Zambia Republican Party (ZRP) leader Wright Musoma has challenged those senior officials who have applied for loans from the Public Service Micro-Finance-Company (PSMFC), a scheme set up to help highly indebted civil servants to obtain low-interest financing, to search their souls and do the right thing.
This follows reports that some ministers have allegedly taken advantage and are unduly benefitting from cheap government loan schemes. According to sources at the Ministry of Finance, on Thursday, a named minister obtained a K1.5 million loan from the micro finance firm meant for lowly paid civil service workers.
The source also explained that other senior officials have also applied for cheap interest loans, a development which will disadvantage the supposed real beneficiaries, the civil servants in low salary bracket.
Mr Musoma said ministers are the least expected to benefit from a scheme for lowly paid civil servants adding that it’s not fair for a group of individuals that are highly paid by taxpayers and receiving other incentives to start preying on schemes meant for poor workers.
“It baffles me that the same group of individuals the Zambian people are paying handsomely, are the ones scrambling for cheap loans meant for poorly paid civil servants,” he said.
The Public Service Micro Finance Company is wholly owned by the Government and is mandated to provide affordable loans and other innovative financial solutions to the public service workers across the country. Through the scheme, Government has also been helping low-paid civil servants, especially those in rural areas, with loans at five percent interest rate.
Shameful characters calling others criminals
Are they not entitled to it ? If they are, then there’s no need to make a mountain out of a mole hill. Unless your argument is a moral one, that they’ll borrow all the money and there will be none left for the lowly ranked civil servants or that the Ministers have an undue advantage in that they are able to easily access the money whilst it’s a challenge for the rest.
Must be a PF minister…….
Spaka you are f00lish.
SMOKE AND MIRRORS,
AND GRAVY TRAINS!
@MWAPE
GOVERNMENT FUNDS FOR LOANS ARE LIMITED AND THEY WOULD SOON BE DEPLETED IF PERSONS WHO GET A LOT OF PERKS, NOT AVAILABLE TO ORDINARY CIVIL SERVANTS, ALSO DIP THEIR HANDS IN THERE!
WHERE IS THE MORALITY IN THAT?
I’m surprised that this so-called opposition is surprised at this development. All those who venture into politics are there to benefit somehow. Even Mr Musoma is in it for something. Even those with a lot of money will want to make a lot of more money by joining politics.
There are some ministers who were at the verge of financially failing apart after being in the opposition wilderness for 23 years. If the applied after meeting the required conditions then there is no problem. In fact most of the lowly paid civil servants are already in red having over borrowed from several financial institutions. This will prevent them from pulling quick ones or being involved in corrupt activities.
@Zambia First…My point exactly … if there’s limited funding then priority should be given to “others.”
Are ministers also classified as civil servants?
If they are not, the question would be are they entitled to the scheme?
Someone please clarify
Hehehehehe scandals will never stop in this country what a shame
Put a salary cap on who can get those loans …………
Otherwise we understand that it is current PF MPs abusing the system ………
Most of these loans were used by PF ministers in the last regime……….
U THOT THEY ARE ANGELS ? INFACT THE FACT THAT THESE GUYS OVERSTAYED IN OPOSITION, THEY WILL SQUANDER MORE
These are hungry hyenas…. serious vultures
They also have to look at ability to pay. Ministers have ability to pay so they may be considered more than civil servants.
WRONG MUSOMA WHY CHAKUBABA? IF THE FINANCIAL INSTITUTION IS FREE TO GIVE THEM THE LOANS WHY CHAKUBABA? EVEN GETTING A LOAN IS BEING POLITICIZED JUST BECAUSE ONE BELONGS TO THE UPND? THESE ARE MUSOMA SOUR GRAPES!!!
I keep telling Zambians we have no leaders. We just have greedy people standing up for you to elect them for the opportunity to make money for five years. None of our politicians want to lead the nation out of its poverty. They all just want to make some money. We need a revolution not an election