No 27 www.diggers.news Monday August 28, 2017 Lungu returns from holiday Story on page 2 S&P upgrades Zambia’s credit rating, but warns of consequences if IMF deal fails By Mukosha Funga Zambia’s rating from warned of consequences Standard and Poors negative to positive with if the IMF deal failed. [S&P] Global says a stable outlook but Continues on page 7 Zambia should consolidate its agreement with the International Monetary Fund by the Police allow protest end of the year as any further derailment can dent confidence against “incompetent and offset the positive economic indicators. According to a Inspector General” statement issued by Finance Ministry Public By Mukosha Funga of Police Kakoma Relations Manager Chilufya Tayali says Kanganja’s office to tell Chileshe Kandeta he will tomorrow go him that he has failed. yesterday, S&P upgraded to Inspector General Continues on page 2 Elections in Africa represent the will of those who count votes - Shaka Ssali By Mukosha Funga Speaking on Diamond TV’s programme Straight Talk Africa host Shaka Ssali says dubbed Costa yesterday, Ssali observed most of African elections are a sham that African elections represented the because they are “selections” which did will of those who counted votes. LISTENING PRESIDENT: Lungu listens to Vice-President Inonge Wina upon arrival at KKIA not reflect the will of the people. Continues on page 5 IT’S TIME SOMEONE ELSE TOOK OVER PF - KAMBWILI By Joseph Mwenda Roan PF member of parliament Chishimba ...Lungu has failed to unite the party Kambwili says President Edgar Lungu must resign as the party. launch a political Tsunami Meanwhile, the former Lungu’s political advisor would fall on him and make leader of the Patriotic Front And Kambwili says if the PF that the country has never Information Minister Kaizer Zulu called to warn him broke. Continues on page 5 because he has failed to unite pushes him too far, he will seen before. complained that President him that the State Machinery Continues on P2 2. Local News Monday August 28, 2017 By Sipilisiwe Ncube Presidential Empowerment Initiative Patron Chanda PF gives K10.4M to 7,000 marketeers Kabwe says K10.4 million has been used to empower over 7,000 marketeers so far; both in cash and in assets form. in presidential empowerment funds Speaking when he featured on the PF Interactive five years. They are paying Forum in Kabwe yesterday, back K50 per month.” Kabwe, who is also Central He further revealed total Province Permanent of K813,000 was spent on Secretary, disclosed that a people with special needs in total number of 34 districts Ndola. had benefited from the “On the Copperbelt, in Presidential Empowerment Ndola, a total of K813,000 Initiative. was released with a special Kabwe said the funds were attention to the people with coming from the first family [special] needs. In 2016, which was contributing 10 we released K29,300 for per cent of their earnings the people of Luansya. In every month. end of 2016, we released “Initially in 2015, the K300,000 in Luanshya for project was to be for infrastructure development only three markets on where we are putting up the Copperbelt as a pilot two toilet facilities, Bisenge project. The markets and Baluba. This year in were Kitwe’s Chisokone, Luanshya, again we have Chingola’s Chiwempala, and released K250,000. Our Chisokone in Ndola. These coordinator Mr Clement were the three markets we Tembo was in Luanshya to started with, but because the launch the empowerment demand was huge, we went of K250,000 in Luanshya,” back to His Excellency and Kabwe said. told him the demand was “In Chingola, K503,000 was huge, people in the informal given in 2016 to marketeers sector are looking for Chanda Kabwe hands over a K400 grant to some marketeers on August 27, 2017 - Picture courtesy of Smart Eagles and vendors plus two this empowerment. What vehicles were given taxis can we do? Then with his 10 percent towards the on the Copperbelt had been the presidential initiative of K100,000 in 2016. We empowerment.” empowered with airtime came at play. We organized also procured vehicles for and bus drivers association authority he said we need of Zambia valued at K62 to move across the country Kabwe said the initiative vending machines. trainings for our brothers the taxi drivers and bus was non-political and “In 2015, we procured and sisters who lost drivers in Chingola, in thousand. In Kitwe in and identify the needs of 2015 to 2016, we gave the people and we empower challenged those who were 500 units MTN vendor employment in the mining Ndola and in Kasama. We suspecting that the project machines, those machines industry. 3,000 miners were encouraged them to open out K886,501 to over 500 them,” Kabwe said. marketeers and vendors. “So from 2015 until today, was using government for air-time at the cost trained in various skills . We driving schools so that they Plus His Excellency gave us we have empowered over resources to come out in the of K1,200,080, we gave gave them hope that losing can generate more income. to give Chisokone market 7,000 marketeers, we have open and expose him. them out to the vendors employment in the mining And this was at the cost of a further K250,000 for the spent K10.4 million in cash “The Presidentialin order for them to be industry was not the end K486,000,” Kabwe said. market shelter and His form and in asset form. Empowerment Initiative is selling airtime, and that of the world. And we spent “So we empowered 3,000 Excellency commissioned Because we have identified a non-political initiative. is an empowerment. Plus monies on human resource people across the country the shelter.” the needs of marketeers, We have not used not we gave them airtime to train these miners.” with bicycles valued at K1.8 Meanwhile Kabwe said some marketeers were even a single Ngwee worth K500 each at the Kabwe also said bus drivers million. We empowered the main targets for the looking for monies, others from government and I total cost of K250,000 so and taxi drivers had people with motor bikes Initiative were female were looking for tools to challenge anyone who has as am talking to you, 500 also benefitted from the where 180 people benefited headed households, child use in order for them to the information that we are vendors and marketeers initiative. from the motor bikes headed households, the grow their business. A using government monies were empowered with “Again we empowered because their biggest need elderly, and people with total number of 34 districts to empower the people these machines on the the bus drivers with the was transport for doing special needs. have benefited from the in the informal sector to Copperbelt, you can go and fuel scheme and vehicles, business but the cost of “In Mongu Western Presidential empowerment expose us. I want to assure verify for yourself,” Kabwe in Lusaka we opened the doing business was very province, we gave out funds and all this is coming you my dear colleagues said. fuel scheme at the cost of high. So 180 people were K318,000 to the marketeers. from the contribution of and the nation that we “We moved on to also K100,000 for the buses given motor bikes at the In Mansa Luapula province, the first family who are are not using government helping miners. You are and taxi drivers in Lusaka. cost of K2,150,000 and we gave K243,000 for the contributing every month resources,” he said. aware that when the We also opened another these are paying. We gave He revealed that 500 people copper prices dropped, one in Ndola at the cost them to pay for a period of marketeers and vendors. In Petauke Eastern province, we gave K546,000 for both vendors and marketeers. Police allow protest against “incompetent IG” In Solwezi North Western province, we gave out From front page neutralized by the High Sumaili overruled police. they know that even if off,” said Tayali. K266,000 for both vendors And Tayali says he will Court. In an interview with they denied us a permit, Police spokesperson and marketeers. In Senanga, also protest against the Meanwhile, the UPND News Diggers! shortly we would continue Esther Mwaata Katongo we gave out K86,000, criminalization of former thanksgiving prayers for after he announced that talking. Kanganja may recently said there in Kalomo we gave out police commissioner Hakainde Hichilema’s police had granted him not go tomorrow but at was still a bounty K54,000, in Kasama we gave Fanwell Siandenge even release will go ahead permission to hold a lone least there will be public on Siandenge’s head out K511,000 and here in though the charges tomorrow after Minister protest against Kanganja awareness that some of even though Obvious Kabwe we gave out K10,000 he would have been of National Guidance and the police, Tayali said these things are wrong. Mwaliteta and others to the people with special slapped with have been Reverand Godfridah he would march from the I want to protest against whom he was accused needs. These are some of the Freedom Statue to the police incompetence and of carrying out an districts that have benefited Police Chief’s office at the inefficiency of the aggravated robbery from the presidential Lungu returns from holiday Force Headquarters. police.” operation had been freed empowerment,” said Kabwe.