Q FM Africa's Modern Radio
Republican Vice President Inonge Wina says the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) cannot reschedule the District Delimitation sittings, as this will have an adverse impact on other key electoral activities such as voter registration.
The Vice President said this in a Ministerial Statement in Parliament on a point of order raised by Leader of the opposition Jack Mwiimbu on Friday, July 12, 2019 on whether she was in orders to allow delimitation meetings to take place while Parliament was still sitting, thereby preventing MPs from attending as they had to be in Parliament.
Mrs Wina has told the house that the delimitation exercise is a prerequisite for the registration of voters which the ECZ has earmarked for 2020 and rescheduling the exercise would therefore affect the preparations for the 2021 General Election which has a fixed date provided for in the constitution.
She has therefore advised Members of Parliament to take time to look at the dates when the sittings would be held in their districts and find ways of being present and participating in the sitting.
The Vice president has also given Members of Parliament the option of making written submissions on the delimitation process relating to their respective wards and constituencies which can be sent to the Chief Electoral Officer for review during the district and provincial sittings.
Meanwhile Vice President Inonge Wina has officially commissioned Zhongkai International Ethanol Processing plant in Chibombo district that has been put up at a cost of over nine million United States Dollars.
Mrs Wina says government remains committed to ensuring that the private sector becomes the engine for economic development.
She notes that the ethanol processing plant has potential to contribute to poverty reduction and vulnerabilities of people in the country.
Mrs Wina states that the ethanol plant that will use cassava as a raw material is a move in the right direction saying it was one of the crops that had not been given special attention both as a food crop and feedstock in industrial processes.
She has observed that cassava has a huge potential in contributing to the country’s economic development including the enhancement of the energy sector.
Mrs Wina states that the commercial and industrial value of cassava can only be neglected at people’s own peril, hence urged farmers countrywide to take cassava farming as a business and as a means to wealth creation.
She adds that the new ethanol plant requires 10 tonnes of cassava chips per hour thereby supporting over 10,000 farmers adding that this would in turn uplift about 600,000 people out of poverty.
She said it was pleasing to note that Zhongkai International Company has also further invested about ten million United States Dollars to support cassava growers and aggregators.
And speaking at the same function, Agriculture Minister, Micheal Katambo said the establishment of the plant would provide market for cassava thereby impacting directly on job creation.
And Chinese Ambassador to Zambia Li Joe described the commissioning of the plant as a development towards the industrialization in Zambia.