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Green Buffaloes have credited their 4-0 humiliation of defending FAZ Super Division champions Zanaco at Sunset Stadium in Lusaka to the good old fashion way.
New Buffaloes coach Patrick Phiri couldn’t believe his luck with news that Zanaco would be without both of their first and second choice Racha Kola and Allan Chibwe due to illness leaving their hosts with two inexperienced goalkeepers that saw one with the jitters sent-off with just barely 30 played into the first half.
The defeat was a big blow for Zanaco coach Keagan Mumba whose team had come into the game with an extra spring in their step just 72 hours after witnessing his players rally to thump struggling Forest Rangers 3-1 at the same venue.
“We planned against them when they played against Forest so obviously in two days they could not change their tactics,” Phiri said.
“We knew they were going to play that way and they fell into that trap and we had them.
“It is good that we managed to watch them and saw their strengths and weaknesses and we capitalized on them.”
Phiri admitted that the luck of the draw played a big part breaking their own record away at Zanaco whom they thumped 3-1 at the same venue back in 2011.
“Maybe if we had not seen them it would have been a different story,” Phiri said.
Fit-again striker Lineker Mwiikisa is excited to have contributed a goal in Green Buffaloes’ 4-0 win over champions Zanaco in a FAZ Super Division match on Sunday.
Mwiikisa was making his full debut since recovering from an ankle injury he sustained in the off-season in February.
“I am happy to have scored because it was only my second game of the season since I was injured,” Mwiikisa said.
“Now, I am slowly reaching my level and it’s because of the extra training coach Patrick Phiri gave me,” he said.
Mwiikisa described the emphatic win as a great victory.
“It was a great victory. It is not easy to beat a team that just won the league with that margin.
“We shall continue working hard as a team and make our sponsors and fans proud,” he added.
Chipili Mungule grabbed a brace and Kennedy Chola converted a penalty to help Buffaloes move into fifth place with nine points in five matches.
Transaparency International Zambia (TIZ) has demanded that Zambia Railways Limited (ZRL) Managing Director Prof. Clive Chirwa should step steps aside in order to allow investigations to remain objective and independent. In a statement released to the media and signed by Chapter President Lee Habasonda, TIZ said that it will not be fair that Pro Chirwa continues in office when he is at the centre of the allegations of impropriety raised by the dissolved Board.
TIZ also said that Republican President. President Sata should in part, shoulder the blame for the mess obtaining at Zambia Railways.
Below is the full statement
Monday, 22nd April, 2013
For Immediate Release
News Article
DEVELOPMENTS AT ZAMBIA RAILWAYS LIMITED
Transparency International Zambia has received the news of the happenings at Zambia Railways with utter disgust. The accusations against the Managing Director Prof. Clive Chirwa and his counter accusations against the dissolved Board are unacceptable.
These accusations and counter accusations bear the hallmark of a breakdown in corporate governance and a sad focus on personal benefits rather than public interest.
TIZ is on record having condemned the abuse of authority and resources during the period of the concession run by the Railway Systems of Zambia. It seems that this trend of using public assets for personal aggrandisement continues unabated.
TIZ demands a full investigation of all allegations of corruption including abuse of authority, conducted and complemented with a forensic audit whose results should be made public.
In order to ensure that these investigations remain objective and independent, we demand that Prof. Clive Chirwa steps aside for the duration of the investigation. It will not be fair that he continues in office when he is at the centre of the allegations of impropriety raised by the dissolved Board.
President Sata as the appointing authority should act expeditiously on this matter and restore confidence in the programme of revamping Zambia Railways Ltd. It is also important that President Sata learns lessons from this episode, namely that appointments of Chief Executives of Parastatals should not be done through State House but should be left to the respective Boards of Directors.
It is evident in the case of Prof Clive Chirwa that he feels that he is only answerable to the appointing authority who in this case is not the Board but the Republican President. President Sata should in part, shoulder the blame for the mess obtaining at Zambia Railways.
TIZ wishes to emphasise that the $120million Eurobond, which is earmarked for ZRL, stands at a risk if the accusations either way are proved right. This is because the $120million is not a grant but a loan which will undoubtedly be recovered from all citizens and residents in Zambia who pay tax.
These funds should therefore not be subjected to risky investments and unsustainable lavish spending- these funds should be employed in reviving the railway systems. We deplore what seems to be a calculated move of turning Zambia Railways Limited into a cash cow serving the interests of a few people.
It is preposterous for Prof. Chirwa can demand for such a colossal amount of salary as KR248 000 a month in a country where others live on approximately one dollar per day.
We also find it outrageous that the Board had 28 board meetings from January to March in 2013 spending over KR400 000 which is an allocation for Board meetings for one year. It is clear that in the final analysis it is the poor people who will bear the brunt of such wanton greed and disregard for good corporate governance. We challenge other public sector Boards to exercise their fiduciary responsibilities with the utmost care and ensure prudence in the utilisation of public funds.
Just 48 hours after making a two-minute cameo for Southampton for the first time in 2013, Zambia striker Emmanuel Mayuka could be heading for the door at the end of the season.
According to mirrior.co.uk, Mayuka is one of 15 players Southampton coach Mauricio Pochettino plans to offload at the end of this season .
Mayuka has failed to spark in England since his highly-publised Euro 4 million move from Swiss club Young Boys last August.
The 22-year-old striker has played only eight times for Southampton and has yet to score for the English club.
Mayuka last Saturday made a rare appearance on the pitch when he came on in the last two minutes of Southampton’s 0-0 away draw at Swansea.
The strikers’ appearance was his first Premiership action since December.
File : Passengers on their way to board the Kenya Airways plane at Lusaka international airport.
Kenyan Airways has announced plans to launch a new flight to Zambia’s tourist capital Livingstone in June this year.
The new flight, which will be the third in the country and the airline’s sixtieth destination, is scheduled to commence operations on June 7th and will operate three times weekly via Harare International Airport in Zimbabwe.
Kenyan Airways Country Manager for Zambia and Malawi Stephen Ngamau confirmed the development at a media briefing in Lusaka today.
Mr. Ngamau said as a leading airline in Africa, Kenyan Airways was continually working on expanding its business footprint in the continent in order to encourage sustainable development.
He said this was why the airline was continually opening up new routes to unlock this development adding that the new destination was part of the airline’s move to boost its footprint in the southern African region.
Mr. Ngamau said the new route will mainly target tourists going to view the scenic Victoria Falls in Livingstone.
He further disclosed that Kenyan Airways will kick off its operations to Livingstone under flight code KQ 780 departing from Nairobi at 12:35 hours, 15:35 hours and 17:40 hours respectively.
He said the flights will be on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
And Zambia Tourism Board (ZTB) Managing Director Felix Chaila said the intended launch of the new flight was bound to promote intra-regional packaging of tourism products and services in the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) region which extends to the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
Mr. Chaila said the commencement of the direct flight to Livingstone will add another dimension to the tourism industry in the city and the rest of the country.
He noted that the flight will enhance tourism circuits within Africa’s southern and eastern regions adding that this will greatly enhance Livingstone as a competitive tourist destination.
Kenyan Airways currently flies to two destinations in the country and these are Lusaka and Ndola.
Lusaka Chief Resident Magistrate Joshua Banda has today thrown out an application in which former Republican president Rupiah Banda had sought to have his abuse of office case referred to the High Court citing constitutional issues.
The former president’s defence lawyers had argued that their client’s case in which he is accused of procuring oil from a named Nigeria company, using his office for benefit of his personal interest, raised constitutional issues that needed to be clarified in the High court.
Delivering ruling on the application this morning, Magistrate Banda ruled that there were no constitutional issues in the matter to warrant referring the case to the High court.
After the ruling the former president’s lawyers sought an adjournment to allow their client adequate time to digest ruling and determine the next course of action.
Defence lawyer Sakwiba Sikota pleaded with the court to adjourn the matter stating that the constitution provides that the accused be given adequate time to digest the ruling.
This is what Mr Sikota had to say in an interview later after the adjournment.
Earlier in court another defence lawyer Patrick Mvunga argued that the charge against their client needed reasonable time to digest the ruling.
But Director of Public Prosecutions Mutembo Nchito submitted that the matter proceeds without further delay as it had been delayed for too long.
Magistrate Banda has since adjourned the matter to this afternoon for plea and setting of the trial dates.
Mr. Banda is accused of stealing about $11 million through an oil contract with the Nigerian government and having the money routed to his son’s account.
He is also accused of using some of those funds for his failed re-election bid.
Mr. Banda is represented by his lawyers, Sakwiba Sikota of Central Chambers, Prof Patrick Mvunga of Mvunga and Company, Erick Silwamba of Silwamba and company and Irene Kunda of George Kunda and Company.
Zambia Railways Managing Director Prof. Clive Chirwa says there is nothing irregular about his salary demands and other hefty allowances.
Prof. Chirwa said the K140 million salary per month and the K38 million rentals on his upmarket villa at Fallsway Apartment is nothing for a Chief Executive Officer of his stature.
“This is nothing, infact there are some many people staying there (Fallsway Villas), even Ministers, Permanent Secretaries, NGO leaders, they are all there,” Prof. Chirwa said.
He revealed that it was government that offered to take him to Fallsway Apartment when he was recalled from the UK.
“I didn’t take myself there. It was government that looked for that apartment for me and the board was asking for tenancy agreement but there is no tenancy agreement because the place is like a lodge, you pay per night,” Prof. Chirwa said.
[pullquote]“This is nothing, infact there are some many people staying there (Fallsway Villas), even Ministers, Permanent Secretaries, NGO leaders, they are all there,” Prof. Chirwa said.[/pullquote]
He was speaking on Sunday Interview television programme on ZNBC after a dramatic day which saw the board dissolved shortly after it issued a statement accusing him of gross mismanagement and making “obscene” executive demands.
But Prof. Chirwa said the demands he made to the board were part of the negotiating tool that his lawyers drafted for him before taking up the appointment.
“Those were my demands as advised by my lawyers because when I was offered the job, I had to go and consult my lawyers and that was basically my negotiating tool which the lawyers came up with.”
On demands to be offered 25 percent of ZRL after serving five years as CEO, Prof Chirwa said he believes he is entitled to a share option in the company as a Zambian.
“There is nothing irregular because in the turnaround plan for the company, we want to offer shares to the public through the stock exchange and I believe as CEO I should be offered a certain percentage to buy.”
He revealed that he differed with the dissolved board after it started demanding to be paid huge sitting allowances.
“We differed because they started pressurizing the Finance Director for allowances for merely seeing the Minister for five minutes. They had 25 board meeting in three months. That’s madness. I refused to have the Director of Finance release payments for those meetings because some of them were not even minuted,” he said.
[pullquote]“Am ready to fly back to the UK if am pushed. I came here to help and am not demanding a lot, if anything I’m the one losing much by being in Zambia.”[/pullquote]
He said the executive pay demands are not irregular because he was making two million pounds per year before he came to Zambia to take up the position of CEO of Zambia Railways.
“Am ready to fly back to the UK if am pushed. I came here to help and am not demanding a lot, if anything I’m the one losing much by being in Zambia.”
Prof. Chirwa dismissed allegations that he had refused to move to Kabwe saying the house is not yet ready. He explained that he was not the only one staying at Fallsway saying there were Ministers, Permanent Secretaries and other CEO.
On allegations that he tried to engage Clavel Incorporated, the firm he owns with his wife and two children to train ZRL engineers, Prof. Chirwa said the matter was closed after the board objected citing procurement rules.
“I dropped those demands after they said no. It’s not an issue anymore but what i wanted for Clavel to come and train the workers here because of IPR (Intellectual Property Rights) issues and that’s not corruption,” he said.
PF Southern Province Political Secretary Brian Hapunda
Patriotic Front (PF) Southern Province Political Secretary Brian Hapunda has rubbished claims by some online publications that he fired gun shots at a nightclub in Livingstone at the weekend.
But Southern Province Commissioner of Police Charity Katanga confirmed that the police in Livingstone had received a complaint of firing gun shots allegedly by Mr Hapunda and that the provincial PF police secretary would be questioned soon.
Mr Hapunda said contrary to the claims, he was in Choma throughout the whole weekend to meet party officials and prepare for President Michael Sata’s visit to the Provincial Capital and chief Chikanta’s area on Wednesday.
Speaking in an interview from Choma yesterday, Mr Hapunda said he was a responsible married man who had no time of patrionising night clubs.
He claimed that the allegations published on the Zambian Watchdog yesterday could have come from some United Party for National Development (UPND) officials who were always bent on tarnishing his image.
“We all know that UPND has not fully recovered from their recent loss of the Livingstone Parliamentary Seat to PF and hence they are coming up with all sorts of accusations to tarnish my image.
In the first place, I came here in Choma last week and I am still here so how can fire guns in Livingstone the same day that I am in Choma? Secondly, I don’t need to move with guns in Southern Province because I am a free person,” Mr Hapunda said.
When contact for a comment yesterday, Mrs Katanga said the police received a complaint on Saturday from a Livingstone Richard Sakala over the firing of gun shots at East point Discoteque and Mr Hapunda would be questioned over the matter.
Yesterday, the Zambian Watchdog published a letter yesterday quoting an anonymous person who claimed to have witnessed the firing of gun shots outside Livingstone’s East point Discoteque by Mr Hapunda.
The source claimed that scores of Livingstone locals and taxi drivers witnessed the act and that what was sad about it was that Mr Hapunda was doing it in full view of everyone at East point Discoteque.
File:Copperbelt University students listening to speeches by union leaders
Copperbelt University Management has accused some students of taking advantage of others without accommodation by charging them exorbitantly for squatting.
The institution’s Registrar Allan Ilunga said this is illegal and must be stopped immediately to protect the vulnerable students.
He said the university would endeavor to continue on its mandate of providing excellent education in a safe and healthy environment conducive for both students and those who support them.
Mr Ilunga said the institution was aware that some students have taken advantage of others without accommodation by charging them higher prices for squatting.
“CBU like any other institution has limited bed space and can only accommodate numbers equal to what is available and this should not compromise healthy issues or allow students to exploit their colleagues,” he said.
He said the University had on short term basis engaged private property owners in the surrounding areas to provide alternative accommodation to students who were not accommodated at the institution.
Mr Ilunga said CBU, like any other educational institution, had rules and regulations that govern its operations and that the student’s information handbook does not allow students to have extra people living in their rooms.
He said the institution was simply enforcing the already existing rules on accommodation and had the responsibility of providing a conducive environment at campus.
Mr Ilunga said CBU does not want to expose students to communicable diseases hence the decision to ban squatting.
Last week Copperbelt Students Union (COBUSU) president Oscar Mbewe said it was unreasonable for CBU management to bar squatting when the enrollment scale at the institution had kept on increasing.
Mr Mbewe said the institution had a population of about 13, 000 students against 2,000 bed spaces which meant that 11, 000 students have no accommodation.
Meanwhile, Mr Ilunga said management was working at addressing the accommodation challenges and would create an addition of 10 000 bed spaces by the year 2016.
Mr Ilunga said in a statement in Kitwe yesterday that the institution was working towards addressing the accommodation problems through partnering with the Government in constructing hostels through the Public Private Partnership (PPP) to provide enough bed spaces to students.
Justice Minister Wynter Kabimba has called on Zambians to unanimously reject and denounce people and some institutions championing homosexuality.
Mr Kabimba advised Zambians to be wary and report to law enforcement agencies some people working to ‘import’ and sponsor the homosexuality practices in Zambia
Speaking in Lusaka on Saturday evening at Pamodzi Hotel during a colourful fundraising dinner organised by the Patriotic Front Lusaka District, he said Zambians should discard homosexuality at all costs.
“As Zambians, we declared that we are a Christian nation and there is no way we can allow this un-Zambian culture. I want to urge all Zambians to rise and denounce this vice.
“Why should someone or institutions want to import this homosexuality and try to influence others to practice it? We can’t allow it, I am calling on all citizens to stand firm and reject it,” Mr Kabimba said.
He said Zambians should not be influenced to fall prey to homosexual practices because of some international organisations which had pumped in colossal sums of money to sponsor the vice.
He said citizens should be cautious of some people receiving finances from external institutions and pumping it in Zambia in a bid to massively influence innocent citizens on homosexuality recruitment drive.
Meanwhile, Mr Kabimba who is PF Secretary General said the ruling party would not be tempted to extort any finance from Government because it wanted to be self-reliant.
He said the party wanted to be autonomous and self-reliant and that it would stand on its fundamental pillars of being transparent by not abusing any Government funds.
“PF as a party, will not deep its hands into Government resources. This why even when I am going for party functions, I don’t carry any Government imprest, or use my official GRZ vehicle. We want our party to be independent of Government resources,” he said.
He said fundraising functions for PF were vital in raising funds from its many friends unlike some former party regimes who allegedly abused Government resources to sponsor party functions.
Mr Kabimba said President Sata was a ‘hero’ of the PF because he had managed to move the party to higher heights adding that PF was a party for all..
“PF was not formed to make some people get fatter in their offices. This is why President Sata is in a hurry to carry out various developmental projects countrywide to improve people’s welfare,” he said.
He said the ruling party had learnt lessons from former party administrations and warned civil servants against continuous frustrating of Government’s developmental agenda.
He said civil servants who did not always want to see Mr Sata’s official portrait as Head of State in their offices, should relinquish their positions because the Head of State was on course to reconstruct Zambia.
Earlier, fundraising committee chairperson Charles Chimumbwa said the PF was started from a humble background and the fundraising events would be on-going to raise finances for its operations.
PF Lusaka District chairperson Goodson Banda said the fundraising venture was meant to help in procurement of transport to assist in reorganising and recruiting more party members.
Among many people and companies that pledged towards the cause included Mr Kabimba with KR5000, Local Government Minister Emerine Kabanshi KR3000, Lusaka City Deputy Mayor Mulenga Sata KR 5000, a Mr Lombe Bwalya KR20, 000 and Avic International limited KR5000.
FORMER Zambia Railways Limited board vice chairperson Professor Oliver Saasa (right) flanked by Chairperson Mark Chona (middle) and board member Geoffrey Mulenga addresses journalists
The dissolved Zambia Railways board has described governments to dismiss it as a relief.
Earlier yesterday, Transport Minister Chris Yaluma held a news briefing at his house at which he announced the dissolution of the Zambia Railways board with immediate effect.
Outgoing Board Vice Chairman Professor Oliver Saasa said the board members are happy to see the board dissolved because of the many problems they faced.
Professor Saasa said it is such a relief to leave the Zambia Railways board as it will give him and other board members time to concentrate on their private engagements.
He said working with Zambia Railways Managing Director Clive Chirwa was difficult as he continued undermining the authority of the board.
“We are so happy that this decision has been taken but we are even more resolved to see to it that investigative arms of government move in and investigate the corruption which is rife at Zambia Railways,” Professor Saasa said.
Professor Saasa was speaking in Lusaka yesterday afternoon when some board members held a news conference to clarify some issues surrounding corruption allegations at the railway firm.
“For us, it became apparent that Professor Chirwa was undermining our authority and we sought the intervention of the Transport Minister who assured us that we will see to it that Professor Chirwa is fired but only to hear today that we have been dismissed.”
“The man wanted to listen to no one, imagine you as the employer and your employee dictating terms to you. It’s like a tail waggling the dog,” Professor Saasa said.
He said, “Professor Chirwa’s demands were extravagant and as the board we had to put a stop to this in order to protect public funds.”
[pullquote]“For us, it became apparent that Professor Chirwa was undermining our authority and we sought the intervention of the Transport Minister who assured us that we will see to it that Professor Chirwa is fired but only to hear today that we have been dismissed.”[/pullquote]
And Mark Chona who was until now Board Chairman of the Zambia Railways Board said Professor Chirwa must be fired it the public resources are to be safeguarded.
“With Clive Chirwa at the helm, we are sorry Zambia Railways is not going anywhere.”
Mr. Chona said accused Prof Chirwa of gross management adding that he tried to undermine the authority of the board on several occasions.
He said the board rejected Prof Chirwa’s attempts to move the corporate head office from Kabwe to Lusaka.
Mr. Chona further revealed that the board objected to his continued stay at the K 72 million per month rental Fallsway apartments which it describes as obscene.
“The man made obscene demands from a company which is insolvent,” Mr. Chona said.
Mr. Chona also revealed that Prof Chirwa is receiving K140 million as monthly salary after the board negotiated downwards from the K 248 million per month he initially demanded.
Zambia Railways has been embroiled in a scandal over the past few weeks which saw accusations and counter accusations between Prof Chirwa and the board bordering on corruption and gross mismanagement.
Zesco United captain Jacob Banda has hailed club striker Enoch Sakala who has retired due to a length injury.
Club secretary Justin Mumba recently announced Sakala’s retirement and revealed that Zesco has handed him the Under-14 coaching role.
Banda described Sakala as a great player.
“Enoch was a great player, he contributed a lot to this team,” he said.
Sakala was Zesco’s stop scorer during the 2009 CAF Champions League campaign with six goals and helped the Ndola side to reach the group stages of the competition.
” We are missing him very much. He did his part and now he has retired because he can’t force himself to play because of injury.” Banda added.
The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has maintained that it depends on each district’s database of trained personnel when recruiting polling officials for elections.
Speaking to ZANIS in an interview today, ECZ Public Relations Manager Chris Akufuna stated that the commission has people in every district who are trained to be polling officials.
Mr Akufuna added that the information about the trained polling officials is contained in the respective district databases.
Mr. Akufuna was responding to a statement by the Foundation for Democratic Process (FODEP) in which it disclosed that it had received complaints from political parties participating in the April 23 Lukulu and Kapiri Mposhi by-elections over the recruitment of polling officials.
He maintained that the commission refers to information contained in the individual district database when recruiting polling officials for any election.
“I would like to believe this is the procedure that was followed in recruiting staff for the two by elections”, he added.
In the statement issued yesterday, FODEP said it had received complaints from political parties participating in both the Lukulu and Kapiri Mposhi parliamentary by-elections alleging that there was a presence and recruitment of polling officials outside the two districts to oversee the elections.
ZANIS
The Ministry of Finance has released KR1.2 billion for developmental projects under the 2013 budget.
In a statement to ZANIS today, ministry of Finance Public Relations Officer Chileshe Kandeta explained that the funds are targeted at capital and infrastructure development programmes in various Ministries, Provinces, and spending agencies.
Mr. Kandeta noted that the figure excludes funds released for general government operations and salaries.
He disclosed that under the loans and investments portfolio, the Ministry of Finance received KR618.5 million, while the Ministry of Local Government and Housing received KR 22.6 million.
Mr. Kandeta further disclosed that the Ministry of Transport, Works, Supply, and Communication received KR 984.4 million meant for road sector infrastructure programmes beig implemented by the Road Development Agency-RDA.
Another KR 14.8 million was released for other projects including the rehabilitation of aerodromes in Serenje and Senanga districts among others, while KR4.2 million was allocated to the Ministry Of Community Development, Mother, And Child Health for the rehabilitation of office buildings and surroundings, and the construction of places of safety among other projects.
He said the Ministry of Chiefs and Traditional Affairs received KR1.7 million for the construction of chief palaces among other programmes, while KR 1.5 million went to the Ministry of Youth and Sport for the rehabilitation of stadia among other projects.
Mr. Kandeta revealed that a total of KR1.2 million was allocated to the Ministry of Labour and Social Security going towards the rehabilitation of field stations, while the Ministry of Mines, Energy and Water Development received KR41.4 million for the rehabilitation and management of bulk fuel depots among other projects.
He said KR4.7 million was given to the Ministry of Home Affairs for the construction of Mwembeshi prison among other programmes, adding that the Ministry of Health received a total of KR 47 million.
Mr. Kandeta disclosed that the Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education was funded with KR 43 million for infrastructure development programmes among other projects, while the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock received KR 32.6 Million for the construction of livestock service centres and many other projects.
He further disclosed that under provincial funding, the southern province received KR32 million for the construction of a Tourism Information Centre in preparation for the upcoming United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) conference among other projects while the provincial administration in Lusaka received a total of KR1.5 million.
He also revealed that Muchinga Province has been given KR2 million for rural roads infrastructural development among several other programmes, while north western province received KR1.7 million for the rehabilitation projects which include a health post.
And commenting on the released funds, Finance deputy minister Miles Sampa appealed to the public to take up the civic responsibility of monitoring how the funds are utilized.
Government has with immediate effect dissolved the Board of Zambia Railways Limited (ZRL) and that forensic investigations and audits will be instituted to ascertain the truth on alleged gross mismanagement of the company.
Works, Supply, Communications and Transport Minister Christopher Yaluma said in Lusaka today that he has written letters to the ZRL Board about Government’s decision to dissolve them.
Mr Yaluma told journalists that Government was concerned with operations of ZRL and the first step it had taken to restore sanity after the revelations was to dissolve the Board.
He said Government’s desire was to realign the objectives of ZRL and that forensic investigations and audits would be engaged to ascertain revelations of financial misuse.
[pullquote]“The ZRL Board was dissolved on Thursday last week in the afternoon. For now, they have no blessings from Government in whatever they will do because that will be done in their individual capacities.[/pullquote]
“The ZRL Board was dissolved on Thursday last week in the afternoon. For now, they have no blessings from Government in whatever they will do because that will be done in their individual capacities.
“ZRL is an important industry that we need as a country and when we hear of allegations we have to carry out smooth investigations on the matter and the first step to restore sanity now, is by dissolving the board,” he said.
Mr Yaluma said Government had embarked on an ambitious developmental programme to revamp the railway sector by redesigning it to higher standards in order for it to bring desired revenues.
He said Government was resuscitating ZRL and could not remain quiet with allegations of financial misconduct and subsequent a ‘war of words’ between the dissolved Board and management.
Government recently said that the financially beleaguered ZRL would receive capital injection amounting to $120 million (K600 billion) for use in undertaking a major facelift following Zambia’s successful issuance of the first sovereign bond amounting to $750 million.
The Board comprised former Task Force chairperson Mark Chona as board chairperson economist Oliver Saasa as deputy. Other members are Transport Permanent Secretary (PS) Muyenga Antanga, Commence and Trade PS Stephen Mwansa and Ministry of Finance PS for budget Pamela Chibonga.
Solicitor General Musa Mwenye, Road Transport and Safety Agency executive director Zindaba Soko, a consultant Jornam Mwansa, a lawyer Irene Zeko Mbewe, a mechanical engineer and consultant Geoffrey Mulenga and a retired ZRL worker Richard Chipanama, are others.
