Friday, March 29, 2024

How a house building frenzy inspired a generation of corrupt civil servants in Zambia

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Some of Lusaka's construction workers in Chalala, Lusaka
A house being built in Chalala

The recent report by the Auditor General office on the Accounts of the Republic of Zambia for the financial year ended 31st December 2016 has raised a lot of dust in the country and abroad to the extent of making headlines in a Chinese tabloid, namely Xinhuanews .

The report has received attention from the Vice President as well as the Minister of finance, with the consensus being that those found wanting should be made accountable. At the same time, a number of individuals have taken to social media condemning the government of increased corruption and why they should be confined to the pits of political history.

To briefly highlight the main issues, here are some figures and statements extracted from the report.

  • Misapplication of funds has increased from K28,153,997 (Approximately $2.8M) in 2015 to K162,095,699 (Approximately $16.2M) in 2016. This is an increase of 475.75%!
  • The Auditor General’s office head of public relations Ellen Muleya Chikale stated that the report which had been submitted to Parliament showed unretired imprest increased from K12,659,892(Approximately $1.2M) in 2015 to K17,559,399 (Approximately $1.7M) in 2016. This is an increase of 38.7%.
  • Unaccounted for revenue increased from K558,499 (Approximately $500,000) in 2015 to K3,700,509 (Approximately $3.7M) in 2016. This is an increase of 562.58%.
  • The report also stated that “Although unvouched expenditure seemed to have reduced from K349,306,160 (Approximately $34.9M) in 2015 to K170,559,399 (Approximately $17.5M) in 2016, it is still the highest ranking irregularity for the period under review and continues to be an area of high concern for the office. The other irregularity that is of high concern to the office is the misappropriation of funds which stands at K3,618,127 (Approximately $361,000) in 2016,”

The above figures are surely concerning if not disheartening for most Zambians, however, before we get consumed in self-pity and the usual corruption stories about the government, it’s important to look at what the numbers tell us, and why despite the number of individuals who publicly state how they hate corruption we have seen very little improvement. Misapplied funds, unretired imprest and unvouched expenditure are figures that implicitly indicate that lower and middle management individuals are also involved.

To begin with, its highly important that we demystify the persona of the government as a single human being who dwells in some unknown place driving Porsche cars, sleeping on bank notes, bathing in milk and probably surrounded by heavy security and high-tech military gear a third world country could only dream about. On numerous occasions when corruption has been reported, many individuals seem to gloss over the fact that a government is made up of hundreds of individuals who are appointed and employed contrary to the perception that an individual named ‘government’ runs all the affairs and is responsible for all the thieving.

The point of interest in this article is the finance and economics explanation of the drivers of corruption in the civil service and indeed in other employment sectors. In 1996, the Zambian government launched the national housing policy, as part of the United Nations ‘enabling shelter strategy’ of 1988. This policy had the goal of ‘providing affordable housing for all income groups. This was the pinnacle of countrywide consultations leading up to a workshop in Lusaka on the 21st and 22nd March 1995.The process was well crafted such that the UN-HABITAT awarded it the ‘scroll of honor’.

This policy came at a time when the construction sector was starting to attract attention and land was becoming a factor, unlike in the 1980’s and very early 1990’s where any household practically allocated themselves a piece of land that they cultivated and everyone respected their privacy and self-declared powers to adjudicate over what piece of land was theirs to till and build on.

It was approximately around the mid-1990’s that construction and land ownership started gaining traction as there was demand driven by high urbanization rates and low supply of houses. Retirees where no longer packing and going to the village and vacating government houses once they ceased employment. Presumably, they had to enjoy the new Zambia which all of a sudden had fresh apples, butter buns, Coca-cola all sorts of imported goods flooding the urban areas.

Coincidentally, an increased number of civil servants started building houses at approximately this period, giving birth to famous settlements such as Woodlands Chalala. A UN-Habitat estimate of 2012 put the cost of a formal low-cost construction at between $20,000- $50,000. According to the 2014 Labour Survey available from the Central Statistics Office (CSO), the average monthly earning of the highest paid government employee stood at K4,738 (Approximately $770 at an average exchange rate of ZMW 6.148 = 1USD).

Assuming that one goes on a strict program of fasting, cuts down costs, develops efficient means of walking to work and develops a next-generation thrifty attitude, and assuming this leaves three-quarters of the earnings to go towards construction, it would take at least 34 Months to complete the most basic structure. The later is a utopia scenario, the reality, however, is one where a number of individuals embark on construction at breakneck speeds with no other traceable sources of auxiliary income. It’s at this point when corruption is activated, normalized and invisible at an individual level when one is involved in the act and it’s visible when another individual is the one committing the corrupt activities.

Many individuals often underestimate the implicit cost of construction, this coupled with the social pressure to finish construction in record time and Google inspired architectural plans, often lead to financial distress. The first step to financial distress starts with an individual acquiring a loan and very soon they find out that the interest rate that needs to be paid on the loan has created an extra hole in their budget and they have to make up for that difference.

In most cases, these loans go towards consumption and non-income generating activates that don’t bear any returns to cover up the loan principal plus the interest. The logic behind a loan is very simple, if it doesn’t go towards an interest-bearing activity that generates enough money to cover the interest and principal repayments, then one has to make adjustments by cutting down on expenditure because they have already been paid for any future labor they are yet to offer, however, in many cases, individuals never cut back on expenditure while inflation worsens the problem by eroding the spending power of whatever is left.

The normal thing to do if one finds themselves in a hole is to stop digging, however, this is the time that many individuals employ sophisticated financing models and engage in clandestine activities. These activities range from having ghost companies, getting kickbacks, inflating invoices, seeking each and every opportunity to hold a workshop, sitting allowances and many other.

The interesting this is that the aggregate number of individuals involved is quite significant but because the amount gained per individual participant is not significant, the marginal utility derived per individual is little, therefore individuals feel that they hardly made a dent on the treasury coffers. This is the reason when the auditor report is released, various individuals are amazed at the figures reported annually because they feel that they only participated in one corrupt activity such as a makeshift workshop and they were paid a K200 that bought only 4 pockets of cement how did that amount to K10,000,000? “Someone else must be stealing, not me!”; is normally the thought. What many seem to forget is that the biggest employer in Zambia is the government, therefore if a total of 50,000 other individuals are running their own makeshift workshops in a financial year, the total amount of money paid out is K10,000,000 (Approximately $1m).

To understand corruption in the government it first needs to be disaggregated to the individual contributors for any sense to emerge as to why it persists. The government is run by a collective number of individuals and it’s at that level that corruption begins and multiplies. Many individuals are publicly against corruption, however, when they are secretly involved in the activity, it is not looked upon as corruption. The issue of corruption is akin to the problem of drainage in Lusaka, every rain season numerous individuals recall an imaginary persona called ‘government’ who many claim is responsible for the blocked drainage and they forget that during the year, many participated in throwing trash anywhere feasible.

The same can be said about corruption, every time the Auditor General report is released a lot of blame is directed towards ‘government’, many forget their own contribution to the corruption.

The issues discussed in this article do not mean that all those employed in the civil service are corrupt but it is unbridled amongst the populous leaving those with integrity, predisposed to corruption and its normalization. The unfortunate thing is that because of the significant number of civil servants involved in corruption and non productive activities, the general public perception of the civil service is that it is an assemblage of employees lazing around, reporting at midday for work, and delivering assigned duties with an efficiency that rivals the 17th century.

In conclusion, it should be acknowledged that the construction boom is a positive thing, and individuals should aspire to empower themselves by owning property, however, it is when the type of property one seeks to own is not commensurate with ones earnings that most of the times corruption is birthed.

By Vituli Musukuma
Financial and Economic Analyst

75 COMMENTS

    • This Government is not corrupt.

      These articles are jokes and not needed when the country is all but behind Pres Lungu.

      I don’t understand what this is trying to achieve.

      I hold a PhD

      Thanks

      BB2014,2016

    • Do Zambian companies get audited, do they also have same experience of this broad day light theft? Why are they not closed?
      In America there is government shutdown policy.
      Shutdown PF government for a year.

    • Much as I support the current government, I have a serious problem to understand why they allow this to continue. One individual can not steal any money from government. It takes a group of individuals. So what is difficult in investigating and throwing the whole team in jail?

      Even controlling officers such as Principal accountants, Council Secretaries and PSs should be fired if they demonstrate incompitence in dealing with corruption within their departments.
      It hurts and if left unchecked may lead to the downfall of the PF.

    • Is it true that Mugabe was offered $10 million lump sum payment, full salary, medical cover, security as well as protection of his private properties as part of the deal that led to his resignation. If it’s true, then Zimbabwe is doomed.
      It is the tax payers’ money that will be used to maintain the dictator’s luxurious life. This makes it clear that Mugabe’s strangle-hold to power was an economic motivation. Tax payers can’t service a dictator’s expensive life. Does this mean dictatorship is a good political practice and dictators must be rewarded? Mugabe was supposed to leave power empty handed because it’s public knowledge that he looted the country and left it totally broke.
      If Mnangagwa wants to arrest corruption, his starting point must be Mugabe. He must understand that as our…

    • This is the kind of analytical penmanship needed among the smart people of the Zambian Enterprise. The ending caveat is extremely important.

      I quote ” … it should be acknowledged that the construction boom is a positive thing, and individuals should aspire to empower themselves by owning property, however, it is when the type of property one seeks to own is not commensurate with ones earnings that most of the times corruption is birthed”

      I just love a happy ending … once more, great job Vitu!!! Impressive stuff!!! Write more of these and let’s keep moving our enterprise in the right direction. As you know, I am the last standing UNIPist of record and under my regime, we run a corrupt free Zambia.

      Zambia Is Greater Than Any Single One Of Us ~ B R Mumba, Sr.

      Proud of you…

    • The author is a dull analyst. He has NOT taken into consideration legal and eligible allowances. He has not mentioned loans and other fringe benefits like commutation of leave days. This is total misleading of the ignorant and a very st.upi.d analysis.

    • Actually embarrassing when Zambians thought PF will help improve lives of People. I think we need true leadership than these thieves.

  1. I like your illustration with reference to Lusaka drainage system. Its exactly the case, many individuals are part to the rot going on. But this does not shift the onus from gvt’s shoulders. They need to understand better how all these loose pieces would swell up and make a giant hole in the national wallet eventually as revealed by the audit. Just a couple of months ago one gvt official alluded to Singapore way of developing the country where he said HOW SHALL WE GET TO THE PROMISED LAND. I was personally thrilled by what i thought is a burning desire to transform the economy, but reading through the auditor general report i see no link between the country they want to emulate and what is obtaining in his gvt . Singapore is # 1 corruption free country in whole Asia and only second in…

  2. … in Asia- pacific. Where is the correlation? The events unfolding with regard to the abuse of public funds is a bitter thought of concern to us as a nation and to those leading us. This gvt promised to be a good one and it has tried to be just that. But in this one area of dealing with public resources the huge visible achievements might go oblivious behind the thick dark cloud of corrupt practices. Its here that people are saying take aleaf from Mugabe

  3. Certain institutions especially ZAMBIA REVENUE AUTHORITY ARE HIGHLY under pressure to collect the monies but other departments are highly wasteful.They make sure that employees work for their monies and highly monitored in terms of integrity but there is a big hole in the expenditure by other government departments.Let these monies be deducted from the people working in these ministries found wanting so that they also feel the pain because only guys at ZRA knows how it is hard to collect.The central government is trying to make sure that things go smoothly but there are individuals in ministries trying to work against and spending on what is not needed.Also departments at fault should not be funded until they liquidate the wastefulness.

  4. Yes I agree with Mushota that PF Govnt is corrupt!!
    The corrupt ones are civil servants who can serve even under UPND if HH won.Civil servants are the ones the PF Govnt should cage because they are tarnishing the image of Govnt.Parliament must come up with new rules so that culprits can be jailed and lose jobs.this way,our money will be protected!!
    SO PLEASE H.E EDGAR LUNGU UP YOUR GAME AS YOU FIGHT CORRUPTION!!PF CAN DO BETTER ON THIS ONE!!
    NJIMBU BB 2017!!

    • Lungu is a weak president and a corrupt one at that. He can’t fire anyone found wanting because he himself is a thief. what do you expect from a convicted thief. Did you expect him to fight corruption. Thats why corrupt PF id1ots pushed hard at their convention to put him at the helm at whatever cost, so that they can loot with impunity. They know he is somebody who has never known discipline in his entire life. just look at characters that surround him.The people (friends) you mix with tells a big story about your character. We are in for a very rough ride bane.

  5. Pay the civil servant what they deserve and they won’t feel the need to hold those workshops. A look at the average earnings presented in this article validates the point that we are the lowest paid civil service in the region, while the politicians get collosal amounts in salaries, sitting allowances, utility bills including talk time & fuel, security, free housing, subsidies bear etc. The servants have just learnt from their masters

    • Who forces you to work if the salary is small. Use your brain to move out and make money elsewhere. Money is easily made in farming andbusiness.
      Your family will cry if you are caught. There is no reason to justify corruption.

    • Good points. But you forget that even business and farming require capital. Take an honest look at the richest people in this country. Can we say that the majority didn’t wet their beaks with corruption at least once? The point is GRZ will always need a civil service to operate. Fair renumeration is a prerequisite for effective and efficient service delivery. To ignore this is burying one’s head in the sand

  6. Lungu is the most corrupt president ever…..we will be proven right……under lungu corruption has increased at an exponential rate with lungu directly being implicated in corruption that is why there is no fight against corruption to the extent that civil servants think corruption is part of their job description

  7. Since the corrupt elements can be difficult to identify, it is imperative that an adjustable pay structure be introduced. Under this scheme, departments where corruption is exposed in the auditor’s report, everybody in that department or ministry must take a 1.5% pay cut for six months. This way, the government will recapture some of the financial losses. I strongly believe that if this is introduced, workers will be deterred from being corrupt and additionally, they will micromanage each other to ensure that there is accountability in all operations of the entity.

    • So you are an honest civil servant working in a Department and because someone in accounts misappropriated you should all pay? Firstly there is no incentive for whistle blowing in fact you get punished for doing it by posting you far way from your family to Mwami border post !!

  8. There are many issues that has led to corruption being so rampant in this country. Remember that civil servants with their salaries and allowances can never build or buy a house neither can they afford school fees for their children etc. The banks will not give enough loans to low paid workers and the govt will not insure such loans. Corruption therefore, is the only way unfortunately they have to supplement their wellbeing. Talking about getting rid of corruption is an urban legend in Zambia. As much as there is no justification for corruption, it is deep rooted in every system in Zambia. Start dealing with the corrupt banks so they reduce their interest rates and there will be some changes, where people will start realising that getting a loan is after all better and secure.

  9. All of you putting the onus on civil servants and blaming every one else for corruption are missing the point……the blame lies squarely with lungu….if the head of state does not mind being called a corrupt theif everyday you think anyone else will mind ??

    It’s monkey see monkey do…..

    • Oh please Spaka! I respect your views but stop being so political. Corruption starts with you. Most people in Chalala built their homes way before Lungu showed up and I would like to believe that it was going on even then, its just become more rampant now. Let’s start teaching our children the importance of honesty, integrity and hard work. Then maybe..just maybe…there can be hope for a brighter tomorrow

    • Nellie

      How can we teach our children honesty and integrity when everyday at School they see lungus picture and know he is being called a corrupt theif every other day and he seems ok with that , he does not bother defending himself…..it now looks like being called a corrupt theif everyday is ok if it is ok with the president….

  10. Very interesting article. Let’s look at this in another way. I am personally a civil servant. I travelled without an imprest and claimed upon return after producing a report and claim forms (accounts form 44). Two months down the line, I was warned that I hadn’t retired the said imprest.
    Please do not condemn civil servants as corrupt . There are so many issues involved in these figures. The most critical issue is that most institutions, be it private ,parastatal as well as government are disfunctional.

  11. If government institutions are corrupt – Lungu, Opposition parties misbehaving – Lungu, Change of government in Zimbabwe – Lungu, seriously guys Zambia will never develop with such ignorance. Yes the president is head of state in Zambia however, he is not single-handedly responsible for people’s mindsets and take on corruption. We as a nation are responsible for allowing and facilitating this vice either indirectly by turning a blind eye if we are beneficiaries or directly by exposing corruption only when we want to outdo the other. Those with evidence should do so by exposing these corrupt practices through independent media outlets. If found to be proceeds of corruption, these properties should be confiscated and handed back to the state or national housing.

    • “….Yes the president is head of state in Zambia however, he is not single-handedly responsible for people’s mindsets and take on corruption…”

      Leaders are supposed to lead by example…look how lungu squashed the calls to investigate 42/42……

    • You are right work ethic is everything …..my friend these are WASTED YEARS…we are on auto pilot to 2021…these are WASTED YEARS as I am typing now I can picture Lazy Lungu packing his suits for a 7 day trip away again!!

    • What evidence do you have that states that Lungu quashed the evidence? I’m not defending corruption here but if people have credible evidence then why don’t they expose it? Unless you want the government to investigate itself? Yes, leaders should lead by example however, why are you not challenging the people made responsible for these transactions? Surely it’s easier to confront a minister or civil servant for corruption rather than just look for unsubstantiated blame on the head of state?

    • FutureZed

      Opposition MPs wanted the speaker/parliment to institute a commission of enquiry regarding 42/42 but lungu stoped that saying it is not in their jurisdiction.. .at the height of the public outrage at least lungu should have shown some willingness to investigate 42/42…….GRZ paying $1million for a $280k truck stinks of corruption or something seriously wrong with the procument and evaluation dept of GRZ and Zambians were looking at lungu to institute some enquiry.. ..

    • Iwe spaka so you’re trying to say the president has powers to stop proceedings in parliament? So what’s stopping them from making an independent inquiry outside of parliament? Why don’t these same MP’s start with the supplier so that they can tell us and the rest of the world where they suspected corruption. I really don’t know how you can be such an expert on what’s really going on on the ground in Zambia from your arm chair in the UK? Ulibe nsoni iwe ka?

    • Surly even an id io.t like you can tell that some thing is wrong when GRZ pays 1 million 42 times for a truck that costs 280k ????

  12. Cha boma attitude! That is the attitude of generally of all civil servants hence remedial action needs to be taken to reverse The trend.come 2021 we are going to change that ensuring running government departments like companies

  13. People keep singling out civil servants for corruption and yet the vice is widespread even in NGOs and the commercial sector. Just ask the retail and manufacturing industries on how much they lose through pilfering by their workers

    • We are singling out civil servants as THAT’S OUR MONEY…PAYE was increased in the last budget, you think that money falls from the sky…do you see AG office going to audit SHOPRITE and CHOPPERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

      WAKE UP FROM YOUR FOLLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    • You *****ic Jay Jay who is exiled in the diaspora, you never pay any tax here so that is not your money. If you really have an issue with things in Zambia than come home and correct them you coward akways hiding behind blogs

    • @Howard hughes, that’s ignorance. NGO money is yours donors give money to NOD to bring it to the ordinary Zambian citizen. NGO money is yours.

    • @Advisor – in your simpleton mind you think one has to be physically in Zambia to pay tax…you think investments in Zambia are exempt from tax? Anyway I neither have enough colourful crayons nor time to explain to you how tax is paid!!

  14. Indeed many of us Zambians are good @ blaming & pointing @ other peoples corruption. We hide our pay slips from our spouses because we don’t want to be transparent & end that extra marital affair. We fail to provide for our families but well known in bars for being big buyers. We live beyond our means but blame gov’t when reality hits. We steal our employers time by either doing our own things or browsing the internet all day but still want to get paid our salary in full. Employers lie about performance of companies & cheat on taxes. All this is corruption & that’s what we teach our children the future leaders. The cycle never ends. We need to all change & with God on our side nothing is impossible. God Bless Zambia

    • @The Chosen One, well said. Everyone of us is vulnerable to corruption and the more we earn the more we tend to dare compliance with fiscal regulations.

      Fact is that corruption is a universal vice, not solely a Zambian, as some would make us believe. The high profile corruption that exists in the west would make our cases look like children’s birthday parties. Unlike in Zambia, it is not only public funds that are misused in western countries, but also authority that is legally or illegally employed to enrich a few individuals or make them even more powerful worldwide.

      From cartels in the oil industry, greedy pharmacists, banks to manufacturers and suppliers of arms – there are fraudulent practices in every sector that play their role to help the rich get richer and the poor stay…

    • The issue of hiding pay slips from our spouses reminds me of a play by Joseph Kabwe (MHSRP) in his famous ‘ ifyabukaya’. In this play, Kabwe is involved in a road traffic accident and then taken to hospital and gets admitted. At the month end, his wife goes to collect his payslip from his work place and is surprised to find that he gets more money than what he has told her. Upon being questioned, he said ‘ bakashi bandi, we have a good manager, because of this accident, he has increased my salary.

  15. Yes the writer is on point about individuals contributing to the problem of corruption, but the issue is bigger than that. First the writer is trying to separate the role of the ‘government’ from corruption or at least he’s giving that impression. I think what he was trying to say is that the entire government is corrupt or that every level of government is corrupt, starting from the president to the individual toilet cleaner at a council level. That is the right way to put it, rather saying don’t blame the’government’ because government doesn’t exist, blame the individual. You are right though about loans and their affordability.

    The entire government and country are rotten. The president is corrupt; his ministers are corrupt and all the way down to the individual. There is no…

  16. continue reading…

    There is no accountability at every level.

    Corruption is a cultural phenomenon in Zambia. It is embedded into people’s DNA and fibre of life. The first thing people entrusted with a responsibility is figuring out how they will ‘steal’… and it’s not only government employees, it’s everyone in society.

  17. “Mr Chasaya says deductions of emoluments was the workable solution due to legal challenges”
    The above statement was from Public Service Commission Chairman, surely how can you fight corruption like that…if you work in ZANACO or a Private company and you misappropriate funds its a criminal investigation
    You might as well legalise stealing of public funds…the fact of the matter is that in Zambia today there is no political will, Politicians like Lazy Lungu and Felix are merely interested in soundbites…come next year the percentage of Public Funds abuse will have doubled.

  18. How can you fight corruption in the Public Service when they president himself is more interested in his next flight out of the country, no sooner has he returned from Harare at the swearing session of Emmerson, he is off tomorrow again to Kenya for another inauguration ceremony of Kenyatta, then from there he will fly over to AU summit in Senegal, back on again to see us on 1st December that’s one week away…what was he doing last week? He was in Egypt sightseeing and flying to Angola on a pointless SADC meeting.

    My friends these are wasted years for our country!!!

  19. The person that researched and wrote this has gone straight pa muthu ya nkhani. I remember how when the Kapoko scandal hit for three weeks civil servants quit driving posh cars and all the news papers were full of chalala plots and houses going for dirt cheap. The day that the housing estates are reviewed by zra, dec anti money laundering unit and acc, we will see feathers flying for real in Lusaka. That dead PS with a K4 billion house was a sign of the festering poop of a civil service.

  20. All civil servants are land lords with many plots and houses. Ma workshop fullu fullu and tap tap. Go into the records at siavonga. The national aids council is there every day of the year holding meetings about meeting for meeting planning about meetings for the next meeting. Undp have really spent money there. The airports are full of doctors going to new York and Geneva to represent Zambia. Now go to the state lodge area and check the animals that have built there. Ba fisomething are not playing around. Ma mansion na ma mansion. Civil servants are sh1t and thieves.

    • When Old Man Sata came into power he banned these workshops for almost 6 months ..but he was fighting a losing battle as civil servants started working against him. Its like Home Affairs directing ZP Traffic officers to stop Check-points when you pay them peanuts whilst you are getting allowances for sitting in Parley shouting insults …you need a culture change right from the top. Ban first class travel for ministers, reduce on personal to order cars….the lazy president needs to sit down!!!

  21. Go check the meanwood areas and see ba kabolala spending money like beans at a boarding school. There are houses there that will give you three continuous org@$ms. Fückers have built as if the money is from their åssholes. Now civil servants don’t even want to see us animals at their offices. We go there to pay rentals in cash. The chaps have their kids at K30 pin private schools and we are left with a big fùck you as Zambians.

  22. We can name names and share pictures. I wish that someone would do a Zambian wikileaks . just get the land records and motor vehicle records and company registration records along with who the fúck is who’s wife daughter sister f?ck mate and stuff like that. If we exposed these møtherf?ckers and showed them for animals they are then building would stop and fúckers would actually do some work.

    • Please do name names and post pictures, Zambia is a democratic country. This is what people should strive to do, not ku kumbwa kumbwa na ku lumba lumba all the time.

  23. Tiulule. The only irresponsible government which neglects retirees despite stealing huge sums of money from procurement for fire tenders ati $1m each. Lungu you are a disappointment of a president indeed! 2021 is coming we shall see who will support you. You are surrounded by a gang of thieves, hence you have become the most dangerous thief of a president which has neglected citizens of Zambia. Even those who supported you have joined the southern province people of getting rid of you in 2021. Honestly speaking only those fools you steal with around you will vote for you because even a preschool Zambian child knows how heartless you are. For your information Zambia is not Uganda or Congo, the exit door in 2021 is waiting for you.

  24. We know about corruption involving politicians or ministers but the writer is telling us to look at the biggest elephant in the room as far as corruption is concerned i.e. CIVIL SERVANTS. Ladies and gentle those of us who have interacted with civil servants who are building mansions far much expensive than their earnings, can say the biggest corruption we have in this country is among civil servants. They buy bond paper sometimes at more than 300% of retail price. Remember Henry Kapoko and that PS at ministry of healthy, is it Bulaya.
    The most corrupt procurement officers are civil servants. You refuse to inflate prices so that they can come and collect the difference after paying you or you don’t give them kick backs, then they can’t buy from you.

  25. The Auditor-General should just stop publishing its reports because they don’t translate into anything. Even
    the Public Accounts Committee at Parliament is just a talking shop. For as long as nothing tangible comes out of these audit reports, civil servants will continue misappropriating public funds.

  26. We need more investigative journalists.. Show and name..do an anonymous article to show how this guy is getting X yet has a house worth X^6..You can flip the equation however you want, add workshops, commutations and government microfin or combon chilimba..it just doesnt add up! Bakuba banyama no play!

  27. MY PRESIDENT IS NOT INCHARGE AND THAT IS THE PROBLEM, U GET *****S LIKE FORMER PRESIDENT RUPIA KABWALALA BANDA STILL OPERATING AS A DEFAULT PRESIDENT, LUNGU NEED TO BE INCONTROL AND INCHARGE AND PUT HIS HOUSE IN ORDER, THESE FIMA MINISTERS ARE JUST STEALING

  28. I didn’t know that HaJayJay has fallen in love with me! I am afraid since I am from Eastern Province you might be mistreating me! Zwa!

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