarray but more importantly the only sure means of leveraging public funds
even for what could be doubtful causes had been removed! But crucially the decision
left the country’s reputation, record and credibility as a potential host of a Pan-African
Arthur Simuchoba
sports event very much in tatters and it will require perhaps plenty of time and certainly
Managing Editor
a lot of skill to repair. Zambia was throwing in the towel for the second time making her
asimuchoba@yahoo.com
among the most unreliable of would-be hosts on the continent. She reneged again in
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1988 when her effort to stage the finals of the soccer Cup of African Nations, would not
go beyond the destruction of Dag Hammarskjold stadium in Ndola!
Robert M. Sichone
Associate Editor
This time at least, there has been an undertaking to continue construction work
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associated with the games at the University of Zambia and other educational
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institutions around Lusaka for which contracts have already been entered into and if
its worth anything, it has also been said possibly for the 100th time that the rehabilitation
Luyando Yoyo
of Independence stadium in Lusaka will proceed. In justifying the pull-out, great play
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costs associated with the presidential by-election of October 2008, the K600 billion
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Most of it true of course. But it was also a convenient smokescreen. Zambia’s capacity
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to host the games even at the best times was near zero. She solely lacks the sports
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