Twenty-one full cabinet portfolios, 29 deputy ministers plus the Secretary to the Cabinet, Secretary to the Treasury, Attorney General, Chief Justice, Auditor General, Speaker and numerous other constitutional positions that are equivalent to a full cabinet minister. Roughly, there is close to 100 government positions that receive benefits equivalent to that of a minister or deputy minister with an estimated monthly expenditure of about $20,000 each (my estimation).
This means that GRZ spends $2 million a month to support these individuals or $24 million a year. Is all this expenditure necessary? Certainly not. Could this expenditure be avoided? Absolutely. Why then does a poor government like Zambia, with very limited resources, spend so lavishly with money that could be used on more useful things? The answer could perhaps lie in a culture that does not take government to task. On the contrary, the public sees these positions as a form of reward for whatever favors could have been given to the appointing authority. It is in fact expected that’s why government can get away with such meaningless expenditure.
My advice to the current PF government is to reduce this expense in half by eliminating all positions of deputy ministers. We do not need deputy ministers in this country. We are too small an economy to have that many deputy ministers. They merely duplicate functions of ministers, permanent secretaries and the directorate at ministries. If we eliminate these positions we could save about $7 million dollars a year. Just to put it in perspective, here is what that $7 million could do;
1. Build 35 new small primary schools in each of the 10 provinces
2. Build a fully fledged hospital in Chawama
3. Connect Makeni to Great East Road
4. Connect 4,000 homes with electricity
5. Buy 3,000 tablets for UNZA students
6. Buy fuel for all government operated marine vehicles for five years
7. Buy 100 single engine Cessna airplanes that could be used in rural areas
8. Support 2,800 patients like Annet Nankamba
9. Empower 4,000 youths with loans of about $1,800 each
10. If you wanted to go crazy you could buy 7,000 AK47s with 50 round magazines each
The point is, $7 million is a lot of money that could support a more decent cause within the borders of Zambia than making the bellies of the 29 deputy ministers bigger. If we duplicate any of these projects year after year we could cover a lot of ground. Again, scrap the useless deputy minister position and save Zambia some money. Zambia cannot afford such extravagant expenditure.
There are many other areas that GRZ should search that could save the country a lot of money. Among those areas are embassies. Take a look at them, we have embassies in countries that don’t have any strategic relationship with us. The embassies are overstaffed with incompetent people. Bring these people back to Matero and save the country some money.
Like I pointed out in my previous article Zambia’s Leadership Crisis, we have a big challenge as a country. Our leaders are reluctant to do the right thing. Could it be because that’s their way of cementing their power by creating such extreme poverty around them? Many of our leaders find that being powerful and rich is more important than distributing the wealth of the country. For this reason, the agenda during their tenure is devoted to such blotted budgets and meeting their needs.
To all my fellow Zambians, our obligation is to hold our elected men and women accountable. We need to demand accountability in how they use the vehicles, houses, fuel, offices and even time. Remember, this is our money they are spending. Therefore, the onus is on us to ask the right questions and even do the right thing especially during election time. A small economy like ours cannot afford to continue financing such a big government at the expense of other projects.
By Wesley Ngwenya
PF have no capacity. And when someone has no capacity there is nothing you can do to help them. Only HH can bring prudence to Zambian Politics.
LUNGU IS A CRIMINAL AND A CROOK, AND RIGHT NOW HE IS ON A WHITE-COLLAR SMART STEALING WITH HIS PF FRIENDS SO THAT THEY EN-RICH THEMSELVES WITHIN A SHORTEST POSSIBLE PERIOD OF TIME. WE HAVE A CROOK AT STATE HOUSE, WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT.
This business of saying ONLY HH can do this or the other will cost you dearly! It does a huge disservice to any meaningful point that you may well have. Zambia is a country of over 14million people and it is not only an insult but arrogance of huge proportion to say of all those people ONLY ONE person has the answers, it is meaningless political opportunism that will never work!
These are the illustrations that politicians avoid using/should use during elections.
Ths governtment of Lungu has no plans on how to handle the economy, its arbitrary unthinkable on how the president can appoint MORE than one DEPUTY MINISTER for a ministry. I wander what the problem is with Africans or maybe its true tht our IQ is so low to that of a monkey. The Kwacha is tumbling the guy is just standing aloof when we expect him to have nerves of steel and stand up to give hope to his Citizens. We are in a very serious problem and can not allow our Country to be like Zimbabwe. Most of these Deputy ministers are not dexterous and are ALWAYS CONSUMERS they have nothing to show off.
#ZAMBIA A COUNTRY WITHOUT A PRESIDENT.
This rubbish! Hero worshiping of a person. Zambians did well to vote for an ordinary person; I don’t know how these worshipers would be doing if we’d made a mistake of taking this chap HH to State House> I mean what would they have been doing? To kneel whenever he passes? It’s upsetting this hero-worshiping!
Each time I hear the word “big government,” what comes to mind immediately is bureaucracy, inefficiency, intrusiveness and corruption. Our politics are not based on principles of economics or democratic governance but on patronage. This is the reason why populist policies are quite common – all for political expedience.
Sad thing is new constitution wants to grow government with extra provincial legislatures
Ba Mobile Phone naimwe use your head. We say these things based on the people who are vying for the presidency. Have the 14 million Zambians formed political parties and have campaigned? How old are you?
Ba PF fyeeke , you’re just a ka dull guy so no vundu mudala.
Ifintu ni Lungu that’s what Zambians wanted I guess…more poverty
They want one Zambia. Some people can’t be trusted to keep Zambia as one country. That’s why they will struggle to get voted. In the USA you have to swear to be Christian and to protect Israel. Here you have to swear to keep one Zambia
How true is that people are sloganeering “Nangu Kwacha ibe Ten Kwacha to One Dollar Ifintu Ni Lungu!”
CRY MY BELOVED COUNTRY, ZAMBIA, MY MOTHERLAND! THE YOKE OF ECONOMIC SLAVERY AND SUFFERING WILL NEVER BE OFF OUR NECKS AS LONG AS WE DO NOT TAKE A PROACTIVE ROLE IN REBUKING AND CONDEMNING THE SELFISH MANEUVERS MADE BY THESE MEN AND WOMEN WHO ASSUMED THE RESPONSIBILITY OF MANAGING OUR COUNTRY. MOST ZAMBIANS ARE NOT AWARE OF THEIR RIGHTS AS CITIZENS TO HOLD THESE POLITICIANS ACCOUNTABLE FOR MISHANDLING THE AFFAIRS OF OUR COUNTRY, AND FOR TAKING ZAMBIANS FOR GRANTED WITHOUT CONSULTING US. IF WE ARE NOT ACTION ORIENTED, WE SHALL CONTINUE COMPLAINING, AND NO CHANGE WILL HAPPEN IN OUR COUNTRY UNTIL JESUS COMES.
When the President was announcing his cabinet, I looked into the faces of the MPs.What also was astonishing was that Chaps really looked desperate. You could tell from their faces that they were after jobs and not serving the people as they claim during campaigns.
Just look at the statements they make every day like I’m not bitter for having not been selected in this or that position. This is why I support having cabinet ministers appointed from outside parliament. These chaps will be coming very soon with big bellies in 2016 to lie that they want to serve the people, which people.?
The loans they are contracting for the nation are just filling their bellies and relatives. This is worsened by blind and starving supporters of these selfish individuals.
Zambians deserve what they are getting from. PF. Poverty is ingrained in the Zambian psyche.
Are these figures facts or assumptions to make us begin to suspect current government of mismanagement of public funds
They are straight forward figures my brother that even you can generate .So much truth in them that for once let us take a step back and not politic but take these figures for the truth they hold .He speaks the truth and these are the arguments that a young democracy needs.
When the President was announcing his cabinet, I looked into the faces of the MPs.What I saw astonishing was that Chaps really looked desperate. You could tell from their faces that they were after jobs and not serving the people as they claim during campaigns.
Just look at the statements they make every day like I’m not bitter for having not been selected in this or that position.This is why I support having cabinet ministers appointed from outside parliament. These chaps will be coming very soon with big bellies in 2016 to lie that they want to serve the people, which people.?
The loans they are contracting for the nation are just filling their bellies and relatives. This is worsened by blind and starving supporters of these selfish individuals.
Could be true..since we are taxed like dogs to fund ministers…
Am sure this is what the majority of voters wanted to see. It’s cry my beloved country.
Excellent analysis, Ngwenya; only to be spoiled by UPND cadres who see HH everywhere and in everything. We’re getting sick of this worshipping of HH. It’s out of hand.
Ngwenya discussed an important National concern but then “…only HH could…” This is a personality cult. May he has cast a spell on his minions. Is he working with the Malawian sorcerer who had predicted that he would win the vote and when he didn’t “oh! PF has rigged”. How much did he pay him (oh, is it donate?).
PF- Poverty First
EDGAR CHAGWA KALE LUNGU DOES NOT MEAN WELL FOR ZAMBIA. FACT!
let the suffering roll,thats what you voted for,holding who account pa zambia,thats a taboo,keep on suffering till the end of time
10. If you wanted to go crazy you could buy 7,000 AK47s with 50 round magazines each
10. If you wanted to go crazy you could buy 7,000 AK47s with 50 round magazines each. Lol
Its true. Its high time government learnt to cut some expenditures through unsustainable positions.
Even the naming of ministries is bad. Why have ministry of mines, energy and water development and ministry of natural resources, lands and environmental protection. When energy, mines, water,lands, environmental protection can fall into Natural Resources.
@Suri….excellent!…lol
true observation, this is pathetic, twenty chakuti DMs ,wat are they fr? are we taking them fr a show? i had confidence dat lungu will trim this buh he has worsened da situation by adding more,,,even two deputy I.Gs wat are they fr pls! yet a poor grade 12 is committing suicide out ther coz of poor education funding, poor living standards awe mwe, am pf nomba chachilamo ba lungu pls.
You know what….. the sheep voted so they should not bleet
All this crowd, as if the are new form 1 pupils we used to call ba ‘ZEZE’! Its only a Vodgar king of president who can bring memories of ‘BA ZEZE’!
@p.f. Fyeeke
For now the only person we know who could fix the Zambia economy going by the last immediate passed election, is HH! There is positive personality cult and negative one, the negative one is that choice of EL personality cult – to bring in and destroy!!!
we can even do away with an executive president & have a prime minister.
Thank you for breaking it down for these empty tins…we are wasting taxpayer’s funds on empty suits to seat in the office….these are merely jobs for cadres!!
Oh no, $20,000 only per month and that’s what makes these azzholes get machetes, and behave in that manner????…C’mon, I make that in a week on a good month….
This is indeed interesting. We waste millions of dollars on meaningless expenses and then go and beg for money from other countries? Talk about twisted thinking.
Guys,
This is the structure you need to run a modern country.
The example for sub-Saharan Africa to follow.
Pres Lungu is highly respected abroad! He IS OPENING DOORS?
Such measures do not come cheap.
One Zambia………………………….?
The analysis is perfect. We must wake up as Zambians and hold these thieves accountable. It is our money they’re wasting. How for heavens sake can you have more deputy ministers than cabinet ministers? Foolishly ECL is even contemplating giving them power to sit in parliament. He has gone further to create an extra position for Deputy IG of police. When we say we need a new constitution he is now disputing. The reason is he wants to continue abusing his powers by giving jobs to his friends. He was lying to the people during the campaigns that he was going to reduce the price of bunga. The people have remained poorer than before and here he is wasting money creating unnecessary portfolios. The problem is people are not well informed and vote blindly. We are in trouble.
All these so called ministers and deputy ministers do is sit in thier offices drink Milo and eat biscuits at cabinet office. The USA which is a much bigger government system only has 14 full cabinet positions why would a drop in the ocean economy like zambia have 30? This is what we get for not being prudent with our votes. Ama bosses are enjoying themselves while the country suffers. The author reiterates a good point there is no need for so many cabinet positions especially deputy ministers. Meanwhile Kwacha drops azaza and Edgar “Dollar Chagwa” Lungu is planning another trip. Abena Zambia bale shishita bwali ndweeee. Awe shuwa! We told you so.
Meanwhile Edgar “Dollar Chagwa” Lungu is planning another trip. Our economy is tanking and we continue this useless waste. Ama bosses are enjoying while the common man is taking the suffering. Abana Zambia bale shishita bwali ndweee while the PF mortgages the country. We told you so. Upto tuka chuule elo ngwa twa buuka ne nsala elo tuka sambilila. ( until the day we suffer and wake up hungry we will not learn the lessons of life). Now we will start to see the real mediocrity of our government.
@p. f. Fyeeke and the rest, the issue here is not HH, why do we hate this man like that? If God purposes that he will be president, there is nothing we can do. The issue at hand is the size of the cabinet and the deputy ministers. in what the author is talking about, is there sense? Let us be real and be constructive
Good advice there to the president from Lusaka times. I suggest that Mr. ELC please consider this. Mano mambulwa. Wisdom and economics go together
The issue is you and yo fellow Upnd minions always thinking HH is the only one out of 14 millions to save Zambia’s economy. Yo hero wowrshiping of yo hh is sickening
HH will never be president, but can be a tonga Chief.
Ifintu ni Lungu .poverty does not choose who voted for who??? ifintu no lungu chabe
HH, ECL, Edith, Elias or whoever else cannot fix this country. As long as we are sleeping the shepards will continue to slaughter our sheep to feed themselves. Its time we woke up from our slumber & claimed our inherintance from the shepards. We are the sheep owners. How do we call our employee our father. These fat govt b’crats we call boss. Come on citizens, we don’t need anyone to remind us that for as long as we are docile nobody will have an obligation to do anything for us.
People,let us not try 2b partisan here,the govt is already in place.The challenge of economical dwindling affects us all.Therefore,instead of jst attacking govt,let all well meaning(Bonafide) Zambians give solutions on how 2 go abt.1 ZED 1 NATION.
Those are jobs my dear. If you cut down those jobs which other jobs do you want to create? whose? it is easier to say than do. run a government without people to defend you and see how long you are going to last. possibly two weeks at most.
Mulemwenako,Uno mwaka.Muleshininkisha!