Friday, March 29, 2024

IMF has not given the sale of Zamtel as one of the bail out conditions-Mushimba

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Brian Mushimba (L)
Brian Mushimba (L)
THE International Monetary Fund (IMF) has not given the sale of Zamtel as one of the conditions for the Fund’s bail out and Zambians should ignore social media gossip and speculation that the Zambian government has been forced to offload the telecommunications company, Transport and Communication Minister Brian Mushimba has said.

Mr Mushimba said the Government was working hard in looking for alternative measures to work round the different challenges affecting the nation economically including the current power deficiency being experienced due to the drought that has led to low water levels for hydropower production.

He said it was unfortunate that some people have taken to spreading falsehoods which were aimed at fuelling people’s anxieties against Government’s intentions and efforts to rebuilding the economy. He explained that Zambia was going through tough economic pressure emanating from external shocks such as copper prices and international currency rates over which the country had no control, but that he was hopeful the Government’s austerity measures would help put things in place to slowly rebuild the economy.

“I am not part of the Government’s negotiation squad that would suggestively engage the IMF if indeed it takes off, but I have heard through social media speculation about the sale of Zamtel and other parastatals as a means to meet the conditions set to qualify for IMF loan.

“I have no idea if there are such negotiations and if any of what is being said is true about Government and IMF, or the conditions, but what I can say is that there is too much speculation about this (IMF) which even Government has not announced yet,” he said.

He was commenting on speculations from various sections of the media that the IMF has given the Zambian Government conditions to sell Zamtel and ZESCO among other parastatals as a way of meeting its benchmarks to qualify for a loan to pump into the economy.

Mr Mushimba said Government was aware of the numerous challenges being experienced in the energy sector and the mining industry and that all those austerity measures being implemented were the best options suggested to help rebuild the economy.

He has since appealed to all well-meaning Zambians to ignore speculations on social media, but that they should wait upon the Government to do their best in finding best ways of dealing with the situation, adding that “as long as there is no official announcements from Government, treat anything in the media especially social media as mere rumours aimed to unsettling people’s confidence”.

He said the Government was looking for better ways of dealing with the current economic hardships the country had found itself in.

18 COMMENTS

    • Why do most of Lungu’s so called policies seem to be so much like RB’s. Does that mean that Lungu should have also lost the election except he rigged it and there was not another Sata to oust him. We are reliving the times we have seen before but this time the little man Lungu will ruin our lives big time.

    • ****** we some installation are better kept and held onto until we are really sure we get the best deal. Who do you want to sell it to LAP green? You are RB desciples and you’ll rot in hell.

    • @ anal yser

      The simple fact is that Zamtel is a LOSS MAKING COMPANY that is surviving on Taxpayers money!

      After five years the PF government has shown conclusively that they do not have the skills or brains to make it work. How much longer must our hard earned taxes be poured down this bottomless hole?

      The only sensible conclusion is to get rid of it as soon as possible. And the same applies for all the other loss making parastatals. — even if we give it away for nothing!

      Zambias economy is in intensive care. We need to STOP THE BLEEDING forthwith before the patient dies!

  1. I don’t understand how Zamtel can be making losses with a monopoly on landlines and a backbone for communications never mind the optical fiber laid cross country. Management is key you cannot have a person who has failed to run a small company that makes roofing sheets attempt to manage a big company. This same man was fired by MTN etc…Interference doesn’t even come in its pure incompetence. Parastatals such as Zisc are an example of success when the right mind is at the top, Napsa, Building Society and DBZ fall in that class too…remove the myopic corrupt mind of the current MD and you wont need to sale it!

  2. Selling it is the best option since when its govt run it is used as an emplyments vehicle for relatives and those that are close to government officials!!! Both ZESCO and Zamtel need to be sold in order to make them operate efficiently. Government has no business in business. Nigeria got the plans from Zambia for privatizing the electricity industry and sooner or later you will see Nigeria having a robust and efficient power system while Zambians keep aurguing about thinngs they don’t even understand!!!

  3. “I have no idea if there are such negotiations and if any of what is being said is true about Government and IMF, or the conditions, but what I can say is that there is too much speculation about this (IMF) which even Government has not announced yet,” he said.

  4. PF has completely lost it…..borrowing to pay salaries then, the stealing, over spending by additional ministries …..cadres rejected now regretting……new appointments all above 50 years old what a circus….I have not heard strategic recovery of the economy

  5. “Mr Mushimba said the Government was working hard in looking for alternative measures to work round the different challenges affecting the nation economically including the current power deficiency being experienced due to the drought that has led to low water levels for hydropower production”.

    For your information Mr Mushimba, the current LOADSHEDDING CRISIS was not caused by “drought”. It was directly caused by an incompetent PF Government.

    This was done by the CANCELLATION of the Kafue Lower gorge project contract in 2011 as soon as PF came to power. Last year it was finally restarted by Lungu. FOUR YEARS LATER! The completion time is FOUR YEARS! So it would have been operational now.

    Also, in 2011 ONE WHOLE YEARS SUPPLY OF WATER was flushed out and wasted from Kariba Dam…

  6. Also, in 2011 ONE WHOLE YEARS SUPPLY OF WATER was flushed out and wasted from Kariba Dam by incompetent PF appointees with no understanding of how it works. This, more than any other factor, has caused the power deficit as it takes many YEARS to refill the dam.

    To try and hide these failures PF have been blaming “drought”! Rubbish. That is what dams are for. To store water in dry years. The problem is clueless MANAGEMENT!

  7. LOL he comments saying its speculation but cannot clarify because he is not part of the team. Then reassures Zambians its the external shocks causing of all these. Zambia is not the only country with a commodity crisis and currency issues. However whilst our counterparts have hired great minds from home and beyond to fix the issue, the PF is issuing such statements.

  8. kennedy Mwene has been on bench for too long , we need a replacement goalkeeper with Camerooun please, you remember in Angola he allowed a silly goal against cameroun that even HAKAINDE HICHILEMA would have served

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