A local Non-Governmental Organisation, Zambia Voice has charged that President Michael Sata is finding it hard to fight corruption because he is surrounded by corrupt officials.

In a statement, Zambian Voice Executive Director Chilufya Tayali stated that there is no doubt that President Sata has a genuine zeal to fight corruption.

“We have no doubt that President Michael Sata mean to fight corruption but he is surrounded by corrupt people,” Mr. Tayali said.

“For whatever alliances they signed for him to go to Plot One, President Sata appears like he is now held hostage in State House by these thieves, crooks, schemas who steal in broad day light while the Zambian people are watching,” he said.

Mr. Tayali observed that while other corruption investigations are still pending while others are still being investigated by compromised officers from ACC and the Task force while other cases are being discussed in the public domain and nothing is being done about.

“Let me hasten to point out here that we have very good junior offices in our Police and ACC but as they say, “The fish start rotting from the head”, the top people in these institutions are the ones who are corrupt more because they are brought in by these thieves and schemas who are holding our President at ransom for helping him to get into power.”

Mr. Tayali reminded President Sata that he was not put in State House by the thieving party and government officials.

“Mr. Sata don’t bow to any these opportunists who will destroy your legacy as a no nonsense man, hard worker and Christian. Look how these people have started fighting for Presidency as if we have one more year to elections and yet it’s only a year since we changed Govt,” he said.

He said it is regrettable that the same people already started scheming so that they can position their own to be next President using their usual tricks.

Opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) yesterday walked out of the House in protest that they have not been officially informed on who is acting Finance Minister since the holder ALEXANDER CHIKWANDA was acting President.

The MPs lead by MMD Nalikwanda MP GEOFREY LUNGWANGWA, walked out at 16:58 hours despite Speaker of the National Assembly PATRICK MATIBINI giving several rulings on the matter this week.

MMD Kabombo East DANNY CHINGIMBU remained in the House with UPND Nangoma MP BOYD HAMUSONDE who was out at the time his counterparts walked out, but remained in the House until adjournment at 17:489 hours.

However, all MMD appointed Deputy Ministers remained in the House with Patriotic Front (PF) members, Cabinet and Deputy Ministers with leader of Government business Vice President GUY SCOTT.

The walk-out followed Professor Lungwangwa who wondered whether it was in order for Government not to inform the House on who the acting Finance Minister in place of Mr Chikwanda was.

Professor Lungwangwa said Mr Chikwanda, as a mover of motion on 2013 national budget presented last week was supposed to be in the House to take down concerns raised by members during debates.

He wondered whether it was in order for the members to continue debating in the absence of Mr Chikwanda or any acting Finance Minister to take all pertinent issues on budget debates and respond.

But in his ruling, Speaker of the National Assembly PATRICK MATIBINI said the leader of Government bu8siness Dr Scott was in the House and that Cabinet Ministers and their Deputies were always present to hear what other members debated

“I still consider the order unsubstantial because the Honourbale Chikwanda is still Finance Minister and there is disfunctionality and I don’t see any constitutional crisis and the debates can be conducted,” he said

He said if members were not happy they could ignite the process because there was parliamentary democracy and members had right to do so.
Home Affairs Deputy Minister STEPHEN KAMPYONGO also raised on a point of order whether opposition where in order toa walk out at the expense of listening on behalf of their people, in respond, Dr Matibini said it was not in order and all members needed to be present in the House.
Several PF MPs said the budget would give a proper direction on where the ruling party was delivering development to uplift people’s welfare.

Vice President Guy Scott has reiterated his assurance to the nation that government will pay all the farmers that sold their maize to the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) by the end of October 2012.

Dr. Scott said government was committed to buying one million metric tonnes of maize and paying all the farmers by the end of this month.

Presenting a ministerial statement in parliament on maize marketing season in the country, Dr. Scott said government has already released the K300 million that was allocated for the maize buying exercise.

He explained that however, government is expected to spend about K1.3 trillion for the 1.2 million metric tonnes of maize.

He disclosed that as at 12th October 2012, government was only remaining with a balance of K924 billion due to be paid to the farmers across the country.

The Vice President added that this was why government has given authority to FRA to borrow money from the private sector just to ensure that all the farmers receive their monies in good time.

Dr. Scott said the three commercial banks that were approached have indicated that they have sufficient money to give FRA for it to pay off farmers.

He explained that in some places the delays to pay are caused because of some paper works involved.

And on who will liquidate the credit, Dr. Scott said government will do that with the help of the money from Euro bond.

He added that government has also put in place measures to ensure that all the maize bought by FRA does not go to waste.

He said government will remove all the maize from satellite depots and transport it to holding depots.

Dr. Scott noted that government was also determined to ensure that strategic modalities are put in place in order to enhance food security in the country.

He further stated that this was why government will ensure that it keeps enough maize that can last for about six months as way of making the country food secure.

Last week, Speaker of the National Assembly Patrick Matibini directed Dr. Scott to issue a ministerial statement on the crop marketing season after a point of order which was raised by Monze Central Member of Parliament Jack Mwiimbu of UPND.

ZANIS

Sex workers in Chipata are reported to be conniving with friends to test for HIV on their behalf.

This came to light during the District Epidemic Preparedness and Control meeting held at the Council Chamber yesterday.

According to a report presented to the meeting by Corridors of Hope, the sex workers were giving their names to colleagues who they knew about their status being negative, to test for HIV.

Corridors of Hope Site Manager, Martin Bwalya, said the sex workers later presented the results to unsuspecting boyfriends, saying they were HIV negative when in fact not.

‘’ The sex workers tell their colleagues that, ‘’ You use my name to register for Voluntary Counselling and Testing because your status is negative,’’ and when the results are out, they give to their boyfriends indicating that their status is okay when it is not,’’ he said.

And Mr Bwalya said in the second quarter of this year, most clients that his organisation received to test for HIV and Sexually Transmitted Illness (STIs) were youth aged between 16 and 24 years old and were either pupils or students.

Meanwhile, Chipata District Education Board Secretary (DEBS), Kezius Lungu, said there was need for government to re-introduce boys in girls’ schools.

Mr Lungu said lack of boys in some schools was contributing to immorality in some girls’ schools, adding that the boys could act as whistle blowers to protect girls when men went for them.

He said the Ministry of Education was trying to move away from weekly boarding in some schools by constructing more schools to reduce distances covered by pupils to go to school.

Hillside Girls’ Secondary School in Chipata has reported a high number of pregnancies in the last two years.

ZANIS

British High Commissioner to Zambia, James Thornton, says declining donor assistance towards Zambia’s national budget is a clear indication that the country’s economic is on a growth path.

Mr Thornton says there has been a considerable projected expenditure increase in the 2013 budget compared to 2012, which indicates that the projected income is equally good.

The High Commissioner said this in Senanga today when he met government Heads of Department in Senanga as part of his familiarization tour of Country.

This was in response to a question from the District Meteorological Officer, Thanda Ngwelela, who wanted to get the High Commissioner’s views on next year’s budget which was present by Finance Minister, Alexander Chikwanda, Last Friday.

Mr Thornton said the challenge now is for the Finance Ministry to raise income through revenue.

He said the success of the budget will largely depend on how well the Ministry of Finance maximizes government revenue through taxes and other means.

“Government is right to be aiming to increase income, thereby, having more money to spend. Obviously that creates a challenge because income has to be raised from taxation and elsewhere and that’s the biggest challenge for every Finance Minister,” he said.

The High Commissioner said his government is working with the Zambian government to ensure that money in next year’s budget is spent in the most effective way.

Mr Thornton said the country’s 7.7 per cent economic growth as projected by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is very impressive.

“The 7.7 per cent economic growth projected by the IMF for Zambia is a very high growth by any standards,” he said.

ZANIS