Copperbelt Minister, Elisha Matambo, has announced that President Hakainde Hichilema donated K20,000 to each of the five families affected by a recent accident at Macro Link Mine along the Ndola-Mufulira road.

Matambo disclosed this during a meeting with the families on Monday in Ndola.

The five victims were retrieved and buried at Mitengo.

Konkola Copper Mines Plc (KCM) has reportedly settled approximately K50 million owed to three councils on the Copperbelt: Chingola, Chililabombwe, and Kitwe.

Read more: KCM exits liquidation, as court terminates proceedings, reinstates board

KCM Chief Financial Officer, Manish Saxena, announced this during a media briefing in Chingola on Monday.

According to Saxena, the payments marked the start of settlements to local authorities and other creditors under the new creditors’ scheme of arrangement.

Chingola Municipal Council would receive K26,809,553, Kitwe City Council K14,958,653.96, and Chililabombwe Municipal Council K8,180,298.18.

Saxena said they were committed to settling its debts to Class 1 and Class 2 creditors.

He stated this would positively impact the financial health of various local councils and businesses awaiting their dues.

“KCM will expedite the payment process in accordance with the scheme of arrangement guidelines, ensuring all creditors are compensated without unnecessary delays,” Saxena assured.

He highlighted this as a significant moment for KCM and its parent company, Vedanta Resources Limited, as they work to fulfill their financial obligations and strengthen relationships with key stakeholders.

Chingola Town Clerk Namukolo Kalufyanya expressed optimism about KCM’s revival, noting it signifies prompt payments of outstanding dues for retirees, statutory obligations, and service provision.

“This is the beginning of good things to come,” Kalufyanya stated.

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Copperbelt Minister, Elisha Matambo, has announced that President Hakainde Hichilema donated K20,000 to each of the five families affected by a recent accident at Macro Link Mine along the Ndola-Mufulira road.

Matambo disclosed this during a meeting with the families on Monday in Ndola.

Read more: Decomposed bodies of retrieved Macrolink miners given mass burial in Ndola

The five victims were retrieved and buried at Mitengo Cemetery in Ndola.

“What remained was the closure of the matter, hence the final meeting held today after reaching an agreement with all stakeholders,” Matambo said.

Additionally, Matambo revealed that Macro Link Mine management and the Workers’ Compensation Fund Control Board have compensated each family with an undisclosed amount.

He also noted that the mine management had pledged to employ one person from each affected family to provide ongoing support.

“I urge you to remain united and share the resources as guided by the law to avoid conflicts within families and adhere to the laws of the land,” Matambo advised.

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ZCCM-IH has reportedly handed over K36 million in dividend to the National Pension Scheme Authority (NAPSA) for the year ending December 31, 2023.

ZCCM-IH Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Ndoba Vibetti, stated that this marked the ninth consecutive year of dividend payments to NAPSA, which holds a 15 percent stake in the company.

At a cheque handover ceremony in Lusaka on Monday, Dr. Vibetti revealed that ZCCM-IH shareholders approved a total dividend of K243 million for the 2023 financial year, with NAPSA’s share being K36 million.

Last year, a historic dividend payment of K108.4 million was made for the 2021 and 2022 financial years.

Dr. Vibetti also noted that since 2015, NAPSA has received K263 million in dividends from ZCCM-IH.

NAPSA Director-General, Muyangwa Muyangwa, praised ZCCM-IH for its consistent profitability and positive impact on NAPSA’s financial liquidity.

He stated the importance of long-term strategic investment partnerships in achieving NAPSA’s vision of providing reliable social security services.

“We are committed to ensuring this partnership continues to thrive and deliver mutual benefits. Our quest to achieve organizational goals heavily relies on partnerships with organizations like ZCCM-IH,” Muyangwa said.

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Finance and National Planning Minister, Situmbeko Musokotwane, has expressed optimism that Zambia can generate about US$30 million annually in export revenue once the country reaches its target of producing three million tonnes of copper.

Speaking at the recent Economics Association of Zambia (EAZ) national economic summit in Lusaka, Musokotwane outlined the government’s plans for the mining sector.

Musokotwane projected that Zambia would produce around one million tonnes of copper by 2027, supported by favorable policies in the mining sector.

He explained that with the current market prices, producing three million tonnes of copper could yield approximately $30 million per year in export revenue.

“Beyond this, we are encouraging value addition. The mines must start making certain quantities of copper available for value addition locally,” Musokotwane said.

Read more: Musokotwane challenges economic experts to be credible, unbiased

He said the temporary challenges of drought should not be confused with the overall performance of the economy, asserting that the country’s economy would be the strongest ever in the next two to three years.

Musokotwane noted that Zambia’s copper production had stagnated between 600,000 and 800,000 tonnes per year over the past 60 years due to a lack of investment in the mining sector.

However, he highlighted that the government had implemented various policies to encourage increased production, aiming for an ambitious target of three million tonnes of copper.

“The issue of drought is temporary and mining is a long-term investment. The impact will start to set in over the next two to three years, but we will already see benefits starting next year,” Musokotwane stated.

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Former Intercity Patriotic Front (PF) cadre, Francis Muchemwa, also known as Commander 2, has lost his properties, including his house, after the Lusaka Magistrates’ Court ordered their forfeiture to the State.

Lusaka Chief Resident Magistrate, Davies Chibwili, ruled on Monday that Muchemwa’s properties, valued at over K12 million, are proceeds of crime following his conviction.

Read more: Magistrate warns against hero-worshipping, as PF cadre ‘Commander 2, jailed three years with hard labour

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) had applied for the forfeiture under the Forfeiture of Proceeds of Crime Act No. 19 of 2010.

Muchemwa was convicted of possessing properties obtained through proceeds of crime and sentenced to three years imprisonment with hard labor.

Additionally, he was fined K141,400, and his two companies were fined a total of K800,000.

The forfeited assets include properties L/26393/M, L/26394/M, and a motor vehicle BAR 9059 ZM.

Muchemwa had filed a notice of intention to appeal against the conviction and sentencing to the High Court, arguing that the magistrate erred in law and fact by failing to submit the documentary evidence due to a technicality.

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OpenAI is reportedly developing new features for its artificial intelligence (AI) bot to challenge Google as the leading search engine.

The company announced it is trialling a search feature that integrates real-time information into its ChatGPT product.

This enhancement would allow the bot to provide up-to-date answers and links in response to user queries.

Currently, the feature is available to a limited number of users in the US.

However, it is expected to be fully incorporated into ChatGPT, which gained widespread attention for AI technology upon its launch in 2022.

Supported by Microsoft, OpenAI has since introduced various tools for coding, video creation, data analysis, and image generation.

The new search tool would also enable users to ask follow-up questions to their initial queries.

“Getting answers on the web can take a lot of effort, often requiring multiple attempts to get relevant results,” the company stated.

“We believe that by enhancing the conversational capabilities of our models with real-time information from the web, finding what you’re looking for can be faster and easier.”

Analysts have long viewed AI chatbots as the future of search, a lucrative area currently dominated by Google.

The announcement led to a nearly three percent drop in shares of Google’s parent company, Alphabet.

Read More: Microsoft reports 8.5 millon windows devices affected by CrowdStrike outage

Other AI companies are also exploring search products, but Google remained the dominant player, controlling over 90 percent of the global market.

The expansion of AI has raised environmental concerns due to the significant energy consumption of these systems.

Additionally, the shift from traditional search results to conversational responses has alarmed news companies that depend on search traffic for audiences and revenue.

OpenAI is collaborating with publishers, including The Atlantic and News Corp, to refine its new search feature.

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Zambian boxer, Margret Tembo, has been eliminated from the 2024 Paris Olympic Games after losing by unanimous points in the women’s 51 kg category.

Tembo’s debut Olympic dream ended in the round of 32 against Finland’s Pihla Kaivo-Oja.

Following her loss, Tembo expressed her determination to return stronger, calling her participation a valuable experience.

“Being the first Zambian female boxer to participate at the games was a big achievement, and I vow to come back stronger,” she said.

Read More: Zulu disqualified in Judo, becomes first Zambian athlete to be eliminated from Paris 2024 Olympics

National team coach, Wisdom Mudenda. attributed Tembo’s defeat to her lack of high-level exposure compared to her experienced opponent.

“The boxer, unlike other competitors, never took part in major competitions, which was a drawback in her preparations,” Mudenda stated.

With Tembo’s exit, Zambia may now look to boxer Patrick Chinyemba to keep the country’s medal hopes alive.

Chinyemba is set to face India’s Amit Amit in the Men’s 51 kg round of 16 on Tuesday at the North Paris Arena.

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FIFA has suspended its funding to the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) after FAZ lost a legal battle against former coach, Aljosa Asanovic, at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

The court ruled in favor of Asanovic, who was owed US$41,000 for his tenure as the Chipolopolo’s head coach from January, 2022.

FAZ General-Secretary, Reuben Kamanga, confirmed on Sunday that CAS upheld the decision of the single judge, who had awarded Asanovic compensation for unlawful dismissal.

Kamanga stated that the reason for dismissing FAZ’s appeal had not yet been disclosed but would be provided in due course, which would guide FAZ’s next steps.

Read More: Copper Queens fall 3-0 to USA in Paris Olympics opener

In response to the ruling, FIFA would restrict the development funds allocated to FAZ until the payment was fully made.

Kamanga warned that if FAZ failed to settle the debt on time, FIFA may impose further sanctions, including a potential ban from international tournaments.

Asanovic, who was appointed on January 18, 2022, terminated his contract unilaterally on September 22, 2022.

His departure came after Zambia’s 1-0 loss to Mozambique, which led to their elimination from the African Nations Championship.

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Former Lusaka Province Minister, Bowman Lusambo, and his wife, Nancy Manase, will call 15 witnesses in their defence against 10 criminal counts, including concealing property suspected to be proceeds of crime, tax evasion and conspiracy to defraud.

Lusaka Magistrate Faides Hamaundu found the couple with a case to answer on Monday, stating that the prosecution had made a prima facie case against them.

The defence, represented by counsel Emmanuel Phiri, informed the court they will present 15 witnesses to solidify their defence when proceedings begin on August 14.

Read More: Lusambo, ex-Lusaka minister, Lusambo, wife face arrest for failure to appear in court

The couple is accused of possessing properties suspected to be proceeds of crime, including a single-storey four-bedroom house and an incomplete block of six flats in Chamba Valley, Lusaka.

These properties were allegedly acquired between May 1, 2015, and December 31, 2021, in Lusaka, jointly with other unknown persons.

The prosecution alleged that Lusambo and his wife concealed these properties, reasonably suspected to be proceeds of crime, and also evaded tax payments.

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The Lusaka City Council (LCC) has addressed a surge in complaints about noise pollution from bars and nightclubs playing loud music.

LCC Public Relations Manager, Chola Mwamba, announced that the Council had mandated that all bars, nightclubs and liquor-licensed premises must ensure their venues are fully soundproofed.

Additionally, establishments are prohibited from playing loud music after 22:00 hours.

Read More: Lusaka City Council cautions bar, nightclub, casino owners over Valentine Day gatherings

Mwamba, in a statement issued on Monday, emphasized the severe impact of noise pollution on communities, including hearing loss, stress, anxiety, depression, cardiovascular problems, and high blood pressure.

She urged affected businesses to comply with the directive immediately.

“Failure to do so may result in closure, revocation, or reclassification of licenses,” Mwamba warned.

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