THE Auditor General’s ( AG) report for the year ending December 31, 2017 has revealed that various vehicles paid for tolls at discount rate at eight stations when they did not qualify for such an incentive.
The Auditor General report indicates that the National Road Fund Agency ( NRFA ) incurred a loss of about K 1, 091, 814 during the fiscal year.
The NFRA is said to have engaged the systems providers to ensure that the systems functions according to the set parameters.
“ The application of the frequent user discount is automated and each road user is granted the discount upon qualification. The Agency has further engaged the systems providers to ensure that the systems functions according to set parameters and investigations are on-going which are expected to be concluded by January 31, 2019, “ the report states in part.
It adds that the frequent Road User Account Discounts ( FUDs) provide for a discount of 25 percent on qualifying motorist applied on the toll fee of K 20 and K 40, respectively.
The report , however, indicates that 787 vehicles did not pay normal fees at Mumbwa toll station resulting in a loss of K 54, 229 and 6,050 vehicles equally at Shimabala toll plaza did pay resulting in a loss of K 378, 855.
It further points out the 2,523 vehicles did not pay the required fees at Katuba Toll plaza, resulting into a loss of K 195, 800 and 1,416 vehicles didn’t at Manyumbi toll gate resulting in a loss of K 327, 210.
At Kafulafuta tollgate, 557 vehicles did not pay , leading to a loss of K 134, 834 while at Chongwe toll gate, a loss of K 885 was recorded from the 15 vehicles that did not pay
Yesterday Finance Minister Margarete Mwanakatwe sasid that the reported losses in the media were related to minor system configuration challenges across toll booths and toll stations in the country.
Responding to an article in local daily tabloid ,the Daily Nation Newspaper, which alluded that K 1 million has been lost at the toll gates, Mrs. Mwanakatwe says the reported losses were related to minor system configuration challenges across toll booths and toll stations in the country.
“ The matter was originally trailed through the Government’s internal audit processes and later the Office of the Auditor General in their 2017 report. It is not a new case and my Ministry will continue to monitor the situation and conduct integrity checks on the system from time to time,” the Minister said in a statement.
She said steps have been taken to ensure that correctional measures are implemented so that any system related losses are prevented now and in future. She categorically stated that Government’s tolerance level to the mishandling, abuse and loss of public funds is at zero.
Mrs Mwanakatwe however warned that her ministry will not hesitate to evoke the necessary provisions of Public Financial Management Act, 2018 Act aimed at protecting public resources and institute remedial action.
Ministry of Works and Supply Permanent Secretary Agness Musunga told that PAC on November 15, 2018 when she appeared that the Agency has instituted investigations to review the transactions on the reported losses to determine the cause and appropriate action for recovery.
If this error was caused by the automated system, how can one say the system was abused? This would imply the system was being deliberately manipulated!! It has to be one or the other. Not both!
I remember how people were scared of stealing or committing corrupt acts in Mwanawasa time. Why? Because it was clear that he had zero tolerance to the vice and he clearly demonstrated it through his actions. Today people steal public resources and engage in corruption freely. In fact they even use the name of state house and get away with it as long as state house gets a cut. The officials at state house are in the forefront if corruption. But they are shielded and protected.
Ba journeyman-Simon Miti (Mwamawasa’s personal physician!) and Kapoko stole millions right under Levy’s nose. Garden House land scandal and the numerous land corruption happened under Levy. Mwamawasa’s Anti-corruption was selective and personal-he didn’t institutionalize it. Remember it was Levy who abrogated the constitution by illegally bumping off a DPP (Mukelabai Mukelabai) and unconstitutionally gave the Nchito hyenas prosecution powers.
Correct the mistake so we don’t have to talk about this again … Let’s roll
Auditor General’s Report when there has been no fulltime AG for the last four years…as Lazy and co want to loot with impunity
The caption should have stated that the new $4.5 million Michael Chilufya Toll Plaza 8 proudly commissioned by one reckless President Lazy Lungu on Sunday, 4th November, 2017. We Zambians are truly docile just looking at that picture no way can that construction cost $1 million dollars.
There is nowhere these rats mu mpoto will never steal, stealing is their oxygen, but time will definitely come when they will be breathing in co2 in jail. Stupid *****s.
Zambians are gonna be paying fuel taxes which fund roads ,fund the RDA and then still pay separate road tolls? Feels like over taxation for same product to me.
This report is half baked as usual by this shambolic govt …no wonder there is no AG in that office some junior gunning for that office is simply signing off everything. Any modern Toll Gate has cameras and records reg plates…people not paying is not a loss, its s loss because you don’t chase up those funds in the UK airports have a specific dept that chases up these cases to recover funds…I mean how can you have a Toll Gate worth $4.5 million which is not equipped with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR).
The so called report also excludes how many of those vehicles that did not pay are public vehicles…this is utter mediocrity if I was Finance Minister I would throw this Report back for more input.
If that was the case then I don’t have a problem with that. I get concerned when these stup!d politician deep there fingers in the till like they always do.
The point is the rates are just too high for an ordinary Zambia. Just how does one give out money easily like that. We should reduce the rates so that people can pay. On the other hand why make collection of free money just too high and squadder it on useless trips across the globe. Thats like burning dollars all over the world while civil servants get peanuts at the end of the day. People shall continue abusing the system after all these monies just end up in a few individuals and maids at state house and the rest of us professionals see no reason for paying these fees.
Disaster government!!!!
The rates are just too high. It should have been K5 for local small vans and K15 for heavy vehicle.
The foreign cars K20 whilst heavy depending on tonnage minimum K250.
Its easy money for them ….Zambians are a docile people..they are charging you twice for road usage without giving you an alternative to the Toll Gate. You dont just mount a tollgate in the middle the road…to add salt to injury the revenue collected is misappropriated for other expenditure you have Local Govt minister using it to fight cholera whilst he is at the same time begging for donations without shame and where the funds are pumped back they are used on grossly inflated projects like that one in the picture and 1 million per kilometer roads.
There is no system that I know of that is fool proof. While we are busy finding systems that could be considered safe, the criminal is also busy finding ways to counter that. One may say the Mwanawasa time was better in terms of dealing with corruption but we need to equally know that the landscape has not remained the same. We have a larger population, more projects going on, more graduates on the street and so on. Of the only 12 ministers Jesus worked with, one was a crook. This is 8.3%. Imagine the same percentage of the accountants, permanent secretaries, bankers, salesmen ……… the list goes on and if we had one crook in every organization. Even the internal control officers can be corrupt so to say.
Hon. Mwanakatwe thank you for clarifying the matter, how ever this is a far more serious issue than what you have referred to as “a minor system configuration issue…” What has been described as “undercollections” is actually what employees involved put in their pockets. What was and is happening is without the motorist knowing they collect the full amount and enter at discounted, as long as the boom opens the motorist is happy and on the way and rarely check details on the ticket. What we expect Minister in addition to the corrective measures you have announced is Identification of staff involved and action to be taken, either recovery, prosecution or dismissal very important in restoring confidence of tax payers and sending the correct signal to the employees in such matters…
Muibala sangwapo
Ubomba mwibala alya mwibala banakamba kudala mabosses. Crying over small and insignificant amounts whilst they use trunks and trunks to satisfy their egos in dollars is big time hypocrisy. The system can be porous but thats not the issue. Reduce and make people pay happiy mwe mbwamw …… Oh sorry almost insulted!!!!! kikikiki!!!!!
There goes Margret the food snatcher justifying the theft already we zambians are over taxed already. more taxes means less food for our children.
The article is all over the shop and difficult to understand. So all these vehicles that did not pay the “required fees” or “normal fees”, is it because they didn’t qualify for the discount or they paid less than the discount would have allowed them to.
In Zambia we just can’t manage anything because of rampant corruption and this ‘nchekeleko’ attitude ingrained in people’s DNA. Where money is exchanged, all we see is how we would exploit the loopholes to benefit from it in addition to our legal wages or how we would exploit the system to avoid paying the full amount. It’s ridiculous.
Also you don’t let people pay money with services like this, but rather than you let them buy some sort of credit points or tickets from legitimate/reputable, authorised…
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Also you don’t let people pay money with services like this, but rather than you let them buy some sort of credit points or tickets from legitimate/reputable, authorised centres. Then let them swipe at the toll booths to automatically deduct the required money. Or have some devices that you recharge with money and machines that automatically read them and deduct the required amount.
Finally with all this money collected you would think they use it to service the roads so they are in perfect condition with no potholes. The amount of tax everywhere is just too much. Toll fees should only be in ‘Ngwees’ or fractions of Kwacha, not ZMK20. That’s just a lot of money… and are these tolls permanent or they will be removed after a period of time? It’s just cr@zy,…
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…and the annoying part if the money just end up being abused. Unbelievable!
Ba Jay Gay, what docile Zambians? Just tell us your preferred leader for Zambia, but obviously if your preference is Trib.al Hacks as we know, we Zambians say NO!!!
BATAMPAKO UBUFUFUNTUNGU. WHEN THEY HAVE DIVERTED THE FUNDS FROM THE INTENDED PROGRAMS THEY WILL PUFFER AND TAKE THAT MONEY TO CAMPAIGNS.