Friday, April 19, 2024
Subscribe
Headlines

National Housing Authority apologises to Vice President for Sunday’s Elevator incident

By editor
86
11,422 views

Share

NHA Chief Executive Officer Elias Mpondela
NHA Chief Executive Officer Elias Mpondela

National Housing Authority has apologised to Vice President Dr Guy Scott for being locked up in the elevators for close to 30 Minutes on Sunday.

The vice president found himself locked up in a lift after featuring on the Radio Phoenix programme.

NHA Chief Executive Officer Elias Mpondela said that the firm has since placed orders for new elevators to replace old ones.

Mr Mpondela said that old elevators at Lusaka’s ZIMCO, Indeco, Findeco and Kulima Tower buildings will be replaced.

Mr. Mpondela has however not stated how much has been set aside for buying new lifts. He has told ZNBC News by telephone that NHA usually maintains its elevators through ZAL Elevators and that the lifts are old and sometimes things go wrong.

He said that investigations have been launched to establish what could have caused the lift to jam because they were maintained recently.

But tenants say they have on many occasions been subjected to use the staircase on their way to their offices because of faulty elevators.

They said that the lifts were only fixed this week because the Vice President was going to Radio Phoenix for a programme

On Sunday afternoon, Vice President Guy Scott was stuck in a lift for about 30 minutes at Lusaka’s ZIMCO House. Dr Scott who had just come from Radio Phoenix on the 12th floor where he featured on a live programme got stuck in the lift after it abruptly stopped on the 8th floor.

[pullquote]NHA Chief Executive Officer Elias Mpondela said that the firm has since placed orders for new elevators to replace old ones.[/pullquote]

The Vice President’s security had to break the grill door to rescue Dr Scott from the faulty lift. Dr Scott who appeared composed during the dramatic lock up, was made to use a different lift on his way to the ground floor.

The Vice President was stuck together with his security and a crew from ZNBC. Radio Phoenix General Manager Elizabeth Mwale Pemba who was visibly upset about the incident made several calls requesting for help from the firm that repairs elevators.

ZNBC

editor
editorhttp://www.lusakatimes.com

86 COMMENTS

  1. PLZ GET THE LIFTS WORKEY IN ALL HIGH BUILDINGS BEFORE IT CLAIMS SOMEONES LIFE.SORRY BA SCOT AND PLZ SEE THAT THEY REPLACE THIS LIFT SOON

  2. Ha! Ha! ha! Iam sure Scott  will laugh it off but you guys should have repaired those scruff lifts a long time ago. Kupusa bakwenyengwe imwe!

  4. Efyo chaba muno chalo. Corruption. Bushe these guys didn’t know that those things are death traps all this time? So the money was there and some ka corrupt stupid little officer (rat) somewhere was drawing money from this account. Even before HEMCS talks to his Vice, new elevators have been bought. Way to, fire someone there ba Presido. Take them to Ana Chifungula who will in turn hand them over to Dr. Malama who will then hand them over to DPP who will also hand them over to the courts which will also hand them over to Chimbokaila. So you see no ne wants corrupt people, they are a burden.

  7. I think this was a blessing in disguise cause had it just been any jim and jack these lefts would not have been replaced

  8. I was stuck in those ZIMCO lifts for 45min in 2001. That’s 10 yrs ago. Its possible those are the same old lifts. Where will Mpondela suddenly get the money to buy new lifts?

  9. It is true, these are the cobwebs we are talking about. Why didn’t they fix the lifts. It had to take the whole Veep to be stuck for people to act. Awe Mwe.

  10. So it takes a VIP to get stuck in the horrid things for you to put in an order for new ones…just utterly amazing…give him the sack to clear his desk!!!

  11. Mpondela is MMD Lusaka something, so what is he still doing at NHA? He needs to go we didnt vote for PF for nothing we want his job.

    • Uli chipuba iwe ayi. What has his job got to do with him being MMD. its just a job and he works hard that guy. You’ll chase all the hard working people and screw up our country some more.

  12. Mpondela has run down NHA. Workers are complaining, pipo’s houses are not being completed despite full payments. MMD cadres supplying building materials to NHA above market price making NHA houses very expensive. Dissolve NHA board and fire Mpondela!! It is long overdue

  13. This would have been very embarrassing. Ubu ebupuba bwa pa Zambia. They will wait for someone to die. that is when they work on the death trap.Remember those bridges in Eastern P and Siavonga RD. Shame.

  14. You mean there is even no security team on site to react to such expected emergencies for a building housing so many people! This is lack of professionalism. Perhaps we need to check if some bosses there were hired just for being cadres.

  16. When is the axe falling on Mpondela, these are the cobwebs they tal about. How do you order new lifts for ALL buildings without budgeting for them , only after the number two man is stuck in a lift

  19. This is another big cancer, like corruption, as President SATA says. Zambians we are not good at maintaining Things, until something drops or kills someone will people then react, Very S.T.UPID. Maintenance of lifts would take a VP to be stuck??? Mpondela is not serious.

  20. No need to apologise Mpondela, the veep now knows the problems ordinary Zambians are facing everyday.N
    ext time the veep should use the loo before going in any lifts otheriwse things will get even more embarrasing….NHA can you please organise 4 hour lock-up next time.

  21. So Mpondela is still running or rather ruinning NHA. This man must have serious connections at Plot No1. Mpondela kuya bebele!!!!!! By the way stop messing about with married women chikala.

  23. Mpondela is on the list to be fired. The firing is being done in a trickle fashion to keep peoples hopes that ‘actions’ are being done, otherwise the illusion of a’man of action’ dies out.

    Other than firing and hiring people the government has no other headline grabbing activiteis to do., (05 of the firing will be done within the infamous 90 days and the masses will be kept hoping as a result.

  25. This is ridiculous! Did it take the VP to get stuck in the lift for NHA to decide to have them replaced??? Typical “knee – jerk” reaction! What manner of managers are these? This corrupt clown/bootlicker heading NHA should have been sent home a long time ago!!

  28. Lying bastard Mpondela. I can see the whole s.h.i.t in his empty rhetoric. How many us us have been inconvenienced by their lousy lifts!!!?????. What a shame! By the way what is this kamafool still doing at NHS. Someone to drop the axe on this kamafellow – pliz twapapata mwebantu. I end here!

  31. This man fraudulantly depositd 6bn in ECO banK. iNFORMATION HAS IT THAT IT WAS MENAT TO FUND MMD campaignhs. When is he leaving?

  32. In other words, by its own admission, NHA is not sorry for short-changing its Tenants who are its source of income, No. The only reason it is apologizing now for the poor state of lifts is purely because Veep got stuck, and it’s for that reason only. Had he not got stuck it would have been business as usual. Simply unbelievable business ethics. Guys, lets be serious…

  33. Mpondela should have been on the list of people to fire. Only that the snake did not see him. Now that the snake has been reminded let him be fired. If you do well to remember he had a case of misusing some funds at NHA. So once more let the snake fire him.

  35. I used to operate on the 11th floor ant Findeco House in 1996. The lift there and even at ZIMCO house where locking up every other day. I was one of the victims. The question is just when did anyone apologize to a common person locked up in these lifts. Why did they not order new elevators when this has been happening to many Zambians? If it was anyone else and not the vice president locked up would we have heard an apolgy from Mr Mpondela and the ordering of new elevators?

  36. THINGS LIKE THAT DO OCCUR…I MEAN THAT INCIDENT ALSO AFFECTED ME WHEN I WAS IN SOUTH AFRICA.
    GUYS,WHERE ARE PEOPLE LIKE GEORGE MUBANGA FROM ILIASHI LYA PANO SONDE? AND ROY CLARKE?
    THANK YOU.

  37. Why has mpodela been spared? nha is in a mess, the so called zaaa is a mess. if there was any guy to be fired first was this guy. he is staunch mmd cadre meaning the position he holds was by virtue of him being a cadre and a very corrupt person

  38. hey this is dangerous those lifts need to be replaced not today or tomorrow but yesterday trying to fix broken equipment is bad as it’ll just pack up in the next few , what happens if the those lifts fail ,and fall?

  40. HERE’S WHAT I DON’T LIKE ABOUT THIS STORY: ” … THE FIRM HAS SINCE PLACED ORDERS FOR NEW LIFTS…” FIRST, IS THIS TRUE? AND DOES IT HAVE TO WAIT FOR SOMEONE TO BE TRAPPED OR KILLED? DOES MPONDELA’S PEOPLE HAVE A MAINTENANCE PROGRAMME FOR THESE LIFTS? IF SO WHERE ARE THE RECORDS OF SUCH MAINTENANCE WORK? WAS THERE AN ALARM, PHONE OR PUNIC BUTTON FOR POOR GUY SCOTT TO SOUND IN THIS LIFT?

  42. Luckily it was not his boss ,i wonder if he was going to survive in an in closure for that long??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????kaya if this year will end

  44. Even if it has happened like this.Itt has taken place at the right time.The lifts have been problematic throughout .Mpondela knows this but was just waiting for this special day.What a blessing in disguise

  45. Ba Elias ukushishita, how can you expose yourself like that, now ichito yapwa yama. Why didn’t you ask your contractor to apologize? ZNHA board will be dissolved tomorrow.

  47. The firing squad should visit the cobweb Mpondela soon! People are stuck in those death traps everyday and it does not matter. People should be respected and treated equally.

  50. Mpondela is a freaken asshole. Why does have to be the vice president to effect change on public service works. Fire freaken mpondela and investigate his corrupt dealings in NHA. Fire tmthis guy

  51. Good for PF, they should also now suffer from Sata’s tribl bigotry. Imagine Mpondela’s catalogue of corrupt escapades and he is still the boss of NHA, had his name ben Mweemba, Mushala or Sibeso, he would have been fired within a week of Satan’s ascendence to power. The same goes for the DPP, Mchenga, Sata will resist to fire them because to quench his tribal bigotry. I just hope it was Sata himself trapped in an elevator. Mbondela is a full time MMD party cadre who even once tried running for MMD vice president, just what they hell apart from hailing from the north is he still doing at NHA? This Sata od your is screwing up this nation because there is not going to be Bembanization of this country, he will go the Gadhafy way if he is joking, lynched in Nabwalya by felolow Bisas.

  52. Mpondela, work up, you are the next to be fired, if you play arround with that mean team of Cobra.I love it that without that iccidence you would never think of relpacing those lifts.That is work up call.:((

  53. Incident happened on weekend and Monday they order new ones, this mean money has always been there. I guess there are a lot more wrong things which they need to correct. Mpondela is a liability we need to uproot him from this institution and the fact that is MMD that’s even make it worse because
    the chaps are corrupt to the highest degree.

  55. # 51 Oblivious Zambian Embacile . What are you smoking? Do you expect the President to fire all DG’s in 30 days? We need to do thorough consultation before firing people. I m sure you are from Southern province. Its bemba this bemba that. Is Guy Scott bemba?  

  56. You mean they had an emergency tender commitee over the lifts. Pleases we are not children best to appologise and end there than lie about orders. We all know Monday was a holiday when did some one get the Quotations in time for a tender commitee meeting PIILIZ

  57. Lucky for the buildings that have working lifts. At Indeco House, lifts have not worked for years. Chinese guys just came a few days after PF won to take measurements to fit new lifts. They have not been back since. VP, you see the suffering that we Zambians are subjected to when the CEO Mpondela leaves in luxury?

  58. Oblivious Zambian Embacile, You are an embacile indeed. All you see is tribal. I agree with # 55 you must be Tonga and a sick one for that matter. Do you think HEMCS can do everything in 30 days. Please let the President do his work. Don’t put too much presure on him unnecessaryly. And stop looking at everything with tribal eyes. You are sick, you want to drag this Country into tribal conflicts. We say no to such inuandos. You are alone in that schem and no one will support you with such low thinking Get a life

  59. Please ensure all elavators are serviced to avoid accidents. have you forgotten what happened to the late STEPHEN SIKOMBE? M H S R I P ,

  60. Mpondela is a slimy character the new government with “no nosense stance” on corruption as a national crusade can ill afford to keep at NHA. He is unscrupulous and “neck deep” in corruption. The axe must fall on him and others of his minions.

  62. What Mr. Mpondola does not know is that some of his Directors especially those directly concerned with operations are busy doing private business using government facilities with no due respect as to the operations of the NHA;Infact stealing company time.Its best He does something about his directors before the AX gets to him first.Just open your eyes Mr Mpondela you will see how your workers abuse company facilities trying to enrich themselves.I have got quiet a few names.

  64. Mpondela you havent done very well at NHA.It is time the axe fell on you
    Yes those houses or shells in Nyumba Yanga are overpriced and even for
    people who have paid for them you havent done much.You came to Oxford
    in UK to try and covince people in diaspora to buy those houses.I just wonder
    how many of those people who attednded that meeting actually took up the offer?

    • Number 62: I agree with you. How can he think of repairing the elevators when he is busy trying to make money for his pocket. National Housing is a big let down, the bastards can’t even improve the water situation in Nyumba Yanga, how can they think of working on the lifts.

  65. @55 MPIKA BOY

    You can’t fool all the people all the time!  Of course Gay Scotsman is Bemba.  Otherwise how come he is VP?  His demeanour, his corrupt behaviour and his childhood friendship with Satan point to one thing – he is a white Bemba monkey!

  66. # 55 & 57, Of course I understand your reactions, like they say in Bemba, and quote: “Ichishinka chila umfwysha icifukushi ku mutima”. Your quest to smear me with the same SataNIC tribal stench you’re so earger to wallow in will not just work. Zambia is for all Zambians and it has never happened in the history of this country that all the four most senior cabinet portfolios are held by people from the same part of the country and this is fine with you. This country is called Zambia, not Bembastan. It belongs to all of us and any quest to take us to the dark ages will fail. At least if he appointed noble Bembas like Alexander Chikwanda, I will understand. But vile lumpens like GBM and Kambwili sure, I’m mauless!

  67. to begin with Mr mpondela has lamentebly failed NHA,from the tym the Mr Kaoma Joseph passed on.,things with us the workers have not been ok,this man z a sweet talker,but behind that are corrupt activities with the Director of Finance mr Evarist Chanda.I implorer the PF lead government to audit wat benefits we have gotten from the SOS land in the name of joint ventures,Hw the Napsa project has been mis handled in nyumba yanga,hw the workers have victimised the eco bank saga in the name of over drafts,the so many trips abroad,especially the china trips in connections with Napsa project material procurement were purchasing was excluded wen it came to procure materials- So many questions to be answered,.The best way the government should do z to remove Mr Mpondela and Mr Evarist Chand from nha

  68. Whenever you hear a Northern Janjaweed claiming: “he needs enought time to finish his programs”, “We need to do thorough consultation before firing people” – only when it comes to their own”, etc etc, you know the *****s have no clue of what to do next and as a means and end to itself, they would cling to power by all claws and skins of their teeth. Sata has less than 60 days to emancipate Zambia from all political and economic woes and he swore to that. There will be no excuse of “he needs enough time or consultations” to deliver on his promise or else he will soon find himself in troubled waters and with that dodgy heart of his, some monkey will sooner than later be breathing its last in Morningside.

  69. When is President MC going to clean up and fire this MMD guy at National Housing Authourity..he must go and he is reason the housing in zambia is a scam and full of corruption, President Sata fire this man at NHA and let someone run the systems well.

  72. MPONDELA MAN FULL OF SCANDALS, FROM RUMOR OF SNEAKING IN PRE MARKED BALLOT BOXES IN THE 2008 ELECTIONS AT KATONDO TO DUBIOUSLY CONVINSING RUPIAH THAT HE CAN PERFORM AT NHA. OF ALL THE MD’S HE HAS LEAST PERFORMED BY RUNNING DOWN NHA.

  74. i do not agree with 51 . plz why do u always attack sata to be tribalist . U know the extent of damage MMD have done to this great nation ZAMBIA . Sata has alot of task to do for everyone to C . jst give him time and u will prove him right , so KALEMBELE NO 51 ka mu TONGA : DONT BE TRIBALISTIC TOO .

  75. We are being that the VEEP was trapped in the lift on the 8th Floor, Zimco House but how many people have been trapped before. Its irresponsibility of the highest order to NHA because they have been negligent all along. They have no regard for their tenants. Heads must roll coz they ahd endangered the lives of the Veep and his entourage.

  76. This was trully a blessing in disguise. Thank you Jesus for showing those in power what every lame man goes through. Now employ eastern technocrats so as we build you mechanical wonders.

  78. Number 67 i share your expose; these two are an unholy pair at NHA. They have been stealing on projects in connaivance with MKP (“slave traders” – the arabs from Malaysia) on NAPSA project at SOS. Investigations are long overdue at NHA.

  79. NHA has lamentably failed
    Private monies have been stolen and in the end the Government will have to pay
    A probe at the company is long overdue.
    The Director of Finance and other top officials are corrupt.I paid them cash to my house.They were suppose to do it in 10 months.It will be 2 years this coming January 2012,nothing much has moved

  80. Can we start a crusade for the Removal of Mpondela and company and prosecution.Any suggestion how can we stop this corruption and plunder of public and individual monies.

  81. Lifts faulty? And pipo stuck for 30 mins! Just brought bitter memories of the Dad’s passing on. Get the lifts repaired so we dont get bitter bitter memories

  82. Hi there, I found your blog by the use of Google whilst searching for a comparable subject, your website came up, it appears good. I have added to favourites|added to my bookmarks.

  83. It is in point of fact a great and useful piece of information. I’m happy that you simply shared this helpful info with us. Please stay us up to date like this. Thank you for sharing.

Comments are closed.

Read more

Local News

Company

Trending

Categories

© Lusaka Times

Discover more from Lusaka Times-Zambia's Leading Online News Site - LusakaTimes.com

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading