Zambian Chronicle

The President was transferred to Percy military hospital in France after being treated for mild stroke in Egypt. He was rushed to hospital on Sunday in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh just before an African Union summit. A statement from France’s Foreign ministry also said the President was still recovering in Paris. 

Please keep the first family in your thoughts and prayers; they need them more than any insinuations and innuendos right now. Honoring and praying for those who are ill is the most honorable Zambian thing to do …

Get well soon, Mr. President; can’t wait to fly you back home so you can continue kicking some butt, you got a lot of work cut out for you. Live Long & Prosper … thanks a trillion. 

Brainwave R Mumba, Sr. 

CEO  & President – Zambian Chronicle

Copyrights © 2008 Zambian Chronicle. All rights reserved. Zambian Chronicle content may not be stored except for personal, non-commercial use. Republication and redissemination of Zambian Chronicle content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Zambian Chronicle. Zambian Chronicle shall not be liable for any errors, omissions, interruptions or delays in connection with the Zambian Chronicle content or from any damages arising therefrom. 

Zambian Chronicle is a wholly owned subsidiary of Microplus Holdings International, Inc.

Copyrights © 2008 Microplus Holdings Int., Inc

Choose Your Language Of Preference Below

French Version German Version Russian Version Spanish Version 

LUSAKA, July 3 (Xinhua) — The Environmental Council of Zambia (ECZ) has warned that the country is expected to experience increasing air, water pollution and land degradation due to more mining activities, Zambia Daily Mail reported on Thursday.

    Joseph Sakala, manager for the northern region of the ECZ, warned that with such a development, the country would also see involuntary displacement of people in some areas with mining potential.

    Zambia has not yet seen the best of copper or other minerals yet such as in Mkushi and Chongwe Copper belt among others, he said.

    Sakala was presenting a paper on environmental management in Zambia at a meeting in northwestern province of Solwezi.

    He said the country was experiencing problems in the provision of clean water and improved sanitation.

    He expressed regret at the way through which anthills were being exploited in Solwezi and the Copperbellt for construction of houses, which he said was causing environmental problems.

    Other environmental problems in the country include the management of plastics, e-waste, utilization of anthills for moulding bricks and mining of radioactive ores such as uranium, according to Sakala.

    Richard Zyambo, Kansanshi Mining Plc Environmental Manager, told the meeting that the mine had planted 100,000 jathropa trees within the mine area apart from empowering communities surrounding the mine with seedlings.

    He said the mining firms are willing to help individuals or groups of people who would be interested in growing the plant.

Choose Your Language Of Preference Below

French Version German Version Russian Version Spanish Version 

LUSAKA, July 4 (Reuters) - Zambia has demanded that South Africa explain why President Thabo Mbeki announced publicly that Zambian leader Levy Mwanawasa had died, state television reported on Friday.

South Africa’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Thursday saying there was a misunderstanding after Mbeki said he had been informed by the executive secretary of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) that Mwanawasa was dead.

Mbeki had called for a minute’s silence while attending a remembrance ceremony in Pretoria for victims of a recent wave of xenophobic attacks in South Africa.

Zambia’s information minister told the nation on Thursday Mwanawasa was in stable condition in hospital, dismissing media reports that he had died.

“Foreign Affairs Minister Kabinga (Pande) has demanded an explanation on why South African President Thabo Mbeki said President Levy Mwanawasa had died,” Zambian state ZNBC television said.

Pande sent a letter to the South African government asking why Mbeki announced Mwanawasa’s death before verifying it with Zambian authorities, said the television.

Mwanawasa, 59, an outspoken critic of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, was rushed to hospital on Sunday in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh after suffering a stroke just before an African Union summit. He was later transferred to Paris for treatment.

Zambia’s high commissioner to South Africa Leslie Mbula said on state television that Mbeki had personally telephoned him to apologise for his remarks.

“President Mbeki expressed remorse and regret over the incident where he announced the passing on of President Mwanawasa. He apologised for calling a moment of silence,” Mbula said. (Reporting by Shapi Shacinda; editing by Ralph Boulton)

© Reuters 2008. All Rights Reserved.

Choose Your Language Of Preference Below

French Version German Version Russian Version Spanish Version 

LUSAKA (Reuters) - Zambia on Friday vowed to continue with a prudent macroeconomic and monetary stance despite the serious illness of its President Levy Mwanawasa, amid concern over the future of economic policy.

Finance Minister Ng’andu Magande and central bank Governor Caleb Fundanga moved to assure investors nothing would change in Mwanawasa’s absence.

“The president’s illness will not change anything because we have in place solid reforms, procedures and systems which have given confidence to many people,” Magande told Reuters in an interview.

Zambia, a major copper producer, would continue with prudent fiscal and sound monetary policy.

“I can’t see that because we are unable to say ‘Good Morning’ to the president, then the Bank of Zambia will break down, or the finance minister will fail to perform,” he said.

Zambia’s kwacha weakened to 3,390 against the U.S. dollar on Friday from 3,150 on Tuesday when the seriousness of Mwanawasa’s illness became clear.

“Personally, I see nothing to worry about because the kwacha has had these movements before … I don’t see any problems. In fact, we have sufficient reserves to do business,” Fundanga added.

The southern African country’s leader was rushed to hospital on Sunday in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh after suffering a stroke just before an African Union summit.

He was later transferred to Paris for treatment and the government was forced on Thursday to dismiss rumours and reports that he had died.

“JITTERY AND ANXIOUS”

Mwanawasa, 59, is a favourite of the International Monetary Fund and other Western donors, who extended billions of dollars in debt relief after he cracked down on government spending and launched an anti-graft drive.

His policies have helped usher in strong economic growth, which averaged 5 percent over the last six years, while inflation declined to single digits in April 2006, for the first time in over three decades.

“Offshore investors are looking at reducing their risks in the Zambian kwacha until there is proper clarification about the president’s health,” said a treasurer of a commercial bank, who declined to be named.

“The markets are not comfortable, they are jittery and anxious.”

Another senior manager of a separate commercial bank said he expected the currency to strengthen once there was “concrete and positive news” about Mwanawasa’s health.

“What is key is positive news on the president’s health and concrete assurances that there will be no change in government economic policy,” the bank manager said.

“The jitters are temporal in as far as we are concerned because the investment climate is intact.”

Magande said Mwanawasa’s ministers were given the scope to implement policy without interference.

“The reforms are imbedded in government policy. The president has not been supervising the minister of finance or the (BoZ) governor. But he has instructed us to carry out government policy.”

This included efforts to meet a target growth rate of 7.5 percent growth and to keep inflation within single digits, he said.

Growth in 2008 is forecast at 7 percent.

© Reuters 2008. All Rights Reserved.