The Local Government Service Commission is disappointed that the removal of cadres from bus stations and markets has not resulted in increased revenue collection for councils in the country.
Commission Chairperson Ackson Sejani has told a media briefing in Lusaka that the removal of cadres from the two should have resulted in high revenue collection for the 116 councils but due to continued leakages in the revenue departments of these councils, this has not happened.
Mr. Sejani has charged that revenue collectors, cashiers and Information Technology Officers in local authorities are conniving in siphoning money collected from bus stations and markets thereby leading to revenue losses for councils.
Meanwhile, Mr. Sejani has clarified that the commission has not laid off any council officials at local government level but has instead made reshuffles in an effort to enhance service delivery to the people.
Mr. Sejani explains that the new dawn administration has identified councils as a vehicle of ensuring quality service delivery to the public hence the reshuffles that have been made at council secretary and town clerk levels among others.
WHAT DO YOU EXPECT WHEN EVERYONE HAS THERE FINGERS IN THE TILL
AND YOU NOT GOING TO STOP IT
Minister, cadres were not stealing money meant for the council but were extorting money from operators and vendors. Council revenue collectors have tickets which they use in market collection but these tickets are tabled at the coucil. It’s an old trick. I saw it at the Buchi stadium where tickets were sold out but only a little money was realized. You have to start manning the markets and stations personally otherwise you will shouting like a dog saying at the moon.
Mr. Ackson Sejani. if you cant fix the issue, then get out. Period. with all due respect though.
You were hired to fix the issue, and not to tell us money was still missing, find where its still leaking and seal the leak.
Useless government… period
This old man is not different from Kajoba. These are politicians are political dandruffs
Problem is most Councils are disorganized and are run by very corrupt fellows. It is time for the Councils themselves to look at their own faces in a mirror. Something terribly wrong with them.
COUNCILS SHOULD NOT BE SUPPORTED BY GOVERNMENT !
HOW CAN ILLTERATE PERSONS BE MADE COUNCILORS ?
THATS JUST THE BLIND LEADING THE BLIND
LETS CHANGE THE VOTING SYSTEM
So, Sejani, what are you doing. You are talking of MILLIONS of kwachas? Where has the money been going?
I paid for parking on Cairo road and got a receipt. Who knows if the council received the money. We have mobile money technology already, how can the council utilise and make that work for them. Talk to Mutati at Space Force department, he’s going to come up with a solution. We talk of how we want a high tech society yet we don’t want to use technologies we already have.
The councils have been collecting money and yet their employees were not paid.
Don’t get into leadership with a predetermined position, endeavor to get facts before you act. The removal of cadres can’t translate into increased revenue because they weren’t stealing Council money but extorting from traders and drivers. Their removal has benefited the two. It’s clear that the effigy Sejani can’t help Councils improve their revenue collections because he doesn’t understand the problem. The wholesale transfer of officers has just created an unnecessary cost. Paranoia will kill UPND
When people say Chimbwi no plan its exactly things like this. UPND thought things would just work themselves out once the loathed cadres had been removed. The Fikaisova.= mentality comes because they didnt pan while in opposition what they would do if they came into power. In Zambia you see plenty of such no plan parties. They thought it began and ended with the removal of cadres but was there a practical hands on plan for the local councils to take over and structure a tax system they could enforce? No even now it is being revealed the local councils are unprepared. They have no staff orsystem to collect things like parking tickets stalls etc.
Money won’t showup overnight……….
Let markets and bus stops get used to the new normal while you plug existing holes……………
After the republican president complains about lack of money at councils to pay their workers, is when we hear this blant starement? Is that the only way to raise funds by the councils? Even if juniors collected hefty sums of money from bus stops and markets, would seniors at civic centres and municipals pay salaries or chose to pocket?
Please overhaul the whole system because reliance on central government is unsustainable.
The Commissioner is right. What I have discovered about the Council is that their sources of revenue involves too much fieldwork such as allocating plots, collecting levies in bus stations & markets, survey of land etc. All these activities are done far from the Council Offices & its up to an individual council Officer to decide whether the payment goes back to the Council account or goes direct in to his own pockets. Today alot of plots are not fully paid at the Council but someone has already built & living in the house through the help of council Officers who collect money which should have gone to the Council. Please strengthen controls in the system and empower inspection department to include confirmation of payment & proof of ownership for every plot. Too much discretion is given…
Wanitwa mos!
Pilferage of revenues in local councils is rampant. This is a well known fact. Revenue is basically split 50/50 between collectors (assisted by their supervisors) and the council. The scourge is very difficult to control and remove because officially the receipts books and the money cashed in will tally. So how is the revenue stolen? Through duplicate unofficial receipt books. External auditors need to conduct impromptu spot checks on the collectors and these thefts will be discovered.