construction works at Chama Youth Resource Training Centre (CYRTC) in Eastern Province.
The contractor engaged by government five years ago who was paid an initial K87 million has allegedly bolted leaving the youth centre uncompleted.
This came to light yesterday when Youth, Sport and Child Development Permanent Secretary Susan Sikaneta who is on a familiarization tour of youth projects in the province inspected the venture.
Ms. Sikaneta, who was visibly shocked and annoyed, called for the immediate prosecution of the contractor for defrauding government.
She pointed out that government was losing colossal sums of money when such undertakings were left unfinished after payments had already been made.
Ms. Sikaneta, who led a ministerial delegation, directed that the contractor be traced and charged with fraud.
She said government was determined to improve the welfare of vulnerable people in the country, such as street kids by rehabilitating them and providing them with life skills but such efforts were being frustrated by some selfish individuals.
Ms. Sikaneta said she was determined to ensure that youths benefit from government programmes through the establishment of youth training centres where young people could be rehabilitated and trained.
ZANIS
Huh..lol… the pic..is this a joke LT?
This must be a zambian contractor, typical!
Question 1. Why pay somone that sort of money when they havent done anything on site. And who determined the amount and on what basisi?
Question 2. Why should this only ‘come to light’ when a government official visits the province? Where are the government QSs?
Shocking!!
Mmm ninshi ama zambian contractor tabamoneka bwino ka lol
Lol…. who should give such a huge money to that contractor on the picture? Is the minister just lying or n ba LT? Lishilu lya contractor ili, aliya mukushita insapato akabwela
Point of correction, my comment @ #2 was b4 i saw the pic. lol
This only shows that the contract wasnt given on merit otherwise a good contractor with a repitition wouldnt bolt work in progress. He obviously had no materials to finish his work so he left..Shame..Lesson ba Govt..Give contracts to people who are worth it, you are wasting our money(Tax Payers) with incheckelako procedures, its not fair.This person must have gotten the contract under the table…Shame
That one in the pix is the same chap who got paid and is on the ran.ZP is offering alot of kwachas if found and reported to CID section.
The one who paid the contractor should be arrested, obvious case has some interest, the job was not yet done.That is how GRZ losses alot of money because of these few selfish chaps
LT lets get serious with our journalism. That picture is unecessary… are you a serious news agency or just for entertainment? I want to know what kind of website I am viewing… either way.. find the contractor and let him hang
I like the picture was that just after pay? lol
#6 Miss Daisy
this is common with even reputable companies in Zambia. Some people do not see beyond there nose a luck of planning. When that money is paid they leave the good life when something happens on the project they have no money to cover. I know this because i once gave a contract to an upcoming business everything went well until there was a problem.
Why do Zambians pay contractors in advance? Is this the way to do business or encourage fraud?
#10
Its not only in Zambia depending on project size there is always a small payment to be made to cover costs. ie should the awarding company decide to stop the project etc
Usain Bolt………… nice pic
i have said it before and im saying it again, Zambia is a joke.
#13
Just like your name, are you Zambian??? You are the people that drag our name in the mad, we have our negatives and positives to say we are jokers is an insult. There are a lot of hard working Zambians out there be it in Zambia itself or abroad.
# 14 i am going to repeat myself , Zambia is a joke and if you cant see that then you are a joke too.
People have no respect for the govt because of the way Govt represents itself.
BA LT if the picture has nothing to do with the story then why put it there
Pornstar you are a joke youself, chipe chobe.
By the way # 14 LT is also a joke, so you are not alone
# 18 give me 1 reason why you think Zambia is not a joke and i will give 5 why i think it is
Hhahaaha what a foto?
This should be a warning to all of you building houses or businesses in Zed. Make sure to visit your sites frequently. People in Zed balipwa umwenso. Mukasangapofye ichani!
i agree with the gentleman who has questioned the relevance of the picture, in all honesty if the picture has nothing to do with the story why put it there? Secondly why does it have to take 5 years for Govt to know that a job has not been done. I s there no system to know what is going on? How can our country develop if Govt conducts itself like this. i must admit the picture is humourous only if it was relevant to a topic
Daliso balikwibilapo te? your advise seems to come from the heart and with experience. This is what im telling these chaps, that pa zed ni comedy but they are coming out plastic like i am the one who made it a circus.
….nothing new about cb contractors, was there 5 years ago and they were pulling the same heists…yawn….
…and whats with the picture..no relevance with the story, LT trying to be funny or what??
If any one knows the man in the picture they can contact me. No win no fee! No need for that picture. As for the story, we are used. A lot goes on underground. This is the Zambia we love!
There is a reason you award contracts to established contractors and not just some relative…and that is to avoid such. A ‘company’ can not away!
The negativity that some bloggers utter towards Zambia really leaves me wondering why they are even on this site. Things like this actually do happen everywhere in the world, so it is nonsense for someone to conclude that Zambia is a joke because of this story.
Fraud or no fraud, anger or glee, a country remains what it is and you remain what you are: why should someone publicly play down the profound beauty and heritage of their land of origin by concluding that the country is a joke???
I will never allow anyone to muck up my Zambian pride with negative feelings of angst and frustration. If you still think that this site and our country is a joke, deisist from the same but kindly leave the data space for people who are genuinely involved with matters at home.
The prblem is, contractors are not chosen based on their reputation, qualification or capability, but on how much % the one signing the contract would get from the contractor’s money. The government does not monitor the projects being paid for? It means they don’t care how tax payer’s money is being misappropriated. There’s nobody to do some follow ups, and yet they government claims it wants to develop the nation. There are no strict regulations in zambia. I wonder what contracts are for. In Germany, you have to be qualified and capable of doing the job before you can be contracted to do it. That’s why they are developed. They use professional labour. And when it comes to payments. Once you have your first payment, you stop sleeping. ‘coz you know there’s a deadline. And it has to…
Nine Chale yes you are right they do happen but the law takes it`s course. We read and hear about people bolting to different countries but they are still extradited. I understand your frustration. Sad but true. Take a chill pill man-Heineken or ati shani filya? May be ka Stella!
Nine Chale we have and are still digging our own hole. Why did Holland with hold their funding? Something is terribly wrong and unless we do something about it, your children and mine will still be talking about this. The money that went missing in the MOH was collosal, yet only a certain Kapoko is suffering for it now, though “briefly”. How much has he been charged with? In the end we will be told the reported money was an exageration. MPs paying back even as little as £1500?Any one?
iwe 9 chale, who are you kidding? trying to be a patriot while shouting from the outside. i can give you a thousand and one reasons to back up my claim that zambia is a joke. If things like what happens in zambia happen in other countries then those countries are jokes too. But i can pin point on Zambia because i have experience .i have every right to muck zambia in any way i want . it is my country and it is my rigght and there is nothing you can do about it. according to me Zambia is one big circus with clowns running it.
3RqU I really get annoyed whenever someone is trying to ridicule Zambia or even Africa, I have experienced a lot of racial remarks here and maybe I just love my country too much. Thanks for the friendly advice anyway, I’ll try to chill on a Weizen. It helps to put things back into perspective. Later bro.
,#31 You call yourself P…star and obviously take it for a joke. What would stop you from taking EVERYTHING for a joke? Your ID defines your level of reasoning. If you dont have anything nice to say, dont say anything at all. Nothing lasts forever, not even a joke.
3 RqU, has rightfully put it. i can bet my bottom dollar, Kapoko will never be jailed. That is how Zambia operates. The Govt will waste even more money investigating at the end of the day nothing will be achieved. How much money and resources have we wasted on FTJ, on Regina, on MMembe and what has come out? No wonder monkeys are in on the act. It is a circus and they wanna play. How do you go for a knee operation in another country when a simple clinic in Kalingalinga can do it for you. How do you have mine suppliers not paid for over a year no one raises a voice. How do you privatise a telecommunications company, how do you have Dora siliya as a minister
if you have experienced such racial remarks then come home. but oh no you cant because you dont want to be part of the circus. At least i am in Africa and you are not. so who is more patriotic? Bring your German money and your left hand Mercedes to Zambia and see how long that will last.
Abstract from the Financial Times
Fraud cases hit Record
A record number of fraud cases reached the courts in the first six months of this year numbers set to rise further in the recession, KPMG’s forensic auditors said
#30 3RqU
On”Why did Holland with hold their funding? Something is terribly wrong and unless we do something about it, your children and mine will still be talking about this. The money that went missing in the MOH was collosal, yet only a certain Kapoko is suffering for it now, though “briefly”.
Maybe we should see the current situation as a blessing because we could all have just gone on as normal when others are stealing
The question is what has happened to the contractor or rather what will the government do? These are things that we as a country need to look at seriously. That money was taxpayer’s money and accountability should be there
Zoona umu guyz na gum boots. why did he hide the cash
Prosecution my foot, let him first of all refund that money and take him to court afterwards. It won’t solve the problem by sending him to jail without recovering the money. The money has to be recovered first
Uchipo I know you! lol! But I`ll still try and answer. Look just knowing about these scums is not enough. I said we should be doing something about it. Look this man has bolted. Where do we go from here? The fact is he has taken us back to square 1. We have to start all over again. I have hope for mother Zambia alright but hope alone is not enough in some situations. Good luck mother Zambia.
Obama was preaching hope and the whole world celebrated …. How tall am i if you know me???
Uchipo one of the banks in the US which was facing closure has been resuscitated and is back on fourth more than our cherished Barclays. You have to do something about it. As for how tall you are? Nah I am not gonna say! For a man you are too short! lol! Should I tell the world your ka blonde is taller than you? lol! Got to go and cook now. Take care. Hope for mother Zambia.
You guys never stop making me vexed. Do you mean there is no any project monitoring system in govnt? How come it has taken your visit to that project to know that the cotractor has taken a walk? Is not that the contractor is one of you selfish ministers? One of you has some comision in the contract thats why the guy has guts to run away knowing that nothing will be done to him. I PRAISE THE LORD GOD FOR HAVING WORKED THROUGH THE DONORS COZ NOW THE INEFFICIENCY OF MMD IS LAID NAKED.
what do you expect when you dont tender
I like the Photo but where did he hide the Kwacha………….was it a check in the ma JOMBO
You guys stop fighting Zambia yesu bonse Abamano anmashilu bonse apo baba pa Zed
This is what happens when even a small project like building a youth centre has to be controlled from Lusaka. This crooked government has destroyed local councils’ capacity to run projects. In the 1970s this project would have been run by the local council using a local contractor. Now everything has to have the grubby hands of the Lusaka mafia over it. You cannot monitor a projects in remote areas of the country from Lusaka – unless of course you are just interested in stealing. Government cannot continue passing the buck. They award contracts to crooked friends and relatives and then dare to suggest that all Zambian contractors are crooks!
That conbtractor just went past my house, I just heard thud, thus outside coz of his heavy boots and no doubt his is the one. I may have to botl after him before the ZP cath up with the bugger.
LOL hmm doing business with zambians can be frustrating, business integrity is hard to find. Am sure the guy has already used the 87 million in entertaining his various mistresses on holidays. Word to the wise if you are going to do business in zambia make sure you get into contracts with established people willing to lose as much as you like companies. its is always wise to do a risk assessment for the worst case scenario of what you can sue for before. Avoid dealing with smart briefcase businessmen with business cards but no visible companies or assets. For this man to run away he knew he could not be found
THose who awarded the copntract should be taken to task. The contarctor is well known to them . While raise the issue after 5 years. Auntie Suzan should not be surprised at the conduct of the contractor. These things have been happening in the past and she is yet to witness more of such things. No wonder Chinaman is getting most the contracts countrywide.
i think we are missin something. m sure both the contractor and the youth center shared the money. because you can not pay the contractor before he does any work… the other problem is that these so called youth centers are established by people who have found a way of eating donor money so m sure if properly investigated you’ll find that proper tender procedures were followed.
i mean tender procedures were not followed…
But where were you all these years. Could it be that nobody made a follow up on the progress for a whole 5 yr period? Someone should have been responsible for the works, let that person be made to account. This is just a case of negligence and conspiracy.
Namwebavota mulimashilu.How on earth can it take 5 years to know that the project is not going on? how many more are unknown? Do we still have Chainama please? olo tulo pa Zed mwanyanya naimwe vibantu.It really pains to hear what is happening.
no. 56 you are right, although you have a weired picture.
This is really a serious problem,too many crooks pa ZED nowadays.
This is really a serious problem,too many crooks pa ZED nowadays.Ba LT improve on your coverage of topics.