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EXPELLED MMD Chilanga Member of Parliament (MP) Ng’andu Magande has launched his campaign for his presidential bid in 2011 through a political movement called the National Movement for Progress (NMP), currently distributing campaign fliers in Southern Province.
According to one of the fliers obtained by the Times in Monze, the former Finance and National Planning minister claims to have been the architect of the economy during the reign of the late president Levy Mwanawasa.
“This son of mother Zambia tried his best to transform the Zambian economy working together with the late president Levy Mwanawasa SC,” reads the flier authored by “concerned public servants”.
“You and I experienced and appreciate the positive change in our economy that came with reform and management style under his stewardship,” it reads.
Mr Magande’s campaign claims Zambia’s standing with the international community had greatly improved and that Zambians were well respected worldwide because of his leadership.
Efforts to get a comment from Mr Magande failed, as his mobile phone remained switched off.
Mr Magande recently told a tabloid that he would leave his options open to either form a new political party or join the existing ones.
The MMD recently expelled Mr Magande from the ruling party.
When contacted for comment Patriotic Front (PF) leader Michael Sata said Mr Magande had a democratic right to form a party.
“We are not in a one party State. Any body that wants to form a party is free to do so,” he said.
MMD spokesperson Dora Siliya refused to comment and only stressed that Mr Magande and Kafulafuta MP George Mpombo were no longer members of the ruling party.
UPND acting spokesperson Douglas Syakalima said the party would only comment after Mr Magande officially announced his intentions.
Labour Minister Austin Liato (l), Gladys Lundwe (c) from Gender and Bradford Machila for Livestock during the opening of ParliamentParliament today heard that the Ministry of lands has revoked the land administration agency to Lusaka city council because the council was ignoring the laid down procedures as provided under the land circular No.1 of 1985.
Lands Minster Gladys Lundwe said section (7) of Land cicular No.! of 1985 gives reserved powers to the minister responsible for Land to suspend the agency of any council that is not following procedures
She told the house that she used her powers under this section to revoke the agency of the Lusaka city council.
This was in response to a question raised by Kanyama member of parliament Colonel Gerry Chanda who wanted when the ministry of lands will restore the land administration agency to the city council, and what reasons for revocation of the agency .
Ms Lundwe said the illegal land allocation was one of the reasons and the action taken by her ministry within its legal mandate was to revoke the agency of the council.
She however told the house that her ministry was not privy to the details of the individuals involved in the scam as the ministry’s interest was I in the process and not individuals.
This was in response to a question raised by Kanyama Mp Gerry Chanda who wanted to know if illegal land allocation was one of the reasons , why council officials whether re involved in the land scam and whether action was taken against the culprits.
Ms Lundwe noted that the agency will be restricted upon the ministry getting convicted and that the land administration systems in Lusaka are in place.
A woman has been killed by an elephant, while her son has been wounded in the Mosi-O-Tunya National Park near the Sun International hotel in Livingstone.
The unidentified woman’s head and some of her body parts were found scattered along a path that the Elephants use in the park.
Southern Province Police Commanding Officer Lemmy Kajoba said the womans other body parts were also found near the rail line within the National Park.
The gruesome discovery was made at around 09:30 hours Thursday.
Mr Kajoba disclosed that his men also discovered a three year old child a few metres from where the woman’s body parts were found.
A ZNBC crew found the child, who had sustained a fractured right leg and skull being attended to at Livingstone General Hospital.
Police suspect that the deceased woman could be a Congolese national because the child was speaking Congolese.
[ ZNBC ]
Dario Bonetti will have a smile on his face wherever he is in Italy with news that two key players have made headway in recovering from injuries ahead of Zambia’s trip to Libya next month during the weekend of October 8-10.
Striker Jacob Mulenga and defender Hichani Himoonde who both missed Zambia’s opening 2012 Africa Cup Group C qualifier at home against Comoros on September 5 are back on the field that Bonetti’s side won 4-0 in Lusaka.
Mulenga has so far played two games in the last four days starting on Sunday when he came on in the second half to help his Dutch side FC Utretch beat VVV-Venlo 3-2 at home with an assist in the winning goal.
The former Afrisports striker followed this up on Wednesday with a goal for Utrecht in their 1-1 draw against De Graafschap in the KNVB Cup third round that his club won 4-3 on post-match penalties.
Mulenga has been out of action for since August 26.
Meanwhile, Himoonde of TP Mazembe in DR Congo has said he has begun light training after close to a month out of action.
Himoonde he hopes to mark his return to competitive action on October 3 for TP in the Caf Champions League holders’ semifinal clash against JS Kabyile of Algeria whom they host in the first leg on October 3.
“I have started light training and my target is to be ready for the JSK game,” the defender said from his base in Lubumbashi today.
Defence Minister Kalombo Mwansa (c) after inspecting a parade
Minister of Defence Dr. Kalombo Mwansa has said Zambia has made a lot of progress in improving the macro economic environment leading to sustained economic growth of 6.1 percent for the past five years.
Dr. Mwansa has commended cooperating partners whose support had resulted in the positive economic growth which Zambia has continued to enjoy.
He noted that the debt relief accessed after reaching the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) completion point in 2004 from external partners in various donor support mechanisms amounted to a total of US$ 798.20 million.
ZANIS reports that Presenting a national statement to the high-level segment of the United Nations General Assembly on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Dr Mwansa who is the Special envoy of President Rupiah Banda to the Assembly said with only five years remaining , before the year set for achieving the MDGs, Zambia had stepped back and taken stock of where the country was.
This is contained in a press statement made available to ZANIS by Press Secretary at the Zambian Mission to the United Nations in New York, Moses Walubita.
Dr. Mwansa informed the assembly that the Zambian government had put in place development frameworks such as the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) and the fifth National Development Plan that have been committed to the achievement of the MDGs and have provided for periodic monitoring of these indicators.
The minister explained that the country has invested in growth sectors and in areas that promoted human capital development.
He said other efforts have been made in implementing pro-poor interventions among them increasing farmer input support from 200,000 beneficiaries to over 800,000 farmers in form of fertiliser and seed.
The minister also highlighted some of the challenges that Government was facing in an effort to achieve the MDGs, saying one of them high food prices that were experienced in the last few years which threatened a large number of poor people who could not easily access highly priced foods.
He said the other challenge was climatic variability that continued to be experienced and has had a telling effect on the lives of the majority of people.
He stated that the other concern was the issue of inequality that was emerging in relation to the attainment of the MDGs describing it as a real phenomenon which needed to be addressed if progress was expected by 2015.
The minister informed the assembly that the Zambian government was accelerating rural development as a prime issue on Zambia’s development agenda.
“The government is improving the state of feeder roads thereby enhancing service delivery and access to markets in the rural population. These interventions are backed by addressing human resources deficiencies in rural areas” the minister said.
He pointed out that some of the measures included the recruitment of 1,610 frontline medical personnel improving the work environment for health workers and improving the rural retention scheme and building houses for rural health workers.
He said it was the conviction of Government that these measures will significantly contribute to meeting the MDGs related to the reduction of child mortality, improving maternal mortality, combating HIV and AIDS, Malaria and other major diseases.
The special envoy who is also leading the Zambian delegation to the 65th regular session of the United Nations General Assembly informed the assembly that Government has recruited and deployed over 25,000 teachers between 2005 and 2009 close to 6,000 basic school classrooms have been built between 2008 and 2010 in a bid to achieving universal primary education.
On gender equality, the minister said the Government was implementing regional and international protocols and conventions through appropriate national policies and strategies saying with this, Zambia was likely to meet the MDG 3 on promoting gender equality.
Scores of Mansa Municipal Council (MMC ) general workers today marched from the civic centre to the District Commissioner’s office to protest over unpaid salaries for 10 months.
About 30 council workers, most of them dressed in blue work suits gathered as early as 08.00 hours demanding to see the district commissioner major Chibwe Nsakasha.
However, when major Nsakasha emerged from his office he refused to address the workers telling them to go back to the civic centre where he would join the town clerk Bwanga Kapumpa to speak to them.
The DC said he would not address the workers in vacuum and asked them to select their leaders who would represent them when he will meet the town clerk.
The workers complained to ZANIS that they have not got paid since January this year.
They said they were paid the salary meant for December last year four months ago.
The workers, who said were going to continue their peaceful demonstrations, are demanding for the removal of Mansa town clerk, Mr Kapumpa whom they accused of being insensitive to their welfare.
The town clerk was not available for comment.
Government early in the year released over K3 trillion budgetary allocation to 67 City and District councils in the country for their 2010 budget expenditure.
Local Government and Housing Minister Eustarckio Kazonga disclosed at a press briefing in Lusaka that five councils however did not benefit from the grant because their failure to submit their 2009 budget expenditure reports to the ministry.
Dr. Kazonga named the five district councils as Livingstone, Sinazongwe, Mungwi, Mansa and Mwense district councils respectively.
He urged the councils that have not submitted their 2009 expenditure to do so before the end of March 2010 to enable the ministry evaluate their spending.
Government has disclosed that about K174 billion has been spent to complete the 73- kilometre Zimba-Livingstone road in Southern Province.
And government has expressed satisfaction on workmanship on the road by the contractor China Geo Corporation (CGC.)
ZANIS reports that Southern Province Deputy Permanent Secretary Alfred Chingi said the completion of the road had boosted the already existing trade in the province as evidenced by the many infrastructure development being witnessed in the province.
Mr. Chingi also stated that the road had linked the province to other parts of the country to trade in various merchandises which would improve the livelihoods of many Zambians.
He said this when Civil Society Platform National Coordinator Mutale Wakunuma and a team of Journalists from Lusaka called on him at his office in Livingstone today.
He said the Zimba-Livingstone road is expected to be commissioned as soon the contractor handed it over to Government.
The DPS further expressed delight on the amount of infrastructure development being witnessed in the province.
He said recently, there has been an influx of investors in the province intending to invest in various sectors, a move he described as good for the development of the region and the people of Southern Province.
Mr. Chingi attributed the level of development being witnessed in the province to Government’s good policies devised to attract more investors who in turn created jobs for the local people.
The Lusaka City Council has advised residents to make formal complaints at the local authority when they experience cases of noise pollution.
Lusaka City Council (LCC) Assistant Public Relations Manager Mulunda Habeenzu said the local authority can not intervene unless members of the public register a formal complaint.
Mr Habeenzu said this in an interview with ZANIS in Lusaka today.
He explained that upon receiving a report of such nature, the Council then forwarded it to its police to conduct investigations which determined the local authority’s next course of action.
Residents from Rhodes Park have expressed concern at the loud music played at the Barclays Sports Complex until early hours of the morning hence disturbing their peace.
He further said the local authority can not take any action at the moment as it had not received a formal complaint.
Sports Minister Kenneth Chipungu and his Deputy Christopher Kalila
Government has said it will not tolerate unnecessary excuses from Zambian workers who are working with a Chinese firm Anhui Foreign Economic Construction Corporation (AFECC) to build the Ndola stadium.
Minister of Sports Kenneth Chipungu said complaints that the workers were being mistreated at the construction site was one way of delaying works which he said would not be tolerated.
Mr. Chipungu said the Chinese firm had a deadline to meet adding that they were working hard to ensure that the construction of the stadium was completed within the stipulated time frame saying it would be costly to extend the construction period.
He added that extending the construction period of the stadium would require mobilisation of more resources saying this would be unaffordable for the country and that it may delay the works even further.
He said the country was in a hurry to have a modern, multi-purpose Stadium to host international matches adding that the Chinese contractor was aware of the nature of work and would not also tolerate absenteeism, underperformance and laziness from workers.
He said workers at the stadium most of whom were youths should not unnecessarily complain but commit themselves to the work which he said would benefit them greatly once completed.
The Minister said this in an interview in Lusaka today. This was in reaction to a story carried in the media recently that the Chinese contractor contracted to build Ndola stadium was mistreating Zambian workers at the site while favouring Chinese workers.
So far, about 700 to 1,000 locals have been employed at construction site located strategically at the entry point to Ndola from the rest of the Copperbelt towns.
The building of the 45,000-capacity stadium in Ndola by AFECC would, apart from helping develop sport, bring funds to the national treasury.
The Ndola stadium would be fully funded by the Chinese government which offered to put up an ultra modern structure in Zambia after talks between Late President Levy Mwanawasa and his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao in 2006.
The stadium which is scheduled to be completed in October next year will gobble about US$60 million.
PF leader Michael sata and UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema
The Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata has observed that bickering in the UPND/PF pact is diverting attention from the real values of the pact.
The PF leader said the two political parties should promote unity and fight the challenges that are facing the pact.
He, however, said the pact is intact despite the news that it is under pressure and that he would not be distracted from the real objectives of the pact.
Speaking on the platform programme on Joy FM today Mr Sata further observed that most people have felt the impact of the pact and there are trying by all means to destabilize it.
There have been continuous attacks among the members of the pact and the MMD party that the pact is crumbling owing to their failure to choose one presidential candidate.
[ QFM ]
Speaker of the National Assembly Amusa Mwanamwambwa
Speaker of the National Assembly Amusa Mwanamwambwa wednesday castigated Kafulafuta Member of Parliament for calling President Rupiah Banda a liar, in wednesday’s Post newspaper.
Mr Mwanamwambwa said it is un parliamentary and a breach of the parliamentary code of conduct for Mr Mpombo to ridicule the Presidential speech in the press.
The speaker said it is an offence for a Member of Parliament to refer to the head of state by his name only and also to call the head of state names.
Mr Mwanamwambwa said insulting the head of state is not a sign of heroism and political championship but, just wrong.
The Speaker was making a ruling on a point of order raised by Bahati Member of Parliament Besa Chimbaka who rose on a point of order and wanted to know whether Mr Mpombo was in order to call the President a liar in the Press.
Mr Mwanamwambwa appealed to Members of Parliament to discuss parliamentary issues in parliament instead of rushing to the press.
He told the house that MPs should take advantage of Parliament and their immunity in the house to debate the Presidential address and other matters.
[ ZNBC ]
Former Finance Minister Ngandu Mangande
The ruling MMD in Lusaka province has charged that expelled Chilanga Member of Parliament Ng’andu Magande’s acceptance of his expulsion from the party proves that he went against the party rules.
MMD Lusaka Province Deputy Chairperson Henry Mutiti also said the MMD is looking forward to retain the Chilanga parliamentary seat.
Mr Magande has since fallen out of favor from the party following his alleged insubordination against high ranking party leaders.
Mr Mutiti was speaking during a news conference in Lusaka today.
And MMD Lusaka province women chairperson Jean Mkalipi has warned former Defense Minister, George Mpombo against continuing attacking President Rupiah Banda.
Ms Mkalipi said Mr Mpombo misled himself when he resigned as defense minister.
She warns Mr Mpombo, who is also Kafulafuta MP, of what she terms, stiff consequences from MMD cadres if he continues attacking President Banda.
Ms Mkalipi also reminded Catholic priests to clear their names of sex abuse rather than commenting on Zambia?s political activities.
[ MUV TV ]
A Siavonga magistrate court has sentenced a Zimbabwean woman to 12 months simple imprisonment for trafficking in marijuana.
Magistrate Bathromeo Kaonga today slapped the 12 months jail sentence on Ndaizivei shumbayaonda, 23 a resident of Malongwana village in Zimbabwe after convicting her of the offence of trafficking in psychotropic substances contrary to section 6 of the narcotic drug and psychotropic substance act chapter 96 of the laws of Zambia.
Facts before the court were that on August 16 this year in Chirundu, Ndaizivei did traffic in marijuana weighing 50 grammes without lawful authority.
The court heard that Ndaizivei was found by Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) officers from Chirundu under a tree at Tukamona area where she was selling Mazoe juice and the said marijuana
DEC officers conducted a search and found a transparent plastic which contained a green vegetable substance which was later tested at a laboratory and found to be canabis weighing 50 grammes.
In passing judgment magistrate Kaonga said from the evidence on record, it was clear that Ndaizivei did traffic in marijuana.
The magistrate noted that the offence committed was a serious one but pointed out that being a first offender, Ndaizivei was entitled to leniency.
And in mitigation, Ndaizivei pleaded for the court’s leniency on the ground that she was a first offender and did not traffic in the substance deliberately.
She said she has a problem of evil spirits and therefore uses marijuana when the spirits attack her and she also uses the drug for her chest problems.
Consumer Unit Trust Society (CUTS) international has warned the Zambian government against effecting price controls as it introduces the uniform pump prices of fuel on the market.
CUTS centre coordinator Patrick Chengo said that if government allows its own price controls to flood the market, it is clear that the UPP will only cause more harm than good.
“This is because price controls will limit the benefit of the consumer and affect the competitiveness the sector,” Mr Chengo said
Mr. chengo said that there is need for government to realize that both the consumer and those competing for the same market benefit from its decision to unify the pump prices.
He said it is possible that if government’s decision affects the competitiveness in the fuel market, the demand might go high but the supply will drop owing to the fact that companies will decide to pull out.
[pullquote]”This is because price controls will limit the benefit of the consumer and affect the competitiveness the sector,” Mr Chengo said[/pullquote]
Mr chengo also noted that currently, the urban consumer has been forced to subsidize the rural consumers because government did not implement its mechanism properly.
He has,therefore, called for a further reduction of the prices to ensure that the benefits are felt by everyone across the country.
Mr Chengo noted that with the threats that the price controls under the uniform pump price poses on the competition, there is need to drop the prices further down.
[ QFM ]
President Banda, flanked by First Lady Thandiwe reads his speech during the opening of Parliament
By Henry Kyambalesa
Compared to the speech President Rupiah Banda delivered in 2009 to the National Assembly, the recent one was more comprehensive and informative about government projects and programs, especially if the cited accomplishments in healthcare, education, vocational training, and transportation infrastructure are actually true. The speech could serve well as a persuasive appeal to voters to give the President and the Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) another term of office.
However, I believe the President made a false claim in his introductory remarks that Zambia was reeling from the effects of the global financial and economic crisis when he addressed the National Assembly in 2009, and that the country has made a remarkable recovery from the crisis. [pullquote]the President needs to wean our beloved country from its current addiction to loans, and its dependence on foreign aid that is generally variable and unreliable in nature
[/pullquote]
There was no single sector of the Zambian economy that was adversely affected by the global financial and economic crisis. In fact, the unprecedented socio-economic problems which faced our country before the global financial and economic crisis have continued to haunt the country today. They include widespread unemployment, an educational system that casts nearly half of Grade 7 and Grade 9 students onto the streets every year, a healthcare system which cannot meet the basic needs of the majority of citizens, and a critical shortage of decent public housing nationwide.
Moreover, public infrastructure and services have continued to be deficient, civil servants are still not adequately compensated for their services, a lot of civil service retirees cannot get their hard-earned benefits, and, among a host of other socio-economic ills, crime is still rampant.
Besides, it would have been more appropriate for the President to thank and specifically mention the cooperating partners whose support of government projects and programs over the years has been indispensable – especially bilateral cooperating partners like China, Canada (CIDA), Denmark (DANIDA), France, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Japan (JICA), The Netherlands, Norway, Sweden (SIDA), USA (USAID), and the United Kingdom (DFID).
Also, it was disingenuous for the President not to have acknowledged the fact that most of the projects and programs he cited in his speech were actually initiated before he assumed office as President. For example, the Chipata-Mchinji railway project was initiated in 1982 as a joint venture involving Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique during the UNIP administration.
And the President needs to wean our beloved country from its current addiction to loans, and its dependence on foreign aid that is generally variable and unreliable in nature. He can do so by creating a smaller government that will largely live within its means – a government designed to perform existing and planned essential government functions with the 12 ministries I have suggested below, which is slightly larger than my initial proposal for 10 Cabinet-level portfolios.
Education, Training and Sport:
To be directly responsible for advising the President on, and spearheading the implementation of policies relating to, the following: general and tertiary education; vocational training; the training of teachers; adult literacy programs; matters concerning remuneration for teachers, lecturers, trainers, and researchers; and sporting programs in all educational and training institutions. And coordination of national programs and activities pertaining to education, training and sport with those of private institutions, as well as local governments nationwide.
Public Health and Sanitation:
To be directly responsible for advising the President on, and spearheading the implementation of policies relating to, the following: medical care, medical research, child health and development, family planning, disease control and prevention, food safety (local and imported foodstuff), drug safety (local and imported medicines), safety of herbal medicines, public health education, public health inspections, and matters concerning remuneration for public health personnel. And coordination of national public health programs and activities with those of private health care facilities and local governments.
Agriculture and Food Security:
To be directly responsible for advising the President on, and spearheading the implementation of policies relating to, the following: sustainable agricultural development and long-term food security – including the provision of agricultural incentives, support to agribusiness establishments and agricultural research centers, damming rivers, and construction of irrigation canals. And coordination of national programs and activities pertaining to agriculture and food security with those of the private sector and local governments.
Finance and Revenue:
To be directly responsible for advising the President on, and spearheading the implementation of policies relating to, the following: financial matters and monetary issues, including the stock / securities market; national debt management and external debt resolution; management of all state-owned enterprises; administration, dispensation and recovery of loans granted to students and trainees admitted to institutions of higher learning, and management of a government scholarship fund through a new Loans and Scholarships Committee; and revenue generation through taxation, customs and excise duties, service fees / charges, superintendence over the National Road Fund Agency (NRFA), and provision of postal services through the Zambia Postal Services Corporation (ZAMPOST).
Commerce and Industry:
To be directly responsible for advising the President on, and spearheading the implementation of policies relating to, the following: trade and industrialization strategy, tourism, mining, the energy sector, business and investment promotion, regulation of imports and exports, trade relations, registration of foreign companies, research and development (R&D) support for local manufacturers, and superintendence over the operations of the Zambia Development Agency (ZDA). And coordination of national commercial and industrial programs and activities with those of local governments.
National Defence and Security:
To be directly responsible for advising the President on, and spearheading the implementation of policies relating to, the following: enhancement of national defence and security — including the issues of training, equipment and matters concerning remuneration and housing for defence and security personnel.
Public Safety and Security:
To be directly responsible for advising the President on, and spearheading the implementation of policies relating to, the following: the protection of life and property; the preservation of law and order; the detection and prevention of crime; and cooperation with other security organs of the government and local communities in dealing with public safety and security. And coordination of these functions with related functions of private security companies and local governments.
Works, Supply and Transport:
To be directly responsible for advising the President on, and spearheading the implementation of policies relating to, the following: utilization and management of State-owned pieces of land; provision and maintenance of vital infrastructure nationwide – including an efficient, inter-modal and safe network of ground and air transportation; development of malleable stretches of the Zambezi, Kafue, Luangwa and other sizable perennial rivers for water transportation – including the proposed Shire-Zambezi Waterway involving Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique; and construction, renovation and maintenance of government facilities and pieces of property nationwide. And coordination of these functions with the related functions of local governments.
Lands and Public Housing:
To be directly responsible for advising the President on, and spearheading the implementation of policies relating to, the following: delineation, administration and development of state and customary lands; issuance of title deeds; resolution of land-related disputes; provision of consent in the acquisition, transfer and leasing of lands; implementation of home ownership schemes for all civil servants; provision of low-cost rental housing units for low-income families; management of a home-ownership scheme for low-income families to be financed through low interest mortgages; stipulation of fair eligibility requirements to be met by applicants for low-income rental public housing; generation of rules of occupancy, and determination of rental and other related charges; and derivation of a grievance procedure and guidelines for resolving any and all the issues and matters relating to non-compliance with rules of occupancy.
Culture and Community Services:
To be directly responsible for advising the President on, and spearheading the implementation of policies relating to, the following: preservation of the country’s national treasures, including national monuments, museums, historical sites, cherished traditional and cultural values; promotion of traditional music and culture-related crafts; House of Chiefs and traditional leaders; national unity and patriotism; religious harmony; national ceremonies and festivals; and issues relating to women, children, disabled citizens, and retirees and the aged. And coordination of national cultural and community programs and activities with those of local governments.
Justice, Prisons and Immigration:
To be directly responsible for advising the President on, and spearheading the implementation of policies relating to, the following: legal matters (including representation of the Government), protection of citizens’ rights and freedoms, administration of the Zambia Prison Service, legal aid, title deeds, national registration, passports and immigration, citizenship and naturalization, work permits, treaties and agreements with other countries, intellectual property rights (patents, copyrights and trademarks), and remuneration for judicial personnel and support staff.
Foreign Affairs:
To be directly responsible for advising the President on, and spearheading the implementation of policies relating to, the following: foreign political relations, including conflict resolution and peace-keeping efforts; consular affairs and services; profiles of foreign countries; services and vital information to Zambians in, or traveling to, foreign countries; publicizing Zambian society abroad; and management of a program which shall confer rare and special Zambian Residency status upon a selected number of distinguished foreigners.
The foregoing functions need to be performed by technocrats, not figureheads! And we should guard against establishing new government ministries for the purpose of creating jobs for friends, such as the splitting of the Ministry of Agriculture into 2 ministries. It would have made a bit of sense if this was a “line” rather than a “staff” ministry. The United States, for example, has only 1 solid Federal Department of Agriculture – a country with around 310 million people and a much, much larger agricultural sector.
In addition to the smaller number of Cabinet Ministers, there is a need to abolish the positions of Deputy Minister and District Commissioner, as well as reduce the number of Zambia’s foreign embassies by having clusters of countries to be served by single embassies. Further, we should not entertain any calls for the creation of the position of Prime Minister.
And there is a need to go through government expenditures line by line, program by program, agency by agency, department by department, and ministry by ministry in order to eliminate unnecessary application of public funds.
Civil servants in ministries to be abolished or merged should be encouraged to seek early retirement with full benefits. Professional and skilled civil servants should be re-deployed in the new government ministries and agencies.
