Friday, March 29, 2024

We have cut GRZ trips by 50%-Msiska

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Roland Msiska
Roland Msiska

Secretary to the Cabinet Rolland Msiska has revealed that Government has reduced the number of foreign and local travels by 50 percent in line with austerity measures announced by President Edgar Lungu.

Dr Msiska said this has been achieved through the creation of a Cabinet Office Travel Agency which is now managing all official trips for Government officials.

He said Cabinet Office has also stopped approving requests for foreign travel to conferences or workshops which could be handled by Zambian missions present in those countries.

The Secretary to the Cabinet was speaking when he featured on ZNBC TV’s Sunday Interview.

“In countries where we don’t have representations and the trip is essential, we have had to cut the delegation to sizeable number,” Dr Msiska said.

He said contrary to public perception, Cabinet Office has done very well in reducing the number of foreign and local travels since President Lungu announced austerity measures in November last year.

Dr Msiska also revealed that the setting up of a Cabinet Office Travel Agency has reduced significantly the amount of wastage.

He also disclosed that Government has also reduced the number of workshops and conferences in order to reduce pressure on the treasury.

“On the issue of workshops, I must confess that this has been a bit challenging because you also have to be mindful of our friends in the hospitality industry. They also need business from Government,” Dr Msiska added.

“Sometimes we’ve had to reduce the duration of these workshops, if the request comes for a seven-day workshop, I will write back and say reduce it to three days and then work until 20 hours because that is the reason you are in residence.”

11 COMMENTS

  1. Nhkala chabe sibweni, nikusabaila uko,Are you telling us that if you did not cut the travel by 50% then the President and his minions would have been always airborne?

    • I can bet my last kwacha that this guy can’t even give the figure he is deriving the 50% from that is the mediocrity we are dealing with here. Official statement with no actual figures of what it was and what it is now ati 50% these guys think we are in baby class. If you cut 50% you would be paying civil servants salaries on time and have money to pay student allowances on time. You would also not be coming up with silly deductions. In fact keep it at 100% it’s only until 11th August, advice has been falling on your deaf ears for years about your reckless spending why change now.

    • The only reason government holds workshops is to give business to hotels and lodges. Imagine that kind of thinking and we say we have a government that can safeguard our resources. They just make up workshops so that they can give business to hotels and lodges because most of these guys have interests in these hotels or they receive kickbacks from these entities. Shame!

  2. What kind of reasoning is that?Ati they cant stop workshops completely because the hospitality industry needs business,while.

  3. Where are the figures?? Please give us statistics like between month A and month B, C number of people were to travel to D number of regional and E international conferences but we declined them travel and we were presented by our Missions thereby saving F amount of dollars and kwacha equivalent. Locally we have managed to shorten G number of workshops from H number of days to I thereby saving J Kwacha. We managed to reduce L number of delegates on M number of missions for foreign trips that we authorized thereby saving N amount of dollars or kwacha equivalent. Please NOT this ambiguous smoke screen you are putting up here? Who knows,the cost of running the Cabinet Office Travel Agency (where most likely relatives of prominent people are employed) may just outstrip the saving you are…

  4. So what Misiska is saying is that up until now this PF Government HAS BEEN ABUSING TAXPAYERS MONEY WITH UNNECESSARY TRIPS AND CONFERENCES!!

    An admission of guilt!

    Yes, but we all know that already. Lungu, the Chief Money Wasting Tourist has been caught out with his US$300,000-00 joyride with friends to the UN.

    Tell us something we want to know, like how much has all this unnecessary extravagance cost us? Not just make excuses and promise not to do it again!

    PF promises we know all too well from 90 day experience!

  5. First of all, we should congratulate the government for doing this instead of criticising. Secondly, we should congratulate the government for being open about the corruption that uses taxpayer’s money to give business to people like HH who own hotels.
    Now, can we know who paid for Mumbi Phiri to go and kiss the Pope’s hand? What advantage to Zambia was the trip to Vatican when Pope was just around the corner and could have been invited to pass through Zambia or meet him at the UN when Lungu went with his shoppers?

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