27/02/2021
We are concerned with the state of our pensioners and we intend to effect the following reforms once voted into power.
The UPND believes that in a declining economy such as ours, where poverty, inequality and unemployment are rife, it is NOT beneficial for government through NAPSA, so continue holding on to workers’ contributions until the legally prescribed retirement age.
With the low life expectancy , it means MOST contributors are expected to die well before they have an opportunity to receive their working life pensions packages.
In fact, NAPSA is now a money laundering conduit where pensions money is being plundered in inflated infrastructure related investments.
To reform NAPSA,
1. A UPND administration will allow partial, percentage based access to pensions contributions after a determined period of actively contributing into the NAPSA pool
2. A UPND administration to devise NAPSA based UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS once a contributor is out of work and actively seeking employment for at least THREE (3) months.
3. A UPND administration to focus on leveraging NAPSA to deliver RENT TO OWN low – medium cost housing units which contributors may rent with a view to own.
This will go a long way towards alleviating the housing crisis among civil servants and young professionals.
The UPND also believes NAPSA should be more accountable and transparent in their investment portfolio management, as well as fully disclosing the actual month on month returns on the various investments in which public pensions money has been ploughed.
These measures are aimed at delivering pensions justice for thousands, if not millions, of working class people. This will also be a bold and huge step towards redressing the poverty and inequality traps.
Ngabwe – 29.02.2021
Video —VEEP donates Bicycles
PEOPLE of Ngabwe district of Central province stand ready to vote out the Patriotic Front (PF) owing to numerous hardships and lack of infrastructure in a region that has remained neglected.
This was when UPND Vice President, Mutale Nalumango donated eight bicycles for ward mobilization in Lufubu constituency of Ngabwe district.
In her speech through NMC member Collins Maoma, Mrs Nalumango said the bicycles were a way of empowering the local leadership to reach every member of the community in order to bring about change of government through the ballot.
And Presidential Campaign Team (PCT) Secretary Vincent Chimuka told the gathering that a special training program was underway for polling station management to ensure effective vote protection.
The handover ceremony was witnessed by Provincial Chairperson, Albert Chifita, Provincial Chairlady, Catharine Lemba and Provincial Secretary, Davy Siamuzulu. Others present included District Chairperson, Weston Kayumba, District Chairlady, Magaret Champanga, District Secretary, Paison Ngangula and Constituency Chairperson, Steven Silungwe.
Also in attendance were three UPND Councilors, namely; Chrispine Himuntanga from Mukubwe ward, Borden Kalebuka from Ngabwe ward, Mulenga from Kirwa Island and some ward officials who received the donated bicycles.
The people have declared that; “Kuno kwesu, ivoti lya ba president ba Hakainde Hichilema, tuli votele kale; ne kukakapo ulushishi; tulepembela cabe August 12, epela!” (Here in Ngabwe district, president Hichilema’s vote is already cast and sealed; we are eagerly waiting for the August 12 polls, period).
The UPND Team earlier paid a courtesy call on Chief Mukubwe to deliver a special message from Mrs Nalumango.
(C) UPND MEDIA TEAM
Lusaka – 24/02/21
Mazabuka Central Member of Parliament Gary Nkombo this afternoon questioned why the Zambia Police has failed to act decisively against criminal elements at Lusaka’s Intercity bus terminus and Kamugodi near Soweto Market.
During a question for oral answer session in Parliament today, Mr Nkombo questioned Home Affairs Minister Stephen Kampyongo why the police found it easy to raid Mutinta Hichilema’s relatives in Shibuyunji when it has failed to get rid of the criminal elements at the two mentioned places who were harassing people for belonging to a different political party other than the PF.
“I will cite a few examples on why people might think that this was a targeted operation. The deputy Secretary-General of the PF madam Mumbi Phiri in the period prior to the arrest of Mr Hichilema on vexatious and fictitious charge of treason is quoted as having said that they will smoke him out like a rat. And a day later, police converged at his house, broke his house, took him like a common criminal and eventually transported him from prison back and forth in a dog kernel. There was gassing in this country and a Mr Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba indicated to the country that he knew the people behind the gassing. The police have not arrested anyone even in the volunteering of that information. When the market was gutted, the Vice President Her Honour Mrs Wina seemed to know who those people were”, he said.
He wondered why the same police cannot raid intercity and kamugodi and arrest the elements that were harassing people and normalise life at the two places.
Mr Nkombo’s question followed Mwembezhi independent member of Parliament Machila Jamba who asked the Minister of Home Affairs whether the Ministry is aware of the Shibuyunji police raid and that the affected villagers were left traumatised.
Speaker Patrick Matibini could however not allow Minister Kampyongo to respond to the question saying it was different from the subject on the order paper.
(C) UPND MEDIA TEAM
Mopani, KCM, the Mining Industry and the future of the Zambian Economy
Situmbeko Musokotwane
National Management Committee Member
United Party for National Development (UPND)
The Zambian government through ZCCM-IH has taken over Mopani Copper Mines from Glencoe. The take-over transaction is through a debt equity swap under which the former owner, Glencoe, will be paid $1.5 billion. The government is also pitched into legal battles to take control of another mining company, Konkola Copper Mines from Vedanta.
What do these spates of take-overs mean for the mining industry? And for the economy at large, now and in future?
Mining will continue to be the mainstay of the Zambian economy now and in the foreseeable future. Whilst economic diversification to reduce the dominance of copper is necessary, that is that objective is best achieved when the mining sector is expanding and thriving. Not when it is declining because mining helps to provide the resources that are required for diversification.
The performance of the Zambian economy has been closely intertwined with that of the performance of the mining industry. Generally speaking, when mining is performing well, the economy tends to do the same, and vice versa. Economic managers must therefore at all times pay attention to the performance of the sector.
In the few years after independence, copper production was fairly high, exceeding 700, 000 MT per year. In those years, the population of the country at around three million people was fairly small. The level of copper production and the attendant benefits through taxes and jobs generally yielded resources that on average supported rising social-economic progress.
After the nationalisation of the mines in the early 1970s, there was a clear downward trend in mining production. Also, copper prices fell while petroleum prices spiked, creating severe imbalances between export revenues and the import bill. In an attempt to sustain living standards amidst the growing external financial gap, the country went into a borrowing spree with the hope that when prices recovered the debts would be repaid. It did not happen: the prices did not recover and mining output continued falling.
As external earnings declined, combined with high public indebtedness, the authorities were forced to print money for public expenditure. Together with misalignment in the Kwacha exchange rate, this led to some of the nasty economic experiences of those days such as near hyper-inflation, shortages of foreign exchange and commodities. About 35 years later from that period, there is risk that aspects of those sad experiences could repeat themselves.
Chart 1 (Source: Chamber of Mines) is a graphical presentation of copper production over the years. The following facts emerge. Firstly copper production as mentioned above fell within a fews years after nationlisation. Secondly, after privatisation at the turn of the century, copper prroduction has been rising fairly fast. Within a decade, production had almost returned to the peak levels of the 1970s. The drop in production took thirty years but the recovery took only ten years. Thirdly, Zambia’s share in the world production of copper has fallen as her own output declined (see the green line in the chart, whose scale is on the right hand y-axis). Around 1967,
read more in the attached PDF document…
Mopani and KCM-2
Introduction
In a world where economies are built around knowledge, the importance of an educated population cannot be over emphasised. This is the reason UPND is promising free education from primary to tertiary education. This can be and will be done because as we always say, Zambia has money, what it does not have is leadership that can prioritise properly. We have seen traffic lights being mounted in Lusaka, only to be switched off after motorists complain that there is more congestion than when the traffic lights were not there. This is the wastage we are talking about. We are approaching education from two perspectives i.e. academic-based and skills development.
Academic Based Education
UPND will invest in students that are pursuing qualifications that require academic excellence. This type of education includes engineers, medical doctors, accountants, and many other such professions. All students that want to pursue this type of profession will be given full bursary by the Government. This bursary will cover universities, college, and trades training institutes. Free education will be complimented by restocking libraries with modern and current books. Students will also be provided with access to modern facilities online where they will have access to the latest knowledge in real-time. Other than tuition, students will be provided with book allowances to purchase textbooks. Students will receive meal allowances which will form part of the sponsorship from the Government.
Skills Based Education
There are students that are interested in practical subjects as a base for skills acquisition to pursue businesses since they will be taught entrepreneurial skills in primary school, will be supported by the Government. Specific programmes will be offered by trades training schools to train these students. Graduates will be certified as mechanics, carpenters, painters, plumbers, bricklayers with craft certificates. Men and women with these skills provide the backbone to the manufacturing industry that UPND intends to reinvigorate in major ways.
Innovation
Schools at all levels must be and will be incubators of ideas and innovation. To this effect, UPND will create a special fund for this innovation lab. Junior Engineers Technicians and Scientists (JETS) clubs will be fully reactivated in schools to encourage innovation. Top innovations will be passed on to the industry. Universities and colleges including trade schools will be funded from the innovation fund to finance their Research and Development (R&D). Private sector entities who will use the universities for R&D will receive incentives.
Conclusion
Education is the key to prosperity. UPND is committed to ensuring that Zambia builds a solid human resource base. Human capital development is a priority for UPND and the UND Government will allocate funds for education and not wasting resources on traffic lights that are not serving a purpose.
This is UPND, August 12th you cast your vote; on August 13th we start working for you.
HH aka Bally
#Time4Change
