Transparency International Zambia (TIZ) has urged President Hakainde Hichilema to take immediate, visible, and decisive action against his appointees whom he has discovered to be getting influenced into corruption.
TIZ Executive Director Maurice Nyambe said that action based on evidence and against his appointees found wanting, will consolidate the head of state’s position that he will not allow corruption under his watch.
Mr. Nyambe says it is worrying to hear revelations from the head of state that a clique of criminals who are currently pursued by law enforcement agencies have now started teaching his ministers and permanent secretaries how to siphon money meant for the poor.
He has reminded the government that Zambians elected them into office partly on the basis of their promise to be different from the patriotic front regime under whom corruption was allegedly allowed and at its highest.
Mr. Nyambe added that the President and his ministers must now begin to act towards eradicating corruption beyond just saying the right things without results.
Yesterday, Opposition Patriotic Front Member of the Central Committee in Charge of Information and Publicity Raphael Nakacinda has refuted allegations made by President Hakainde Hichilema suggesting that the PF was teaching UPND Government officials to steal.
President Hichilema on Monday said the clique of criminals whom law enforcement agencies are currently pursuing have now started teaching his ministers and permanent secretaries how to siphon money meant for the poor.
The Head of State said this when he swore in the Teaching Service Commission chairperson Daphne Chimuka and Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) Director General Mary Chirwa.
But speaking after escorting PF’s Clement Tembo to file his nomination for the delayed Kabwata Parliamentary by-election, Mr. Nakacinda wondered how PF officials would teach corruption the UPND Ministers and Permanent Secretaries whom President Hichilema oriented when coming into Government.
Mr. Nakacinda further commented on the audio circulating on social media purporting that President Hichilema was destabilizing opposition political parties.
“Before I call the acting Secretary-General (Nixon Chilangwa) to invite the Vice President (Given Lubinda) allow me to speak to you about what happened, let me tell you what happened before they cancelled these elections,” he told PF supporters who came to witness the filing in of nominations.
“Yesterday a video came out in which Levy Ngoma implicated the President in something suggesting that it is him who has embarked on a crusade to destabilize opposition political parties.”
“The other day the President was alleging that PF is corrupt but it is his Ministers who are corrupt. He was alleging that some people are teaching his Ministers to be corrupt but is it not Mr. Hakainde who had an orientation workshop with his Ministers? Is it not Hakainde who taught his Ministers? The S.G here is the microphone, I am a trouble maker. Speaking in Bemba can land me in problems,” Mr. Nakacinda said using Bemba and English.
Is Hakainde and his ministers normal. How can the whole government including the head of state say PF is enticing upnd ministers to be corrupt.
I have never heard off this since I started following politics. It is shameful for the head of state to back such statements.
If it is true this is happening, he should arrest PF members and fire his ministers who are learning.
Bitterness will choke you. The Zambians decided and the train is moving since August 12. You will remain here blogging whilst inflation has moved from 23 to 19%, exchange rate to a dollar from K22 to K16, Councils raking in more revenues from bus stops and markets which were clogged with your party cadres, the journey to free education has been set in motion, cabinet and government is tribally balanced, Lean international delegations by the President. Public media heading back to professionalism. Very disciplined ministers and dedicated. The mines are happy again and will give Zambia more. Be healthy and alive to watch this space
If there are officials in the new government who are being corrupt and thieves, the President should not start blaming pf for that. Let him start cleaning his new built house because there’s no normal human being who can start couching other people how to steal when he himself has pending court issues to deal with. Mr. President if you know your people in your governmentwho are becoming dirtifying your house b4 you even complete building it why not taking necessary measures against them rather than start blaming the neighbours.
If Satan has failed to influence me to steal how can a mere human being let alone a fallen PF official succeed. No I am just corrupt by nature.
If we don’t see any members of the UPND government arrested or fired for corruption within the next week we will be on firm ground to call HH a pathological liar
This is like ascribing a certain behavior to a tribe. Manje wazionela apa. Humans are humans. You do not need an ID or party influence to behave a certain way. A criminal inside a party is a criminal outside of it. Just let loose of such — and don’t do what others have done and dither. Ba coseni baba! Sooner is the better.
Allow UPND to work as per their five year mandate, don’t destract them, the damage done by the Ubomba mwibala alya mwibala regime was to grave that UPND needs greater focus without destraction to sort out the issues, so far they are on course
This problem arises from thinking corruption only belongs to a certain party and a certain tribe. Corruption is a national problem. Once a Zambian is placed in a position of influence, regardless of party or tribe, corrupt elements will come calling and the weak will fall. We should therefore not place our hopes and trust on STRONG MEN, what we need are STRONG INDEPENDENT INSTITUTIONS that will prevent, detect and punish this scourge.
Some young man went Kuli Ba Shibukombe to complain that “My former wife is teaching my new wife prostitution”.
Naseka mu 72 tribes
Learning the craft of “shortchanging” citizens, or, already masters at it? Let’s not shield bad behaviour – expose it for what it is!
#plant a tree please!
Bushe kwena nangu tapasoswa, how is this possible?
A man walks up to you and offers to teach a full grown adult how to steal?
Implying that only PF are thieves. If upnd officials steal, as they have started doing with fertilizer, then PF is responsible.
Awe, iyi yankalako rather.
Umweice ekala ilyo anya
” Transparency International Zambia (TIZ) has urged President Hakainde Hichilema to take immediate, visible, and decisive action against his appointees whom he has discovered to be getting influenced into corruption.” This is one of the most stupid statements to be issued on the Zambian media to date. Now people are talking of some people being influenced into corruption. They are just corrupt for goodness sake. even this chap Vasco to say that his ministers are being taught to steal is very naive and arrogant. His Lieutenants are just as corrupt as he has been. They know how his boss corruptly obtained his wealthy.
This is what Zambians are waking up to. A man tells the whole nation that his ministers are just being taulght to steal. When we say this chap is very arroogant and egocentric it cannot be far from the truth. Vascos narrative is that all his ministers are angels and he is the chief Angel, laughable isn’t it?
It was uubomba mwibala, now it is sangwapo abene bebala bali mutulo