shocked to find the district administration in Chama deserted by 12:00 hours.
Ms Sikaneta, who is in the area on a familiarization tour of youth activities under her ministry, arrived at the District Commissioner’s Office but there was no one to receive her.
The tentative programme for the PS was put at 14:00 hours in the afternoon but Ms Sikaneta, who arrived at 12:00 hours, was only received by an unidentified officer from the office of the president.
The PS went to pay a courtesy call on area DC, Peter Nyirenda who was not around at the office.
The officer explained to the visiting PS and said the DC, Peter Nyirenda was committed to some other duty while the District Administrative Officer (DAO), Geoffrey Chirwa, had gone home to have an early lunch before the visiting Sports PS arrived.[quote]
Ms Sikaneta wondered how government hours could be wasted in that manner when civil servants are supposed to remain committed to duty.
“I am very disappointed with the Chama District Administration. I am a senior government official who is supposed to be given maximum courtesy and respect but there is no one to receive me. Instead, these civil servants have deserted the office to pursue their personnel errands on pretext that there have gone for lunch. They knew of my coming in Chama and they decided to stay away,” Ms Sikaneta lamented.
Soon afterwards, the PS proceeded to inspect Chama Youth Resource Training Centre (YRTCs) that is near completion in the district.
At this point the DAO, Mr Chirwa, accompanied by his team ,the Council sercretary Newtone Nyirenda and other district government heads of departments, apologized to the PS, saying she was being awaited at 14:00 hours and not 12:00 hours.
Ms Sikaneta expressed happiness that Chama youths would soon start benefit from government programmes.
She said government is committed to implementing programmes for the young people not only in Eastern Province but the country as a whole through the establishment of Youth Resource Training Centres.
She said her ministry, that is mandated to rehabilitate and improve the welfare of youths, is working closely with donors, including UNPFA and UNCIEF, in ensuring that young people fully benefit from government programmes.
The PS was accompanied to Eastern Province by two directors, Collins Mulonda, who is in-charge of Youth department, and John Zulu who is in-charge of Child development.
Others included Eastern Province Youth Development Co-ordinator, David Musonda, and officials from the province under Ministry of Sport, Youth and Child Development.
ZANIS
Mmm, respect is such a big thing pa zed ka.
Ok, she has reason to castigate the chaps but i think respect for her shouldnt be the main focus here. Rather, people should respect their jobs and not waste precious time doing personal business and expect a free salary at the monthend. This is just disgusting.
However, at the risk of contradicting myself, i somehow inwardly think you cant completely blame these people coz looking at their salaries one might see why they have to do personal errands in order to survive. who is to blame? The same so-called seniour gov officials, i think!!!
“I am a senior government official who is supposed to be given maximum courtesy and respect ”
Ukuyumfwa….atase!
The PS is right to be disappointed and annoyed. How do the civil servants leave without receiving a senior govt official.
It is a good thing they realized what they did and apologized.
On the other hand, It is good that we are developing sports for the youth. This will surely get them out of taking part in questionable activities like underage drinking.
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Yes I changed my username again. Sue me!!! (Former Free-Market-Economist, Free-Market-Capitalist, Crazy_Zambian)
Shows the shallowness of some people. How can you force people to respect you?
Even if the DC were to be in his office there is absolutely nothing he would be doing. There is no job description for DCs. These are political jobs for psychophants. The DCs dont add anything to the development of Zambia. They are just another cost center!
If your programs elsewhere didn’t work and you arrive 2 hours earlier is not the fault of theses guys afterall at times you even arrive 2 hours later and you don’t appologise like you made them do for you early coming. Shame on you . Ifimishishi
Keeping time is important. The programme said she would arrive at 14 hours and she arrived earlier. So she paid for being early which is not usually the case in Zambia.
Their salaries are thin and yours is fat. That is the reason they have gone for personal errands.
They have no confidence in Govt any more.
GRZ serously need to come up with a plan to make these people work. Maybe intruduce clocking card. I have got an aunt who visits me for a week without putting in leave at work and she says nobody notice or cares. The problem is that even senior officials wouldnt want introduced because they themselves dont do any work
She is the one who is suppose to respect time. If the DC and other officials arrived after 1400hrs, then she could have had the right to complain, otherwise, there is nothing to complain about. And for her own infor, respect is earned and not demanded!
So did you expect them not to go for lunch because of you? Susan?
To all of you ghuys on LT, i’m a seniour bloger so you should all RESPECT me lol
Ba LT…Ati Susan Sikaneta in blue….Duh?…..No one else in the above pic looks like a Sikaneta, Let alone a Susan…
ONLY the chinese welcomed her because VJ and other brought some Chinese in their briefcases back home from Chine
This whole story just shows the poor working culture amongst Zambian civil servants. How can the economy of a country improve with such an attitude?
This culture of making people stop work or on weekends go to the office just so as to receive an “important” visitor at a whims notice is not on.I remember some years ago I went to see my mother and after a few minutes when we reached home from the airport,she got a call to quickly go to the office because the then first lady had decided she wanted to visit. In this case” her honorable the P.S” arrived 2 hours early!
oh Sikaneta is like that. In Livingstone she bought a house and when she went there people delayed to open the gate for just few minutes and when the lady came to open she just said DON’T YOU KNOW I BOUGHT THIS HOUSE YOU ARE EVEN DELAYING TO OPEN THE GATE.
No Susan! the civil servants should be there always to work not to give courtesy and respect.You also remind yourselves to keep time
The driver was tooooooo fast guys and arrived 2 hours earlier.
A little bit of modesty would have been nice. It sounds like the tired ‘do you know who I am?’ used by celebrities in the west. Some people think is equally rude to arrive to early as it is to arrive late.
This woman is the pompous type and her attitude is an old, old UNIP culture. Remember those days, whenever KK addressed rallies everything came to a standstill, businesses were closed and people physically forced to attend. The same thing happened when KK was leaving or arriving at the airport, schools, markets, shops were closed and people made to lineup streets to meet him. Sikaneta is still burried in that culture, what a shame!
Yaba, this woman is urgly, if you nail horns on that head, is this not a grazing cow we are talking about here? The nose, awe sure, it is a hooked one.
No 22, stick to the topic not the looks. You know its very far driving to Chama, she may have wanted to meet people that knew about her visit. On the other hand yes, you dont threaten people of who you are in this era indeed.. Time keeping auntie sue next time.
According to the CSO, time-related under-employment is about 85% (check the Labour Force 2007 report). What this means is that, we generally go to the office, hang our jackets in the offices and disappear for personal errands 85% of the time. This has a large bearing on the country’s productivity. I bet y’all didnt know this statistic because, frankly, no one pays any attention to the statistics, especially the policy makers, and it is equally never highlighted by the CSO – that’s why we are so Third World!
LT STOP USING OLD PHOTOS LIKE THIS ONE ABOVE.. YOU SHOWED US THIS PICTURE WHEN SUSAN WAS INSPECTING INDEPENDENCE STADIUM AND YOU USE THIS SAME PHOTO FOR CHAMA OUTING, WHY? < THATS IRRELEVANT AND IRRESPONSIBLE. PLSE USE UP TO DATE PHOTOS.. OR TEXT ONLY WITHOUT PHOTO(S)
I am also wondering why the chinese are hanging around Susan in Chama? do they work for the govt?