Minister of Community Development and Social Services Emerine Kabanshi has become the first victim of the social cash transfer scandal that has hit Zambia after she was fired by President His Excellency President Edgar Lungu today.

And President Edgar Lungu has also fired Zampost Post Master General Mcpeherson Chanda over the same issue.

Nyimba Member of Parliament Olipa Phiri is now the new Minister of Community Development and Social Services.

President Lungu has since ordered for the immediate clean-up of Ministry of Community Development and social Services and Ministry of Transport and Communications particularly Zampost.

The President has since met with Heads of investigative wings, Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) and the Anti-Corruption commission to inform them of the administrative changes that he has made.

The Head of State expects the two wings to quickly constitute a speedy criminal investigation to establish whether there was criminal liability over the social cash transfer.

President Lungu has ordered the Secretary to Cabinet to ensure effective coordination among government departments.

President Lungu says he wants orderly policies and execution of pronouncements.

President Edgar Lungu has also fired Zampost Post Master General Mcpeherson Chanda over the same issue.

An audit has revealed that ZAMPOST diverted funds meant for the social-cash transfer program to purchase motor vehicles for the same project.

Zampost is said to have paid itself an advance of $4million as management fees to handle the program.

But the Audit has revealed that the funds were diverted without authority or consent especially from the cooperating partners.

The Audit also revealed that the social-cash transfer program was invaded by bogus beneficiaries in collusion with some junior civil servants.

Donors; United Kingdom, USAID, Sweden and others supporting the fund withdrew their support and threatened to freeze all donor support to government.

And President Lungu has also promoted Acting Zambia Air Force commander General David Muma to Lieutenant General and effectively appointed him as Zambia Air Force commander.

As a young person who has criticised Hakainde Hichilema and his UPND over the years on a number of wrong decisions made by himself and his party. Today I would like to welcome the retirement of Mazabuka Central Member of Parliament Garry Nkombo as WHIP of the opposition UPND. It is indeed commendable effort that the UPND has adhered to advise to recreate the bad image and perception that they are a tribal party.

The straight laced move by Hakainde Hichilema and his UPND to deliberately retire Garry Nkombo from his 7 year position as their WHIP in parliament is a politically savvy and correct move.

I have on numerous occasions advised HH and his UPND that the situation in parliament where the two important and sensitive positions in parliament were hand given to Garry Nkombo and Jack Mwimbu was insensitive to the tribal diversity within their party’s parliamentary strongholds.

Yet again, I have on countless occasions condemned the tribal insensitivity with which one HH had approached the issue of appointing two southern province Members of Parliament namely the Mazabuka Central MP and the Monze Central MP as Whip of opposition UPND and head of opposition respectively.

The UPND has recently called the PF government as one that is practising tribalism in the recruitment of civil servants and officers. I believed it was hypocritical and cheap talk to talk tribalism when infact they seemingly were avoiding the topic when it came to their parliamentary heads Jack Mwimbu and Garry Nkombo.

It is one thing to condemn perceived tribalism but its another to fight tribalism. Because we strongly believe two wrongs cannot make a right.

The fight against regional and tribal politics requires SELFLESSNESS, and GARRY NKOMBO has should be unreservedly commended for letting go for purposes of the bigger picture. We may not see what this does, but it heals the broken spirits of any of those wounded MPs from Northwestern and Western provinces.

We may not be privy to what has necessitated this move, but we chose to see the bigger picture after all. We can only hope that the appointment of Situmbeko Musokotwane is not an appeasement to the westerners for the soon coming Mangango by election after the demise of Late Naluwa Mweene MHSRIP. Again, we had hoped that the appointment to replace Garry Nkombo should have been a democratic one among their parliamentarians themselves in the interest of a simple show of intra party democracy.

The above premise is the foundational reason for a UNITED ZAMBIA that is founded on unity, fairness, and justice. A new Zambia that is devoid of ethnic, tribal, and regional inequalities. A nation that would set a higher bar of accountability for her leaders other than tribe.

Undeniably, at the hilt of tribal and regional politics, it is moves as this that must be encouraged among political players then we can as always see every Zambian as either a brother or a sister regardless of region.

When we together confront these issues, then we can discover the beauty in our diversities as a people and as a nation.

We have to try to ameliorate disadvantages and celebrate pluralism through constant engagement and without such efforts nothing will certainly ever truly change.

It is not my intention in this post to canvass support for the UPND but to stir the hearts of the Zambia youths on the issues that matter most in any given leadership context.

It is our considered view that present day Zambia as a nation needs a reawakening of the goodness in our togetherness as a nation if we can manage the core of our diversities.

Finally my appeal to the youths, is that when we delve into a new political season that affords us Zambians the opportunity to vote for our political leaders, the youth must aspire to vote and support those candidates who emphasize those issues that unite us as a nation; while voting out those candidates who do the opposite. A leader who clearly understands the united front of leadership is the leader that will make Zambia great again.

Issued By;
Prince J. Ndoyi
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Former Foreign Affairs Minister Harry Kalaba who resigned his position in January this year alleging “swelling” official corruption says the decision by western donors to cut funding to Zambia vindicates him.

On Monday, the UK’s Development Ministry said on its website that it earmarked 48m British Pounds in aid for Zambia in the 2017-2018 fiscal year.
Mr. Kalaba said the decision by Britain and other western donors to pull the plug on Zambia proves that there was a problem.

“I feel vindicated. The very first time I resigned ad when I spoke people felt that I was speaking politics,” said Kalaba who is also Bahati PF Member of Parliament.

“But now the foreign community is saying what I said when I resigned. What is sad is that the innocent souls will suffer,” he said.

Lee Habasonda, a political analyst at the University of Zambia, said the withdrawal of the funding would hurt the poor in Zambia at a time when the country is struggling to manage its debt.

“We hope that the government will take quick remedial measures to ensure that the funding is resumed,” Mr. Habasonda said.

Sweden has confirmed that it is also freezing funding to Zambia over suspected misuse of funds within Social Cash Transfer programme in Zambia.

Sweden through its development arm SIDA is freezing support along with Finland, Great Britain and Ireland.

A statement from the Swedish Foreign Ministry said Sweden supports cash transfers to the poorest and most vulnerable in Zambia through the Social Cash Transfer programme.

It said increasing evidence suggests that a cash transfer is an effective means to combating poverty.

“The poor and vulnerable get increased possibilities to make economic decisions over, for instance, minor investments in their household or towards increased productivity in their farming, buying more nutritious food or to pay for school fees. A high proportion of the beneficiaries are women,” it observed.

It added, “After strong suspicions concerning misuse of funds within the social cash transfers, SIDA and the other donors have frozen the use of funds. Problems within the programme were discovered during the spring of 2018, but not until August were there suspicions of misuse of funds.”

The Swedish Foreign Affairs Ministry noted that the Zambian Office of the Auditor General is making an investigation into the matter and that SIDA is carefully following the developments.

“There are not yet any reports on the amount suspected to have been misused. The agreement between Sweden and the Government of Zambia on support to the Social Cash Transfer programme, covers a total of 165 MSEK for the years 2016-2018. Out of these 130 MSEK has been disbursed up until now.”
It says corruption is a societal problem that hampers development and makes it more difficult to combat poverty.

“SIDA works actively to detect corruption, acts on all suspicions of corruption of misuse within our contributions and supports anti-corruption in our cooperation countries,” it says.

President Lungu has further directed Minister of Community Development Emerine Kabanshi and her Finance counterpart Margaret Mwanakatwe to continue their engagements with donors.

He has further directed them to assure donors of the remedial measures that government has been undertaking since the reported cases of misuse, earlier this year.

The President has further regretted that that the comprehensive report on the administration of the social cash transfer funds ordered four months ago, was only availed to him on September 14, 2018.

Reports indicate that a total of K43,819,164 accounts as an outstanding balance owing to beneficiaries in Luapula, Northern, North-western, Muchinga, Western and Copperbelt provinces respectively.

The Head of State has since directed that all remaining actions and remedial measures be availed to him within one week.

“I want a speedy and decisive investigation into the matter, to establish the status of the disbursement of the Social Cash Transfer programme,” the President said.

“Wherever cases of abuse requiring criminal investigations may arise, such cases must be reported to relevant agencies and where administrative action is required, I want to see prompt action taken,” he added.

President Lungu has also raised concern over the reported breach in the administering of the Social Cash Transfer, saying the perpetrators are disadvantaging the vulnerable who society who depend on this vital safety net.

And President Lungu says he is as frustrated as the donors funding the programme because the main aim of the project is to ensure that the plight of the vulnerable in society is met.

On September 5th, 2018, the Secretary to Cabinet led a government delegation to a meeting with donors, where measures being undertaken to address the problems encountered in the SCT programme were shared.

This is contained in a statement made available to ZANIS by Special Assistant to the President for Press and Public Relations Amos Chanda.