By Antonio Mwanza
There are growing levels of suspicion, lies, and misinformation about the safety and accountability of Covid-19 donations. Some individuals and publications have gone on a rampage accusing Government and innocent people of looting Covid-19 donations.
The truth, however, is that Government has put very stringent measures to ensure transparency and accountability in the receiving and disposing of all Covid-19 donations.
According to the Public Finance Management Act (2018), all donations given to the Government constitute public resources and must be accounted for accordingly.
All donations towards the Covid-19 pandemic are subject to the following statutory provisions which Government is strictly adhering to as guided by the Ministry of Finance:
- Government has opened bank accounts with 16 banks specifically for purposes of Covid-19 donations.
- All monetary donations are deposited directly into the GRZ Covid-19 Accounts. No cash is allowed; all the monetary donations are deposited in the banks, not even a single coin is given in cash to any single individual.
- Once deposited, the funds are transferred to the Bank of Zambia and are managed by the National Treasury.
- All Ministries, Provinces and Public Service Controlling Agencies are compelled by law to ensure that all Covid-19 related funds being received from the Treasury are charged on appropriate budget lines in accordance with treasury guidelines.
- All expenditure related to COVID-19 activities in Ministries, Provinces and Public Service Controlling Agencies are made by Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) to ensure transparency and strict accountability.
- All Covid-19 donations are subjected to stringent internal audit processes as prescribed by the law.
- All Ministries, Provinces and Public Service Controlling Agencies submit income and expenditure returns on all COVID-19 funds received from the Treasury by 5th of every month to the Office of the Accountant General in accordance with Section 11(1) (p) of the Public Financial Management Act, 2018.
- In the case of Aid-In-Kind, Ministries, Provinces and Public Service Controlling Agencies receive and dispose such through the procedures stipulated in the law. In view of this, Ministries, Provinces and Public Service Controlling Agencies are compelled to submit monthly returns on all Aid-In-Kind transactions to the Office of the Accountant General, Ministry of Finance.
- All recipient Ministries, Provinces and Public Service Controlling Agencies have separate records and reports on the utilisation of donations from Cooperating Partners to ensure strict and higher levels of accountability and transparency.
- All donations towards COVID-19 are strictly used for the stipulated purpose, nothing, not money or material goods are permitted to be used for any other purposes other than Covid-19 related purposes.
- The Treasury periodically submits a consolidated return of receipts and expenditure from Ministries, Provinces and Public Service Controlling Agencies to the Controller of Internal Audit and Office of the Auditor General for verification.
In conclusion, we would like to sincerely thank all those that have donated towards the fight against Covid-19. Your generosity is going a long way in alleviating the numerous and enormous challenges that the Covid-19 pandemic is posing.
We wish to encourage others to emulate the kind gestures of generosity shown this far.
To our frontline staff, we can never be thankful enough for your sacrifice and bravery in providing your invaluable service to serve others.
Finally, we would like to encourage everyone to stay at home and adhere to the preventative measures and directives as spelt by Government.
Together we shall overcome Covid-19.
One Zambia, One Nation.
When you see Sunday and Tony posting about the same subject just know that something somewhere aint right…what Tony has copied and pasted here is what is on paper…its the same as saying a Minister has no saying on Ministerial spending and payments its the PS who signs off but we know in reality its another thing and a PS who refuses to obey is threatened with transfer to Mpika.
What’s pf got to do with covid donations to the ministry of health/DMMU, when people tell you to distinguish between the party and government then simunvele and keep on mixing the two, you end up speaking for some organization you don’t even work for, let the ministry official speak on their own behalf.
Thank you very much for clarification, certain individuals are envying that money hence suspecting the custodians. Only thieves always thinks of stealing to some of us the donations are in safe hands
We concluded long ago that the PF is a Party of kleptomaniacs. They steal anything they see. When army worms attacked the Copperbelt for the first time, a truck load of pesticides was stolen from Cabinet Office at Ndola. In case you don’t know, Cabinet Office is one of the most guarded places. And in no time people who weren’t the usual agro dealers began to sell pesticides so it was easy to conclude. Tones of gold has been stolen from Kisenseli and the thieving Party has constituted a team of kleptomaniacs to go and investigate. There’s no honour among thieves, why not leave it to the Police? The suspension of their official is an admission by the PF that indeed they’re a criminal Party
Well atticurated antonio its up to these morons in the diaspora fi tarino orange to attack you.mind u kz is back.
Antonio is a party cadre who has no access to government documents. His comments are for his party. He does not know the source documents used to account for donations. He does not know prime books of such donations and the type of disposal details for such donations. It is very wrong to have a cadre to talk of donations as if he is a civil servant. Civil servants are only allowed to speak to the press by secretary of cabinet’ approval. Antonio is expressing an his political opinion
A boiling hate will consume you sir. easy.
How do you explain the Facebook posts of relatives of PF ministers flogging these donations???
Anyway, I will let KZ to come here to explain to us that live abroad.
@Aristotle you are correct, why should a party cadre usurp the power of the ministry of health spokesperson. It’s like no one knows their function in this party. If it’s not Lusambo beating people and reaffirming his ignorance by Insisting that that is with the scope of his job description , then it is these bootlickers issuing careless statements.
Excellent article which aims to defeat fake news culture we live in. Kz
As usual above we have a host of useless diasporan evil cats who will always criticize government because they lead sad lives. By the way tarino, I have always had an England flag even before I advised lusaka times to remove the flag as a way to test blogging behaviour. Lusakatimes are now trialling the flags again. As previously advised I use a VPN to connect to public sites which allocates a VPN reflecting location as England. This is for security purposes. I know this has gone over your head.
Antonio should ask himself this: What brings about the suspicions? It is lack of trust and confidence in the leadership. If this leadership has a clean record of trust and accountability there would not be suspicions of embezzlement of donor funds
People have lost trust and confidence in the system. No wonder these suspicions
IndigoTyrol – At least the threads are full of genuine contributors not impostors communicating with each other posted by one furlong UK based juvenile blogger …I mean what is so difficult to just have an alias and contribute soberly not pretend to N3z who is married to a white woman and supports UPND or Kz or Bowman….its childish. You are shamelessly spewing diatribe on the diaspora yet you are being paid to stay at home by the UK govt. Shame Shame!
Antonio, just sit down and eat quietly with your PF quacks. You are not inspiring anyone here rather yiur mental capacity is compromised. Gone are days when I used to admire your political opinions. Ever since you joined the quacks like Sunday Chanda, yiu are so irrelevant to our generation. Yiu better zip your mouth
When Sunday Worship and Tony Montana say something, I start looking for the opposite. Why should a party official tell me what a government official should tell me?
lies, and misinformation about the safety and accountability of Covid-19 donations….. THIS IS JUST ANOTHER ONE FROM A WRONG PERSON REGARDING IT ALL!!!…. Antonio now you’re aspiring for an appointment as PS, or Nominated MP and then GVT spokes person???
Indeed, what has accountability of a government department got to do with Antonio Mwanza or even Sunday picnic? Doesn’t the Minister Dr Chilufya have a spokesperson? Or himself can explain the way he ably assured the nation during today’s briefing.
Please PF know that we have no iota of trust remaining in your party. And please don’t mess up the trust that we still have in government functionaries like Dr Chilufya and Dr Ng’andu in accounting for the COVID-19 donations otherwise we lose the fight against the dangerous enemy.
By the way, PF, you alleged a serious criminal offence against your provincial party chair Kungo, what are you trying to hide by not letting police investigate the so xalled theft of gold instead you send party PF officials to mess up whatever evidence is…
….by the way, PF, you alleged a serious criminal offence against your provincial party chair Kungo, what are you trying to hide by not letting police investigate the so called theft of gold instead you send party PF officials to mess up whatever evidence is there? I thought that Kungo was doing well in NW? Is the crime that Kungo refused to allow theft, or to share or what? We know how much PF love the colour of money, regardless of the source.
Chipante-pante bakolwe imwe as usual. Since when did this vuvuzela became a grz spokesperson?
This Antonio boy is the one who for years told us about the incompetence of Edgar only to join the same Edgar, There is completely no integrity here, so please ignore his rants. These are purely bread and butter issues, the boy has to survive, Sebana wikute arrangement. FDD was a two man party Slick Antonio and Mtayachalo, and now only Mtayachalo remaining now
All these deads see is red, evil and theft. All because these individuals are so spooky, destructive and merchants of bad will.
That’s why we want to ignore them as much as possible.
Anthony has no authority and does not qualify to speak on behalf of government as he is not a government worker. He is just a party functionary therefore only limited to discuss party issues. This is the problem with these characters, always trying to overstep their boundaries.
Better-informed voters change their electoral behavior to select better performers. Open your eyes, the time is by the corner.
Lies have short legs.