China’s Policy in Zambia May Not Be Affected By Sata’s Death

By Paul Shalala

Late Sata with Chinese envoy Zhou Yuxian

Since attaining its independence from Great Britain in 1964, Zambia has always relied on China on major infrastructure development projects which are now dotted across the country.

This ‘look east’ policy has made the relations between the Asian giant and the southern African country best of friends in the past five decades.

Two huge sports stadiums, dozens of roads, dozens of hospitals and school infrastructure dotted around the country have been constructed by various Chinese firms over the past decades.

All the first four presidents of Zambia had a good relation with China but the rise of the then opposition Patriotic Front (PF) posed a great challenge with the possibility of it running the country one day.

During his 10 years as a opposition PF President, the late Michael Sata campaigned heavily against the Chinese investment in Zambia.

Mr Sata’s popularity in urban areas and in the mineral-rich Copperbelt province became a thorn in the eyes of successive MMD administrations.

The firebrand opposition leader who was nicknamed ‘King Cobra’ because of his outspokenness, campaigned against alleged Chinese mistreatment of workers, human rights abuses and cheap Chinese labour which he saw as a hindrance to the empowerment of local Zambians.

In his campaign messages, Mr Sata even promised to recognize Taiwan at the expense of China if he was elected Zambia’s president.

However, when he was eventually elected Zambia’s fifth republican president in 2011, Mr Sata softened his anger on China.

Within a week of being inaugurated as head of state in September 2011, the Chinese Ambassador to Zambia was the first foreign envoy to visit him at State House to hold one-on-one talks.

In his three year reign, Mr Sata reduced his criticism of China as they became his partner in developing Zambia.

He eventually went on a 15 day state visit to China and during his reign, the Chinese invested heavily in sectors such as construction, agriculture, manufacturing and education.

And with the death of Mr Sata in October 2014, many observers have wondered whether China’s policy towards Zambia will change or not.

But from the look of things, the Chinese are here to stay.

And their stay is expected to be long term.

The Ministry of Home Affairs recently announced that there were 19, 845 Chinese nationals in Zambia and 11, 267 of them had employment permits.

This is the community Zambia’s new President Edgar Lungu needs to embrace if he is to be seen as a pro-China head of state like his predecessor.

Late Sata with Chinese President Xi Jinping in China

Soon after his election in January 2015, President Lungu received one of his first international congratulatory messages from the Chinese government which pledged to continue on its path of co-existence and bilateral engagements.

China’s continuation on its policy in Zambia was further confirmed when that country’s Vice President Li Yuanchao sent a congratulatory message to Zambia’s new Vice President Inonge Wina who is the first ever female Vice President in the country.

“I learned with great pleasure the news of your assuming the office of the Vice President of the Republic of Zambia and would like to extend to Your Excellency my sincere congratulations,” read part of Mr Li’s message as released to the Zambian media by the Chinese embassy in Lusaka.

Mr Li, who visited Zambia in mid 2014, added: “Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries 50 years ago, the bilateral mutual political trust has been depending constantly. I look forward to working with Your Excellency to bring the friendly cooperation between our two countries to a new high.”

During his state visit to Zambia in mid 2014, Mr Li reiterated his country’s commitment to Zambia’s political dispensation by funding the ruling Patriotic Front (PF) -owned non-governmental organization called National Project for Poverty Reduction (NPPR).

NPPR offers skills training to hundreds of women and youths on an annual basis and its programmes are aimed at empowering ruling PF members with entrepreneurial skills to create their own employment and raise income.

And during the commemoration of the Chinese Lunar New Year of the Goat on 18^th February, 2015 in Lusaka, the Chinese embassy showed its first signal that relations between the two countries will not be affected by the death of Sata.

Chinese Ambassador to Zambia Yang Youming said his country expected to see greater success in Zambia under the leadership of Edgar Lungu.

“Looking into the New Year, our two countries have many things to do together. I believe with our joint efforts, the cooperation in the political, economic and trade, military, education and culture fields will be further strengthened and the all-weather friendship between the two countries will be further deepened,” said Mr Yang.

He also disclosed that Zambia’s trade with China in the first 11 months of 2014 increased by 0.8% to reach a historical height of US$3.5 billion.

With China’s appetite for Africa’s minerals growing, Zambia’s status as a major supplier of copper is expected to continue beyond Sata’s death.

According to official figures released on 19 February, 2015 by the Central Statistical Office (CSO), Zambia’s data agency, China is only second to Switzerland as the major recipient of its copper from 2010 to 2014.

“The top four major buyers of  Zambia’s copper in order of ranking are Switzerland (61.1%), China (25.6%), United Kingdom (2.8%) and South Africa (2.6%) share of total copper export earnings annually,” read the CSO statement.

 China’s investment is all over the sectors of the Zambian economy from health, manufacturing, to education, construction and retail trade.

However, China expert Sombo Chunda says the Chinese have overstretched their limits to start doing simple jobs that Zambians are able to do.

Sombo Chunda

“The Chinese policy towards Zambia will not change with the death of President Sata. However, these people should have been allowed to only do big jobs that Zambians can not do. Not to start selling cobs of maize and chickens in the markets and running farms. That is not good investment,” said Ms Chunda, who is also Country Representative for Diakonia Zambia, a Swedish NGO working on developmental issues in Zambia.

At the Soweto Market in Lusaka, Chinese nationals are usually spotted as early as 04:00hrs selling broiler chickens and fresh maize from their farms but they disappear soon after sunrise.

And ActionAid Zambia Country Director Pamela Chisanga has found the way the Chinese conduct their investments in Zambia a bit worrisome.

“Their long term investment opportunities are good for the nation. However, they believe in getting investment opportunities at all cost. And most of the corruption in now happening with Chinese investors who are easily harassed by political parties because of how they conduct their businesses,” said Ms Chisanga.

Apart from copper, the Chinese have also diversified their imports from Zambia to the forestry sector where they have become a major player.

Several Chinese nationals have been arrested and taken to court for illegally failing and trying to export the banned rosewood which is locally called Mukula.

This tree, which grows in hills, is said to be sought after by the Chinese for its medicinal benefits and its demand has grown to levels where thousands of the tree are illegally cut and taken out of the country without the authorities detecting it.

“Policing the Mukula tree has because a thorn in the eyes of the government because they do not have enough man power and equipment to enforce the law in the forests,” said Chunda.

Pamela Chisanga

According to Zambia’s Forest Act, once someone gets a permit to fell a tree, he is supposed to be accompanied by a forestry officer to monitor the process but due to lack of man power and equipment, the Chinese take advantage of this anomaly and go beyond their legal limits.

And in a sign of their “good” relations, the Chinese and Zambian Presidents held official talks in Beijing to cement their decades old alliance.

On 2^nd April 2015, President Lungu returned home in a joyous mood after a two weeks visit to China where his ministers signed various deals with China on infrastructure development and trade.

Zambia’s Commerce Minister Margaret Mwanakatwe announced that US$3.2 billion in investment pledges were secured during President Lungu’s maiden trip to China.

Farmers In Kapiri Mposhi Prefer Private Buyers To FRA

By Paul Shalala in Kapiri Mposhi

An FRA depot

The Food Reserve Agency (FRA) has in the first seven days of this year’s maize marketing season bought 65,000 of 50 Kilogram bags of maize from the targeted 225,000 bags in Kapiri Mposhi District of Central Province.

The 2015 Maize Marketing Season opened on Monday last week.

This follows the improvement in the moisture content in maize.

Farmers countrywide are now selling their maize to both the Food Reserve Agency and private buyers.

This year, the Food Reserve Agency is buying a 50 KG bag at K75.

Payment for the farmers is made 14 days after the maize is delivered to the FRA.

But the farmers in Kapiri Mposhi want the payment period to be shortened.

"We want FRA to help us if they can pay us early. We want to use the money for our children who are going for school," said John Kapesa, a local farmer.

Those who cannot wait for the two weeks payment period offered by the FRA are now flocking to private buyers.

Greenbelt Fertilisers is one of the buyers in Kapiri Mposhi.

Due to their instant payment for maize delivered by farmers, this company is attracting hundreds of trucks full of the commodity.

Some of the farmers here come from far flung areas and they spend days on the queue.

From the number of farmers selling maize to Greenbelt Fertilisers, it is clear that farmers prefer fast cash than waiting for FRA to pay them in 14 days.

This year’s maize marketing season has created many jobs.

At Greenbelt Fertilisers, women job seekers spend hours outside the depot seeking for employment.

"I have been here for three months waiting to be given any job. These people are not employing us," said Jane Kabwe.

At FRA satellite depots, casual workers who load bags of maize are paid 30 ngwee per 50 KG.

This amount has now become a controversial issue.

The casuals want it increased.

The Food Reserve Agency is targeting to buy 225,000 bags of maize in Kapiri Mposhi this year. 

Construction Of Pedicle Road Stuck At 38 Kilometers

The Pedicle road on a map

By Paul Shalala in Katanga Province, Democratic Republic of Congo

Copperfield Mining Services, the contractor working on the 70 Kilometers Pedicle Road through the Democratic Republic of Congo, is still struggling to complete the project. 

The Pedicle road is a short cut through the DRC from Mokambo border on the Copperbelt to Chembe border in Luapula.

The company has so far tarred 38 Kilometers and gravelled the remaining stretch to Chembe border. 

The road should have been completed by last year but the contractor is still stuck with works.

Deep inside the DRC’s Katanga Province, the Kitwe-based  contractor is still struggling to construct a huge bridge across the Lubembe river.

Copperfield Mining Services is upgrading the bridge from its current single lane to a double lane.


The company has hinted that it would complete the works in December.

But according to the Road Development Agency, the road is supposed to be completed next month.

Once completed, the Pedicle road will provide the shortest route for travellers from Luapula province to Lusaka by over 3 hours.

Samfya: An Old Lakeside District Without A College

By Paul Shalala in Samfya

Location of Samfya District

The lakeside town of Samfya in Luapula Province lacks tertiary institutions to cater for young graduates who complete secondary school. 

The district which has a population of over 198, 000, does not have a college or university.

Despite having 128 primary, secondary and community schools, Samfya lacks tertiary institutions were its youths can further their education.

At present, youths travel over 70 kilometers to neighbouring Mansa District to further their education. 

The Lusaka-based University of Zambia has a branch in Samfya but thats not adequate to cater for the growing appetite for education among young people.

"I want the government to consider building a college here. We want to study the courses of our choice here in Samfya," said Mwila Mukuka, who is in Grade 10.

Another youth from Samfya has called for the newly elected Member of Parliament in the area to lobby education institutions to set up base in the town.

Anthony Kasandwe

"Am a distance education student with the University of Zambia. I want to urge our new MP Mr Kasandwe to help us with the establishment of a college here," said Mwape Kunda.

In a parliamentary by-election held on Thursday last week, Anthony Kasandwe was elected Member of Parliament for Bangweulu Constituency which is one of the two constituencies within Samfya District.

The other constituency is Chifunabuli whose lawmaker is Dr Mutaba Mwali, the Deputy Minister of Works, Supply and Communication.

MPs are capable to lobbying institutions that can establish education centers in their constituencies.

On top of that, MPs administer the Constituency Development Fund which can build a fully fledged college if all stakeholders in the constituency agreed to channel a certain year's allocation to that idea.

Zambia Starts Preparing Its Proposals For Paris Climate Change Talks

By Paul Shalala

A flooded maize field in Zambia

Zambia has started preparing its position paper for the 21^st United Nations Climate Change Summit to be held in the French capital Paris in December this year.
 

At the talks which are abbreviated as COP 21, Zambia is expected to present its recommendations for adoption into the final legally binding climate change deal.

So far, Zambia has held four inter-provincial workshops for climate change and environment experts to consolidate its position over climate change.

The workshops which were attended by technocrats from various government ministries and agencies, produced the country's Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC).

This INDC will be the guiding document which Zambia will present to the United Nations Climate Change talks.

The Zambian proposals in the INDC are aimed at reducing the amount of harmful gases in the atmosphere as a way of fighting climate change.

Chief Environmental Management Officer in the Ministry of Lands, Environment and Natural Resources Richard Lungu told the workshop in Kitwe a week ago that this year's climate change talks were an opportunity for countries to present real proposals for climate action.

"All previous climate talks had proposals from scientists on how to reduce harmful gasses in the air. But this year's talks will focus on individual countries' proposals which is good'" said Mr Lungu.

And Lands Permanent Secretary Barnaby Mulenga urged the technocrats to put the interests of the 13 million Zambians first.

Barnaby Mulenga

"As you sit to come up with the INDC, ensure you look at the plight of the 13 million Zambians. Also look at issues of adaptation and mitigation so that the people who suffer most from climate chanage can find relief," said Mr Mulenga.

Meanwhile, environmental activist Lovemore Muma has called on more scientific research to help government formulate a good INDC.

"We call upon government to embark on a scientific research which will help the country come up with a scientifically-backed INDC. This will help us put our point across in Paris," said Mr Muma in an interview in Kitwe.

In the recent months, Zambia has been experiencing massive loadshedding.

According to the country's power utility firm Zesco, the loadshedding is as a result of the reduction of water in the Kariba Dam which is the major producer of electricity to Zambia and neighbouring Zimbabwe.

This reduction in water is blamed on a drought which is also another form of climate change.

According to figures from the United Nations, emissions of green house gases has risen by 40 percent from the year 1992.

This has heightened calls for a new binding document that will help stop temperatures from rising beyond the two percent Celsius which many scientists say may be catastrophic.

Over the past decade, the world has been trying to come up with a legally binding climate change deal since the expiry of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol which unfortunately was shunned by big polluters like China and the USA.

In recent Climate Change talks, disagreements between the industrialised and least developed countries have made this process a pipe dream.

Therefore, the 21^st Climate Change talks in the French capital Paris will present another opportunity for the world to save itself from unforeseen environmental consequences like a rise in temperature, reducing in rainfall and increase in floods