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Smart Zambia National Coordinator, Martine Mulenga has disclosed that over 169,000 out of the 209,000 civil servants across the country have been captured under Electronic pay slips as of December 2017. Dr. Mulenga says this leaves about 60,000 civil servants who are yet to be put on Electronic pay slips. He says civil servants in rural areas who have not been put on Electronic pay slips will be added once the affected districts are computerized during phase two. Government plans to save about US$7.2 million per year on printing pay slips by introducing electronic pay slips. Last year Dr. Mulenga announced that government was in the process of introducing electronic pay slips for public service workers. He disclosed that government spends about 7.2 million dollars per year on printing pay slips. Dr. Mulenga also revealed that the contractual obligations with the suppliers for paper are ending this August, and that the contract will not b...

Civil Society for Poverty Reduction (CSPR) Executive Director, Patrick Nshindano says severe hunger looming in the country in view of the continued dry spells being experienced in most parts. Mr. Nshindano says regrettably the looming hunger will most likely affect those who are already wallowing in abject poverty. He is hoping that Government will quickly move in to arrest the situation through the provision of relief food to the vulnerable groups of people should need arise. Mr Nshindano tells Jenalanews.blogspots.com that the current rainfall pattern in the country is an early warning that this year’s harvest will be poor. He says government should therefore not wait until the country is stricken by hunger before acting. Mr. Nshindano has since advised Government to do a mop up of all the maize grain from the previous bumper harvest from both the Food Reserve Agency and the private sector in order to avoid an increase in the price of maize.   ...

Former Programme against Malnutrition Chairperson Bishop John Mambo has reiterated the need to introduce food security policy in the country. Bishop Mambo says food security policy is important in ensuring that the country reserves enough food when there is bumper harvest. In an interview Bishop Mambo, who is also CISCA Chairperson, regrets that his call for the introduction of the Food Security policy in the recent years however, appears to be landing on deaf ears. Meanwhile Bishop Mambo feels it would be wrong for opposition political parties or anyone else to blame President Lungu for the dry spells Lusaka and other parts of the country have been experiencing. Bishop Mambo says the dry spells and the re-suffursing of the army worms in the country is a curse because religious have been doing their work. He adds that the problems which have engulfed the country especially the agriculture sector are punishment from God for using his na...

The ruling Patriotic Front has called for patience among Zambians as government is on course to address unemployment levels in the country. Party Secretary General Davies Mwila says in an interview that the PF is a pro-poor party and that it is alive to the problems of unemployment levels which he says is biggest problem affecting the country. Mr. Mwila says people must therefore, not get agitated with government’s move to remove vendors from the streets because it has put in places measures aiming at addressing unemployment levels in the country.  He has since appealed to the street vendors to be patient stating that government wants to deal with cholera outbreak first before giving traders an alternative place for them to conduct their business.

Movement for National Transformation (MNT) President Daniel Shimunza has called on politicians in the country to practice mature politics in order to enhance democratic governance. Mr. Shimunza says any means that are outside the ballots should not be encouraged as means to change government. He says no one can change government by force but by ballot. And Mr. Shimunza is advising government through the Ministry of Religious Affairs to stop the banning of church meetings. Mr. Shimunza says when an epidemic such as Cholera strikes, areas which are not affected churches should not be stopped from conducting their daily prayer meetings. Mr. Shimunza has since condemned the banning of church meetings by government. He adds that the move to burn church meetings was ill-timed especially that bars where left operating in a Christian nation.  

Hivos  Southern Africa Regional Advocacy Officer for Sustainable Diets William Chilufya says President Lungu's prediction that the country is likely to record a poor harvest in forthcoming farming season sends a signal to farmers to consider diversifying their crops from maize. He says farmers across the country should receive the message from the President as a timely call for them to start diversifying their crops. Mr. Chilufya is therefore, encouraging farmers to reduce dependence on maize and begin perceiving crop diversity as an importance practices. He has also urged farmers to think outside the box because farming is not only about cultivating maize crop. He states that as farmers are diversifying they should look out for crops such millet and sorghum which are not prone to armyworms attack. The Hivos says crop diversification is an important measure that has potential to bring about food security and add value to the national economy. Presid...

Youth Aid Chairman Chungu Kachenga has described the Constitutional Clause which prescribes 35 years of age as qualification threshold for aspirants to public office as discriminatory and deserving immediate revision. In an interview with Mr. Chunga has wondered why elderly politicians had conspired to set the presidential qualification age at 35 years, when age has never been a criteria to determine ones suitability for leadership. Mr. Chungu is urging Justice Minister Given Lubinda and Members of Parliament (MP) to reduce the age threshold to 30 years as the current threshold is precluding young people from contributing at the highest level of the Zambian governance system. Meanwhile, Mr. Chungu is petitioning Commerce Trade and Industry Minister Margaret Mwanakatwe to intervene following the noted influx of counterfeit good and products on the Zambian market. And Mr. Chungu has appealed to Ms. Mwanakatwe and Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) Commissioner General Ki...

Support for Vulnerable Children and Active Leadership (SUVUCAL) Founder, Eugene Machona is disheartened that some sections of society continue politicizing Governments interventions against a life threatening Cholera which has caused over 80 deaths since a first case was reported Saturday 6 th  October 2017. Mr. Machona has expressed regret that instead of complementing government action mitigating the negative impacts of the on-going Cholera epidemic named opposition leaders are busy disparaging President Edgar Chagwa Lungu’s intervention. He has since advised the opposition political parties come on board and offer solutions to a desperate situation as business had come to a standstill and regrettably some people had actually died as a consequence of cholera. Mr. Machona says it is important that politicians desist from focus on tendering procedures and award of contracts regarding provision of services and drugs to the Ministry of Health.

Justice Minister Given Lubinda says enforcement of a Constitutional Court ruling that found his Predecessor Dr. Ngosa Simbyakula, the Attorney General and 96 ministers wanting will be done once Government concludes studying legal ramifications. Mr. Lubinda says it is a mark of selfishness for one to pledge to repay or refuse to do so as  the Constitutional Court action taken is on a group and not necessary an individual litigation on a Zambian citizen or public official. Mr. Lubinda, who is serving as Patriotic Front (PF) Kabwata Member of Parliament in Lusaka Province reaffirmed that as a group they had reached consensus to wait for a collective Government position. Last year the Constitutional Court ordered former cabinet ministers to pay back to the national treasury the salaries and allowances they got whilst Parliament was dissolved. The Court also ruled that the Attorney General had no right to represent private persons in a case of this nature. In August 2016 the...

Agriculture Permanent Secretary Julius Shawa says the Ministry of Finance has released K1.149 billion to be loaded on electronic voucher cards to enable farmers in 39 districts access inputs under the electronic voucher (E-voucher) system. Mr. Shawa says out of the K1.2 billion about K989 million has been availed to the six banks and two financial institutes it has engaged as agents in the E-voucher programme. The six banks are Zanaco, BancABC now rebranded as Atlas Mara, United Bank of Africa, Barclays, INDO Zambia Bank and Eco bank Zambia. Mr. Shawa says government has also engaged non- financial institutions such as Mobile payment solutions (MPS) which were allocated 39, 366 farmers while Pay code a non-financial institution was allocated 197, 045 farmers. And Mr. Shawa says government has saved up to 480 million kwacha from 300, 000 ghost Farmers under the Farmer Input Support Program. He has disclosed that some Members of Parliament and District Commi...