GOVERNMENT Printers has said it has no capacity to print ballot papers although it has acquired a colour printing press.
Government Printers director, Venansio Lungu said the department could not meet the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) standards for printing ballot papers.
He was speaking when a team of political parties and ECZ chairperson, Florence Mumba toured the plant in Lusaka yesterday.
Mr Lungu said the ECZ had raised security concerns relating to printing ballot papers at Government Printers.
“There have been security concerns which we are addressing so that we can print ballot papers for elections. We need more than K1 billion to address all security concerns,” he said.
At the national registration office, registrar general Mathews Nyirongo told political party leaders not to mobilise foreigners to obtain national registration cards because that was a danger to the country.
Mr Nyirongo said by September this year, the exercise of issuing national registration cards would be extended to all parts of the country.
And speaking after the tour, Justice Mumba said since ballots could not be printed locally, the ballots for the Chitambo by-election would still be printed in South Africa and would be in the country by next week.
Ms justice Mumba said plans were underway to link the national registration office data base with that of the ECZ so that it could be easier to register voters.
MMD national chairman Michael Mabenga, Tourism Deputy Minister Vera Tembo, New Generation Party president Humphrey Siulapwa, Zambia Democratic Congress secretary General Langtone Sichone and Party for Unity Democracy and Development president Isaac Musonda were in the delegation.
[Times of Zambia]
There strarts another VJ Katele scheme for 2011. We have to revolt on this one. Rupiah should be impeached. How did we end up with such leaders? Our contitution is so porous such that even hopeless paople can be presidents.
Sorry about my spellings LT. Am busy working at the same time.
the companny is called GOVERNMENT PRINTERS i guess we all know how influencial the people in the government can be, they came up with this idea. we know you.
Ask your friends the Chinese to help you
Listen, I ‘m a litho machine minder, In other words I fix and repair industrial printing machines, here in South Africa. Its not rocket science. I was involve with printing of ballot papers for Nambia and Angola. the price for security is way over priced. and you saying that can not print in Zed. I would love to come back Home to Zed. Goverment never wanted to support us, so we left for SA now you want to export the work to SA (This is Very Clever, Which Bright Spark thought of that)
Umuntu Mutwe
I like your thoughts about revolting but tell me, how do you hope to do that with you being where you are?
In any case, am surprised that GP’s inability to print ballot papers should be security. If I recall, GP has Chinese machines that came in shortly before 2006 elections. These machines should hae started their job of printing ballot papers then and that was when the security question should have started to be addressed
So why acquire printing press when you can’t operate the machines. you accumulate salaries for not doing anything isn’t this a problem on its own. typical Zed mentality of things will solve each other.
Lusaka
Am just two hours away from Zed. Your analysis is good. I dont believe these punks saying gvt printers can not print ballot papers. They want the papers to come from somewhere and play around with the numbers like that. Gvt printers should be revamped and new skills and machines brought in. They would rather spend money taking a damn cow for Rupiah’s frind who is of no value to Zambians at large. What a mess guys. We really need a new generation of leaders. We are back in the FTJ era.
here we go…..same old story……
#3 Kelchi
With your level of suspicion, I doubt it even if the printing was done by private company because you’d definitely link it to the ruling party. We need to move on & develop just a bit if trust in Zambians.
#7 Abwenzi
Good question, & whatever security concerns those are how long should it take before they are resolved? Does GP have a business focus at all, because if they had ballot papers should have given them good money if you consider the fact that they acquired the machines 2006, by which time they could have raised the K1bn. I guess it is another issue of no business knowledge just as the case is for Zamtel & Zesco.
#8 Umuntu Mutwe
Lets hope you aren’t just an arm-chair critique. Why not take advantage a& show your technical prowes? Push in a proposal to…
Its a known fact that, printing of ballots can not be done locally……
Question is,When will you be able to print your own damn ballot papers?Gosh,get your nonesense together.