Eastern Province Permanent Secretary Chanda Kasolo said at a press briefing in his office in Chipata yesterday that at the beginning of the year, the retirees were being paid K90 million stating that K13.3 million had so far been paid to the retirees by the Government.
Mr Kasolo said the Patriotic Front (PF) Government was trying by all means to liquidate the debt owed to the retirees in the province.
“The most affected ministries are agriculture, health and education who owes quite substantial amount of money to the retirees,” he said.
He explained that the ministry of finance has been releasing the monies in order to pay the retirees more especially those who were mostly hit with economic challenges in the province.
Mr Kasolo said the PF Government inherited the problems from the previous regime.
The permanent secretary also said a South African energy company has been offered 150 hectares of land by Senior Chief Nzamane for putting up 200 megawatts of electricity.
He said the project would create about 500 jobs to the province saying this would kick start as quickly as the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Government and a South African energy company was done.
He said Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation (ZESCO) should also agree with the South African company to be buying units from them.
“We are drafting the MoU so that a South African company and Government can sign and start the project,” he said.
He said he was aware that electricity has become expensive to do business in the country adding that the coming of the solar power would assist the province to have more investments.
On Chipata railway, Mr Kasolo said about 170,000 metric tonnes of cargo have been transported on the line since May 20th last year when it came to operational.
He said the railway line had also managed to create 120 jobs since its operational.
The permanent secretary has also said it was a suicidal that some students at Chipata Trades Training Institute were ejected during the exams.
He said the students were supposed to be allowed to be in class during the exams unlike what happened.
Mr Kasolo said four trucks have been impounded in Petauke and Nyimba district which was laden with Mukula logs.
How many retirees have passed on since then. Dear Zambians, if you get employment in Zambian government make sure you invest in other viable businesses to secure your future in case of such cases. Governments will come & go but will never give what they owe retirees.
This was one of Satana promises for resolution within 90 days. 5 years later not much has happened. Instead Lungu is spending over USD1m for a dancing trip to New York.
This is recklessness busy employing civil servants, increasing ministries and increasing expenditure yet you have not paid people who worked for years in civil service.