LOCAL TRANSPORTERS DEMAND PRIORITY …in ferrying fuel
GOVERNMENT should put in place regulations that will stop foreign truckers from participating in the transportation of imported fuel, Transporters Association of Zambia (PTAZ) president Benson Tembo has said.
Mr Tembo said Government should expedite the process of completing the Statutory Instrument (SI) that seeks to give 100 percent fuel transportation to Zambian transport companies.
He said currently, local fuel transporters were making one trip in over one month instead of three trips from Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania and four trips from Beira in Mozambique per month.
On the other hand, he said, foreign transporters were making the required number of trips per month as local oil marketing companies and suppliers preferred foreigners to Zambian operators.
“The SI was initiated by the Ministry of Transport but we are told that since it is about citizens, it must be promulgated through the Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission under the Ministry of Commerce and that it will be signed by President Edgar Lungu.
“This SI will equally address the transportation of all exports from the mines and imports where citizens have been sidelined,” Mr Tembo said.
He said in line with the
SADC Protocol on liberalisation of economies, the foreign transporters would not be denied business as they would be engaged as sub-contractors.
Mr Tembo said acquisition of tankers for youths will create, wealth, growth and job opportunities for the people.
“We welcome this initiative by the government to empower youths to increase the participation of the Zambian citizens in the fuel transport sub sector which has been dominated by foreigners,” Mr Tembo said.
He however said there is need for Government to engage the captains of the sector on how transporters could help the youth to see the actual benefit of this initiative.
Mr Tembo said PTAZ was more than willing to assist youth cooperatives that will benefit from the initial 50 trucks so that they could see the fruits of the investment.
NAIROBI - A FORM 4 student at Kaputir Mixed Secondary School, Turkana County, died while his five colleagues suffered blindness after allegedly consuming hand sanitizer.
The students are said to have consumed the hand sanitizer on Tuesday, February 16, inside their science laboratory.
Reports indicated that 11 students from the school complained of stomach pains, and had to be taken to the hospital. The students are aged between 16 and 17.
The parents at Kaputir Secondary School expressed their disappointment and demanded that the principal resigns, and the Board of Management sent home.
The school principal refused to speak on the matter.
Speaking to K24, one of the survivors who aspires to be a medical doctor regretted his actions, stating that his dream may have been shattered by his ‘stupidity’.
Another one termed himself lucky since he had drunk from a cup that had a mixture of the hand sanitizer and water.
W“I am, however, feeling some pain in the throat and stomach,” he said.
The body of the deceased student was taken to a morgue in Turkana, with the burial set for next week.
This comes at a time when the Ministry of Education, through Education Cabinet Secretary Professor George Magoha banned the use of hand sanitizers in schools on January 20. This cautionary measure was taken to prevent students from consuming the sanitizers.
“I want to tell teachers that they must not allow small-bottle sanitizers into schools. If any child has portable sanitizer, it should be taken and kept and given when the child is leaving school,” said Magoha.
In November 16, 2020, a Form 4 student at Lureko Secondary school succumbed to Covid-19, after developing complications while at home. -
CREDIT to Government has continued to grow at a strong pace underpinned by issuance of State securities, particularly for procurement of agricultural inputs and clearance of fuel arrears to suppliers.
Additional securities were issued through private placements mostly to finance the Farmers Input Support Programme (FISP) and to partially clear fuel arrears to suppliers, says Central Bank Governor, Christopher Mvunga.
Mr Mvunga said the stock of Government securities rose by 9.7 percent to K130.2 billion.
“This continued to contribute to the sustained strong annual growth in money supply at 46.4 per cent in December 2020,” Mr Mvunga said in Lusaka recently.
He said credit to the private sector moderated to 8.5 per cent in December, year-on-year, from 13.8 per cent in September due to strict lending conditions as banks sought curb elevated credit default risks.
At the end of December 2020, Mr Mvunga said, Government securities held by non-residents increased by 30.9 per cent to K18.4 billion, representing 14.1 per cent of the total securities.
He said about 93 per cent of these holding were in Government bonds.
Mr Mvunga said both treasury bills and government bonds auctions were undersubscribed with bid amounts falling short of amounts on offer by 20 per cent and 70 per cent respectively.
“The funds raised from the auctions were adequate to cover maturities resulting in a marginal surplus of K0.3 billion,” he said.