Thursday, March 28, 2024

PSC warns against tribalism in employment

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The Public Service Commission has warned human resource managers in the civil service against being tribal when awarding jobs to people.

Commission Chairperson, Austin Mweemba said tribalism in job appointments was prevailing in most African countries, adding that this weakened government operations.

Mr. Mweemba said most people employed on tribal lines usually lacked necessary qualifications for the jobs they were appointed to do.

He said appointing officers should recommend people for employment on the basis of qualifications and talent and not on tribal lines.

He said this when he addressed provincial heads of departments at Nakatindi hall in Lusaka today.

Mr. Mweemba said government needed the best talent available to run its machinery, noting that tribal appointment would not be condoned.

He further advised appointing officers to desist from taking long to recommend people for confirmation.

Mr. Mweemba lamented that most human resource managers in the country were not doing a good job by not fostering promotions and confirmations to public service workers.

He noted that some people have been working in the public service as casual workers for many years without being confirmed.

He added that human resource managers should inspire and motivate workers by promoting officers with necessary qualifications to higher positions.

Mr. Mweemba said his commission was ready to recommend people, who have the necessary qualifications to the Public Service Management Division.

Meanwhile, The Public Service Commission has been prodded not to compromise on academic qualifications and competency when employing civil servants.

Lusaka Province Minister Lameck Mangani says academic qualifications and competency is key to the efficiency of the public service.

Mr. Mangani was speaking when Public Service Commission Chairperson Austen Mweemba paid a courtesy call on him.

Speaking earlier, Mr. Mweemba expressed concern at the attitude of some civil servants towards work.

Mr. Mweemba said it was sad that despite possessing the right qualifications, some civil servants had a negative attitude towards work.

He pointed out that an efficient and committed civil service is an engine of government operations.

And Lusaka Province Permanent Secretary Elijah Chisanga appealed to civil servants to change their work culture.

Mr. Chisanga said government is in a hurry to move the nation forward.

He further appealed to new entrants in the civil service to learn and understand the way the civil service system operates.

28 COMMENTS

  1. Good show number 1&2,just like the head man hear in London, no motivation and charisma am sure any one who’s been to our embassy got a story to tell. He should get connected to the zed people in this country.

  2. I am glad that lusaka MMD chairman is aware that qualifications and competence are some of the attributing factors to effeciency. we need to enforce these factors in politics..? you right number 2..? otherwise the late christoper chaiwinga would never have served as Lusaka MMD chairman…MHSRIP if these factors were adhered to.

  3. Good show Mr Mweemba but can you also hold that kind of meeting with the Teaching Service Commission where such vices are rife.Some Teachers are confirmed after 10years.It sounds fun but that is the truth in some instances it can be proved with no doubt. Others get their positions because there are Yes Mummie or Yes Sir and with a lot of bootlicking to their masters/mistresses who happen to be Directors, PEOs DEBS,Head-teachers etc.How does one get the motivation in a system that is Littered with relations of some sort from the top to the sweeper? What happens to us who cannot bootlick or have noone in a senior position to back us? Low morale with our degrees.

  4. These are the kind of leaders we need and by that i dont only mean zed even at continental level..people who stand for the truth and as you know the truth sets free…dats one reason why we are still developing instead getting developed..if right people gat right qualifications and doing their work we definitely gonna be a developed country if the contrary prevails we still gonna be a developing country forever and by dat i mean till we are all done…you know amean.. big ups to you sir mweemba enough respect.

  5. nepotisim is not mentioned in the Zambian papers ,why ?
    Because PLM is guilty as charged on that account. The family tree is florishing with brunches now in all ministries and in all diplomatic missions.

  6. LPM is a tribalist, nepotist and mentally crippled, unable to run Zambia according to the wishes of the citizens.

  7. Absolutly right no 10.We need a working Equal opps act which can be effecetivly implemented by an impartial commission.
    Right now,the Public service commision has records of all GRZ employees and who employed them including their qualifications.
    Let them expose the unqualified staff with their recruiting officers.

  8. Yes Mr. Mweemba, we need leaders like you. However triblelism and nepotism are the worst forms of corruption we in in Zed. The key is to come up with tools that can be used to fight check these vices. Those are the issues we need to attend urgently, just talking about them will not be good enough.

  9. #10, Zed needs more forward thinkers like you! I imagine you as an MP making a motion for establishment of such an Act.

  10. Wishing Mr. Sata a quick recovery. Latest news from Lusaka indicate that Mr. Michael Sata was rushed to RSA following a cardivascular challenge. Zambia wishes him a quick recovery.

  11. Folks,
    All who believe in divine intervention, kindly join me in committing Shikulu Michael Chilufya Sata to the almight who intervenes. Lets ask God for Greater Grace to prevail on him. Lets ask the almight God of the heavens and earth to remember Ba Sata in his difficulty hour. May the lord stretch a hearing and restoring hand on him against a suspected heart attack.My fervent love and prayers go to the Ba Sata and this distraught family.Our democratic process would suffer much without Ba Sata’s focused dissenting and populist leadership.Democracy & the MMD polity with the public treasure and benefit from his rhetoric.

  12. Tribalismi is bad for development, Is it as a result that at one time they were more lozis and tongas in the police, what about Zamtel and Zampost, PTC had so many Namwaangas, Tribal in balances in alot of parastatal can be traced back to its early managers who employed tribesmen and the tendance continued for a long time.

    With regards to the Findlay, being accussed of defilement should not always mean conviction. The case failed from the start. By the way those commenting on age difference, Wider age difference in sex does not amount to defilement, It might just be no moraly right. Age of concent in Zambia is Sixteen, In most European Countries it Sixteen, Our customary is age of puberty.

  13. Most Zambians are a product of defilement, If we follow conventional law, Most of us, our Grand mothers or mothers were married immediately after puberty around 12-15 years and gave both to our parents or us. This continues to go on in most parts of Zambia, The concept of western defination of defilement needs to be institutionalised in our society before going on a rampage arresting people when in Europe defilement is sleeping with a girl of 14 years while in Zambia we say 16 years. This is a paradox considering how we have been brought up to define defilement in society as sleeping with a girl before she comes of age. Am not saying sleeping with babys should be condoned.

  14. Number 15..!Did i miss out on king cobra? finally the hour come for him to pave way? the man is old and a chain smoker? Thank God….for sure God has his ways of dealing with each one of us. it is time for him to retire…the old man should listen to his heart and not his old mind? The Lord always strikes with might and listens to the cries of the poor?

  15. we need masters in biology and zoology to over take this ill human tricknology.These ministries in zambia operate under a rotten system,that can never be cleaned up,cause these chaps have had there whole teeth from molar to premolars gripped on this tribalistic mentality.Everyone in these government ministries operate on the same principle,probably even Mweemba himself.This is all because working for the government ministry requires no competence at all,cause the system is already incompetent why should it employ experts who will at the end of the day do nothing but sit and read news papers or play draft (Nsolo).It doesnt require an expert to sit read news papers hence the human resource

  16. # 17 dont generalise your outcome,you are probably the only one,too bad for you,your father must be sentenced to prison,please give us his details so we can pursue this defilement issue,cause this will definately have a negative impact on your life.

  17. It totally agree with Mr. Mweemba and I know of some people who were appointed on trible lines during the structural adjustment programm. I am glad that some of those officers involved were disciplined, but the beneficaries remained in their positions which they did not qualify.Some of the human resources officers misguide their staff because they do not know or understand the general orders. If the shepherd is lost what do you expect of the flock. I am appealing to Cabinet office to avail the general orders and all circulars to all those concerned that is civil servants in particular. It is very rare to find latest circulars on changes from cabinet office with most govt offices

  18. Have you noticed how the word nepotisim is absent from the media in Zambias dictionary. Now all you hear is tribalisim.
    Why?.
    I think the post, a paper that is supposed to dig deeper now sites at the dinner table with PLM in state hse.

  19. good points there Mr Austin Mweemba. Mwajata nchito mpati cinicini nobapatipati.

    What we desperately need now is to check how your words will be implemented. Also, the private sector has to be encouraged to consider your timely words of wisdom too, sir.

  20. Number 16, it is a lot easier for you to make a go at others. Deep down your heart, you know that you are number one at committing the vice.

    Y’know what, your tactics have been exposed and “others” know well at present in Zambia who is the “weakest link”

  21. #23:

    I agree with you The Post has become part of the exploitative establishment. Long gone are its founding attributes of digging deeper and coming out with facts. It is now like a primary school learners’ exercise book. Nothing is presented with any indepth analysis or issues followed to their logical conclusions. I have long suspected the ownership of The Post, Zambian Airways, and LAZ to be in bed. These institutions have become oblique and opaque.

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