DAILY PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES FOR THE SECOND SESSION OF THE ELEVENTH ASSEMBLY

Tuesday, 9th October, 2012

The House met at 1430 hours

[MR SPEAKER in the chair]

NATIONAL ANTHEM

PRAYER
________

MINISTERIAL STATEMENT

THE PARTIAL POWER OUTAGE AT THE KENNETH KAUNDA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Minister of Transport, Works Supply and Communication (Mr Yaluma): Mr Speaker, I thank you for according me this opportunity to issue a statement on the partial power outage that occurred at the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport on 2nd October, 2012, at 1641 hours.

Mr Speaker, may I take this opportunity to inform this House and the nation on what transpired and the steps that were taken by the ministry to avoid a recurrence.

Mr Speaker, on Tuesday, 2nd October, 2012, at 1641 hours, the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport experienced a power outage that affected parts of the passenger terminal building as a result of a fault on the airport electricity supply system. As a result of this outage, the main power supply from the Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation (ZESCO), the main airport standby generator set and local dedicated standby generator sets, despite being available, could not supply part of the passenger terminal building due to a fault that was registered on the medium voltage panel. Preliminary investigations indicate that a fault in one of the airport tenant’s premises caused the main breaker at sub-station No.6 to trip and burn out. This affected 4 per cent of the total installed airport load.

Mr Speaker, during the period of the partial power outage, the airport runway lights, taxiway lights, apron flood lights, control tower equipment, communication equipment and air navigation equipment operated without interruption as they had power supply. This, therefore, allowed aeroplanes to safely land and take-off while the airport maintained security and safety measures in accordance with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) recommended practices. To this effect, both domestic and international out-going passengers were physically screened while luggage was electronically screened at an alternative site. In-coming passengers underwent all the necessary formalities.

Mr Speaker, the airport is configured with three alternate power supplies as contingencies to ensure optimum reliability. ZESCO supplies the airport through two distinct sources; one underground and the other overhead. The two ZESCO feeders are interfaced at the main sub-station with the 1500kvA, 11kv main standby generator set, which is equipped with an automatic change-over switch. This system has worked very well, over the years, whenever there has been a mains supply power failure.

Mr Speaker, the main standby generator set has an 11kv ring cable network with 14 No. 11kv/400v number sub-stations supplying the various loads in the airport. Currently, the airport maximum demand is averaging about 500kvA, which is only one-third of the capacity of the main generator set.

Mr Speaker, in order to optimise reliability of power supply to critical areas of the airport, all essential areas have secondary power supply from localised dedicated standby generator sets as follows:

(a)    the airfield, consisting of the runway, taxiway and apron, have two generators with capacities of 100 KVA at 400v and 200 KVA also at 400V located at sub-stations No. 3 and 12, respectively;

(b)    the control tower has a generator capacity of 40 KVA at 400V located at Sub-station No 5A;

(c)    the transmitter has a generator capacity of 25 KVA at 400V located at Sub-station No. 18; 

(iv)    the terminal building has a generator capacity of 800 KVA at 400V located at Sub-station No. 6; and 

(v)    the air navigation equipment is complemented with battery banks and Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) units to ensure continued provision of electricity in the event of the mains’ and standby generators’ failure.

Sir, the foregoing back-up strategy is deliberately instituted to ensure uninterrupted power supply in consideration of the sensitive nature of the airport’s operations. 

Mr Speaker, the afore-mentioned sub-stations and standby generator sets undergo preventive and condition-based maintenance and testing in accordance with manufacturers’ specifications, the ICAO standards and the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) guidelines. To this effect, all scheduled maintenance and testing have been done and records are available. Furthermore, the airports are inspected for adherence to the international recommended standards and certified annually by the DCA which, upon assessment of satisfactory performance, subsequently issues an Aerodrome Operators’ Licence. Additionally, our airports are subjected to audits by ICAO, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), airlines and other stakeholders. Performance indicators of these audits focus on safety, security, operations, routine maintenance of equipment and testing. The next ICAO audit is due in November, 2012.

Mr Speaker, in conclusion, I would like to assure the hon. Members of this august House and the public that all the operations at the airport are back to normal, and that my ministry has put in place extra measures to avoid reoccurrence.  Furthermore, the Government has embarked on a programme to address the challenges of the old airports, infrastructure and equipment by developing and upgrading all the international airports in the country. I would also like to inform the public that all flights operated as scheduled and that the delay by Kenya Airways on Saturday, 6th October, 2012, was not caused by the National Airports Corporation Limited (NACL) as reported in our local electronic and print media.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker: hon. Members are now free to ask questions on points of clarification.

Mr Mwiimbu (Monze Central): Mr Speaker, in his statement, the hon. Minister has disputed the media reports that the flow of traffic at the airport was disrupted as a result of the power failure. Is he informing the nation that the local media misled the nation in their reporting?

Mr Yaluma: Mr Speaker, I think that the hon. Member might be putting words in my mouth. Nonetheless, I want to clarify that I referred to the incident of the delay of the Kenya Airways flight on Saturday, 6th October. I said that it was not caused by the power failure at the airport. Today’s paper elaborately states that the delay of the Kenya Airways flight was purely a result of the airline’s own problems.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mutati (Lunte): Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister said that the Government is going to renovate and upgrade all international airports. Can he be specific on what will be done at the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport.

Mr Yaluma: Mr Speaker, the Government has observed the need to uplift our airports. All the three international airports do not have world-class facilities or standards. We have seen the shortcomings in this infrastructure. Therefore, we have decided to put a new terminal at the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport. That is already being tendered for, expressions of interest received and requests for proposals made. We will also put a new airport at Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe in Ndola. The new airport will not be where the current one is. Two places have been proposed where the new airport should be. This week, the people who intend to tender went with our staff to visit the sites. We have also started changing the face of the Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula International Airport in Livingstone. Those people who have landed at that airport have seen the massive construction project going on. Apart from what is going on, currently, we will extend the runway so that we can accommodate bigger international flights. Hon. Member of Parliament for Lunte, we are very much geared to modernise our airports.

I thank you, Sir.

Lieutenant-General Shikapwasha (Keembe): Mr Speaker, I did not hear the hon. Minister speak on the fire hydrants at the airport. Fire hydrants are required in times of emergency when electricity is off and vehicles have to draw water from them. Can the hon. Minister assure us that this aspect is catered for.

Mr Yaluma: Mr Speaker, we all realise that, when we have a crisis at the airport, we should ensure that the fire hydrants are operational. We have received about ten new fire tenders at the airport. Anybody interested in that can go there and see. They are all American equipment. We are not parading them, however. They are behind the scenes. Therefore, the equipment is in place. We have storage facilities for the water and that will not be a problem.

I thank you, Sir.

Ms Namugala (Mafinga): Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister’s statement has been necessitated by the crisis that occurred on Tuesday, last week. He explained that the crisis was caused by a fault in the standby gen-sets. On Saturday, there was another blackout. Can the hon. Minister assure the nation that there will not be a third blackout because blackouts at the airport are damaging Zambia’s image abroad, which undermines the tourism sector that the Government is trying to promote. It also inconveniences the travelling public.

Mr Yaluma: Mr Speaker, first and foremost, I would like to correct the hon. Member of Parliament for Mafinga. The statements she has put before the House are all wrong. First, there was no interruption at the airport this Saturday. I have a newspaper which is saying the same thing. I said that Kenya Airways had its own problem. We never experienced any blackout this Saturday. Listen to this, let me read:

“Kenya Airways has regretted the disruption of lights last week after the airline’s pilots withdrew goodwill that requires them to work voluntarily for certain hours outside their normal working hours.”

This had nothing to do with a blackout. 

Secondly, the fault we had at the airport last week was not caused by a fault in the gen-set as she put it. That is totally wrong. The problem we had was a fault that was created in the premises of one of the tenants living at the airport.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mbewe (Chadiza): Mr Speaker, can the hon. Minister convince me that during the blackout, no materials of a sinister nature was sneaked into the country without the knowledge of the public. Can he convince me that they never sneaked into the country pre-marked ballot papers for Mufumbwe Constituency.

Laughter

Interruptions 

Mr Yaluma: Mr Speaker, I know that we are obliged to answer all the questions. At the same time, we have been instructed by His Excellency the President to respond to all the questions, but brush aside those of a humorous nature.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mbulakulima (Chembe): Mr Speaker, you will agree that the outage was quite an extraordinary one. You emphasised that the Government had put in place extra measures to avoid the repeat of the same. Can you share with the House some of the measures that have been put in place.

Mr Yaluma: Mr Speaker, firstly, I would like to brief the hon. Member of Parliament for Chembe on what happened. What happened is, indeed, extraordinary because one of the tenants did not follow the right channels. He sneaked into the airport and made connections to his domestic power supply so that he could do some welding jobs. This caused the main breaker in Sub-Section No. 6 to trip. 

Sir, I have talked to the tenants. Currently, they are not connected to ZESCO or the airport’s supply. They have their generator, which they will be using until they tell us the truth and give us a full report of what happened. 

Mr Speaker, basically, the supply the tenants have been connected to is the one supplying power to the terminal building. What was affected was the terminal building. The Arrivals Section had no electricity, but any other circuit had power. That is why we are saying that it never posed any safety risk to the travelling public or the planes which were landing or taking-off. Two big planes took-off without any problem during that time. However, should the same thing happen elsewhere, we are going to purchase portable standby generators which will be put at each critical load, and this has already been initiated. 

Sir, we are also trying to purchase critical strategic spare parts so that in any event, we will not have to rush to South Africa to buy spare parts. We will have minimum stock of the critical strategic spare parts.

Mr Speaker, we are also introducing redundancy. For example, if you have a house, you will have supply coming from one other side and another supply coming from the other side. In the event of one supply breaking down, you will still have supply available.

Sir, we are providing portable and fixed emergency lighting to be used specifically in those places that we felt were vulnerable to power failure. We are also going ahead to purchase testing equipment which will make our lives easier. This Airport was commissioned in 1967. There are cables passing underground, and, maybe, there are buildings on top of them. So, we have to track these cables so that we lay parallel cables to ensure that in future, we will not encounter such problems.

Mr Speaker, what we are doing is not above the capacity and expertise of the people at the airport. They did not fail to troubleshoot the problem, but did whatever was possible to restore the power supply in the shortest possible time.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Miyutu (Kalabo Central): Mr Speaker, the media is the main source of information in this country. Whatever comes out of the media, whether printed or electronic, is taken by the community. I will still talk about the second shutdown of power, which occurred at the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport, and which the hon. Minister is disputing. I still stand by that because I read that article in the media …

Mr Speaker: Order!

Are you asking a question or you are contending?

Mr Miyutu: Is the hon. Minister aware that the second shutdown of power occurred whilst the Government had put in all those measures, …

Hon. Government Members: On Saturday!

Mr Miyutu: … on Saturday?

Mr Yaluma: Mr Speaker, the House has a lot of issues to debate, not just the issue which has been clarified. If you read the Daily Mail of yesterday, 8th October, 2012, there was a retraction in a subtle way to that effect. We requested them to withdraw, and they have already talked to us. What came out of the paper was not true. 

Sir, Kenya Airways was the plane which was cited as having failed to take-off because of the same problems. However, Kenya Airways told us that they have their own problems with their pilots. 

Either you take the newspaper as the most credible source of information or listen to what we are telling you.

I thank you, Sir. 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr M. B. Mwale (Malambo): Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister, in his statement, referred to the upgrading of airports. When will Mfuwe International Airport be upgraded?

Mr Yaluma: Mr Speaker, it was an omission by circumstances, but it is on the list. In fact, this Tuesday, the Managing Director for National airports Corporation (NAC) was in Mfuwe with a group of people to evaluate the critical information before they could tender in. 

I thank you, Sir.

Dr Chituwo (Mumbwa): Mr Speaker, I would like to have a clear explanation from the hon. Minister as to why, on Saturday, 6th October, 2012, between 1500 hours and 1600 hours, there were no lights in one part of the terminal, the VIP Lounge, and there were announcements that passengers must bear with NAC for that outage. Can he clarify when he says nothing like that happened. Why was that announcement made?

Mr Yaluma: Mr Speaker, I would like to assure the hon. Member of Parliament for Mumbwa that there was no blackout at the airport on Saturday. You can take it from us. We are the people running that airport and we would not like to mislead the public at all. Let me put it this way. When the first outage happened, we carried out some investigations. When it happened on Tuesday, two VIPs, Hon. Masebo and the Attorney-General, Mr Mumba Malila, managed to check-in and fly out. So, we would not like to mislead you at all.

Sir, I stand here not to mislead the nation.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Interruptions 

Mr Speaker: Order!

Are you through, hon. Minister?

Mr Yaluma: Mr Speaker, I just wanted the House to cool down. I would like to re-assure the House, again, to, please, take it from us and be at ease. I would like to urge them that they will not experience a black-out like the one which was witnessed on 2nd October, 2012 and that there was nothing on Saturday. It was just a smoke screen.

I thank you, Sir.

___________

QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER

HOUSES FOR PRISION OFFICERS IN LUANSHYA DISTRICT

101.    Mr Chungu (Luanshya) asked the Minister of Home Affairs when the Government would build residential houses for prison officers in Luanshya District.

The Deputy Minister of Home Affairs (Dr Simbyakula): Mr Speaker, I wish to inform the House that from the time Luanshya District Prison was established in 1984 to date, there have been no houses constructed for prison officers. Some officers have been squatting in the police camp while others are renting houses on the open market through the provision of housing allowance.

Mr Speaker, the Government has made plans to construct staff houses for prison officers under the Infrastructure Development Plan for the security wings in the Ministry of Home Affairs as soon as funds are sourced.

I thank you, Sir.{mospagebreak}

NSAMA/NKOSHA ROAD 

102.    Mr Ng’onga (Kaputa) asked the Vice-President:

(a)    what had caused the delay in the rehabilitation of Nsama/Nkosha Road in Kaputa District when the funds were allocated to the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) for the project;

(b)    how much money was released to the DMMU in 2011 and 2012 for the project; and 

(c)    whether the rehabilitation works would be completed before the onset of the rains in 2012.

The Deputy Minister in the Vice-President’s Office (Mr Kalaba): Mr Speaker, you may wish to know that following three consecutive rainfall seasons characterised by heavy rains, a number of districts were affected by floods. This scenario impacted negatively on major sectors of the economy, namely education, health, agriculture, food and nutrition, human habitation and infrastructure.

Sir, the House may wish to know that in-depth assessments conducted by the Government, through the DMMU in my office, established that infrastructure was the most affected among the sectors of the economy.

Mr Speaker, my office, together with the Road Development Agency (RDA), Zambia Army, Zambia National Service (ZNS) and the Rural Roads Unit (RRU), identified a number of crossing points that need urgent rehabilitation. Thus, my office embarked on a countrywide fast track emergency rehabilitation of crossing points in twenty-six districts, Kaputa inclusive.

Mr Speaker, the DMMU made available a total of K2.5 billion for the rehabilitation works on the Nsama/Nkosha Road. When embarking on this project, the premise was that Government plant and equipment as well as labour was to be used in order to cover a longer stretch of the road. 

Sir, as the hon. Member of Parliament is aware, the RRU and ZNS plant and equipment that were to be used on this project have been unserviceable as they are old. This has been the major delay, but my office has facilitated the repair of the ZNS bulldozer, grader and water bowser which will speed up the project.

Further efforts are being made with the provincial administration to facilitate the release of parts of the RRU plant and equipment to this project. We hope that with all the efforts currently underway to mobilise equipment, the project should be completed before the onset of the rains.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwiimbu (Monze Central): Mr Speaker, I would like to find out from the hon. Deputy Minister when the Patriotic Front (PF) Government will operationalise the new DMMU Act which gives the districts the power to manage disasters in their localities.

The Vice-President (Dr Scott): Mr Speaker, this will be done in due course.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Laughter

DISTRICT AGRICULTURE CO-ORDINATOR FOR MULOBEZI 

103.    Mr Sililo (Mulobezi) asked the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock:

(a)    when a District Agriculture Co-ordinator (DACO) would be posted to Mulobezi District;

(b)    when the Government would construct an office block for the DACO in the district; and

(c)    what the estimated cost and time-frame for completion of the project was.

The Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock (Kazabu): Mr Speaker, a DACO will be posted to Mulobezi District as soon as the infrastructure is built under the 2013/2014 planned capital project.

Sir, the Government will begin constructing an office block for the DACO in the district as soon the funds for capital projects are approved for the 2013, 2014 and 2015 medium-term financial years and other technical modalities are sorted out.

Mr Speaker, the estimated cost for the completion of the project is K1 billion and would take around one-and-a-half years to complete.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Sing’ombe (Dundumwezi): Mr Speaker, I would like to find out from the hon. Minister … 

Ms Lubezhi: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Ms Lubezhi: Mr Speaker, the decorum of the House demands that we say the truth on the Floor of this House. Is the hon. Minister of Transport, Works, Supply and Communication in order to mislead the nation by denying the simple fact that there was a power outage at the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport on Saturday?

Mr Speaker, I travelled to South Africa and came back on Saturday by flight SA 64 at 1530 hours and there was no power up to 1900 hours. My luggage was even displaced. 

Is the hon. Minister in order, Mr Speaker?

Mr Speaker: The point of order is misplaced.

The hon. Member for Dundumwezi may continue.

Mr Sing’ombe: Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Speaker, may I find out what conveyor belt the ministry is using in the absence of the DACO to distribute the inputs for  … 

Mr V. Mwale: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Mr V. Mwale: Mr Speaker, this House dealt with the matter that was raised regarding the tearing of the President’s Speech by Hon. Dr Kaingu. This issue was dealt with by the relevant Committees of this House and judgment was passed and we have since put it behind us. 

Mr Speaker, in today’s issue of the Zambia Daily Mail, there is an article by Mr Sunday Chanda which reads:

“Movement for Multi-party Democracy Vice-President and Mwandi Member of Parliament, Michael Kaingu, has been suspended from Parliament for two weeks, following his decision to tear the President’s Speech in Parliament. However, critics, such as activist, Sunday Chanda, are not happy with the sentence they have described as light and a massage. The punishment does not measure up to the crime. Mr Kaingu disrespected the President. President Michael Sata is not just the President of the PF, but also the elected State President and must be treated as such regardless of Parliamentary Privileges. His punishment must be revisited.”

Mr Speaker, is it in order for people like Mr Sunday Chanda to begin to question and demean the judgment that has been passed by the relevant Committee that dealt with this matter in this House? Further, this matter has been disposed of and it is not right for these people to begin to say that your Committee and the Whole House did not do justice by imposing the punishment that Hon. Dr Kaingu was given. 

Is it in order for people like Mr Chanda to begin to raise these issues outside this House and demean it? I need your serious ruling.
 
Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr V. Mwale laid the paper on the Table.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker: Order!

The issue of tearing the speech of the President on the Floor of the House is a matter of public interest. The public has inherent interest in the proceedings of this House, and little wonder that the proceedings are broadcast live. As we are deliberating, the public is listening to the debates and following the debates. Before a ruling is rendered, obviously, it would be highly inappropriate for members of the public to pass the kind of comments that you just referred to. After the facts, like a court judgment, it is open to public scrutiny. 

The public, in a democracy, are free to debate these outcomes. They are free to discuss the outcomes and support or criticise these outcomes. That is the nature of a democracy. If such comments had emanated from an hon. Member of Parliament, a position would have been different because, once the House takes a position, irrespective of what we think about the eventual ruling, we are all bound by the decision of the House. 

In a word, the comments by the person you have referred to in this particular tabloid are not contemptuous of the House. If that were so, then it would not be open to members of the public to scrutinise us. As representatives of the people, we are open to scrutiny by the public, including the decisions that emanate, as long as they are made in very temperamental language. In this case, I do not see anything denigrating about the comment and the fashion in which it was passed. 

That is my ruling.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sing’ombe: Mr Speaker, in the absence of the District Agricultural Co-ordinator, what conveyor belt is being used to ensure that the people in Mulobezi District benefit from the 2012/2013 agricultural inputs?

The Deputy Minister of Agriculture (Mr Mwewa): Mr Speaker, Mulobezi is one of the districts that have been formed. All the new districts will receive new District Agricultural Co-ordinators in 2013. At the moment, we are using the District Agricultural Co-ordinators in the old districts.  For example, the Sesheke District Agricultural Co-ordinator will make sure that the farm inputs are distributed in Mulobezi District.  

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Siamunene (Sinazongwe): Mr Speaker, what are the technical modalities that the hon. Minister has mentioned in his reply?

Mr Mwewa: Mr Speaker, if you are trying to build an office block, a number of factors, such as labour and money have to be considered. Therefore, you have to look at the people who are specialised in building so that they can do a good job. I can assure the hon. Member that the technical modalities we are talking about are the logistics and labour.

I thank you, Sir.

REVENUE COLLECTED AT NAKONDE BORDER POST

105. Mr Sichula (Nakonde) asked the Minister of Finance:

(a)    how much revenue had been collected by the Zambia Revenue Authority at Nakonde Border Post from 2009 to 2011, year by year; and

(b)    what the immediate direct and indirect benefits of the collections to Nakonde District were.

The Vice-President (on behalf of The Minister of Finance (Mr Chikwanda): Mr Speaker, from 2009 to 2011, K1,974 trillion was collected at Nakonde Border Post and this is broken down as follows:

Year        Amount Collected (K’ Billion)

2009            494

2010            577

2011            903

Total        1, 974

Mr Speaker, this House is aware that Zambia does not practise the derivation principle in the allocation of resources. This means, in plain language, that all Government revenues collected from any source or any location must be deposited into one general revenues account called Control 99 for various Government programmes, as appropriated by Parliament, regardless of the source of the revenue. Therefore, Nakonde District benefits from such collections through the Government programmes that have been approved by this House for implantation in Nakonde District.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

KABWE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

106. Mr Mushanga (Bwacha) asked the Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education:

(a)    what the total number of lecturers at Kabwe Institute of Technology was as of August, 2012, compared to its staff establishment;

(b)    what measures the Government had taken to attract more lecturers to the institute; and

(c)    to which authority the institute was answerable at district and provincial levels. 

The Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education (Dr Willombe): Mr Speaker, the institute has forty lecturing positions filled out of an establishment of sixty lecturers. The institute was upgraded to offer training at higher levels of qualification, such as diploma and degree in certain courses according to the statutory instrument (SI) of November 2011.

Mr Speaker, the Kabwe Institute of Technology, like all the other twenty-five trades training institutes under the ministry, is governed by a management board, which is responsible for conditions of service for members of staff and, therefore, staff retention. However, to fill the gaps in the establishment of not only Kabwe Institute of Technology, but also other institutions that are being earmarked for upgrading in the same manner across the country, such as the Livingstone Institute of Business and Engineering Studies (LIBES) and Northern Technical College (NORTEC), the ministry embarked on, and nearly finalised, the establishment of the Copperbelt Polytechnic which will train lecturers for the institutions at Master’s degree level. 

In the past five years, the Government has invested in training lecturers to manage the Copperbelt Polytechnic in China and the United States of America (USA), and these are trained at Master’s and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) level.

Mr Speaker, the institute has no direct reporting lines at either district or provincial level. The institute has two reporting lines. The Principal is answerable to the Management Board which is appointed by and reports to the hon. Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education on all management issues. On issues to do with policy, the Principal reports to the Permanent Secretary, through the Director of Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training Authority (TEVETA).

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Mushanga (Bwacha): Mr Speaker, …

Mr Mwiimbu: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Mr Mwiimbu: Mr Speaker, I rise on a very serious and unprecedented point of order. His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, has left for Japan and Korea on a tour of duty. In his absence, we have been informed that the hon. Minister of Finance is the Acting President of the Republic of Zambia. 

Sir, in the next three days, he will present the National Budget in this House, on behalf of the Government. Usually, when the hon. Minister presents the Budget, he informs the House that he is the bearer of a message from His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia. However, unless the Government changes the person who will be the hon. Minister of Finance for that day, he will inform this House that he is the bearer of a message from himself, since he is the Acting President. Will the Budget be presented by the President?

Laughter

Mr Mwiimbu: Mr Speaker, I further wish to say that the hon. Minister of Finance, who will be presenting the Budget this Friday, is supposed to be in this House listening to the issues we are raising but, unfortunately, he is not here. 

The point of order, though unprecedented, is: Is it the President who will deliver the Budget Speech this Friday?  I need your serious ruling.

Mr Speaker: In all fairness to the Executive, let us wait for Friday. I think that it would be pre-empting for me, at this point, to begin labouring how the Executive will deal with the matter.

Mr Mushanga: Mr Speaker, when the hon. Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education was responding to the first part of the question, he said the institution is supposed to have sixty lecturers but, at the moment, there are only forty. This creates a deficiency of twenty. When will the Government recruit the remaining number of lecturers?

Dr Willombe: Mr Speaker, in my response, I indicated that the Government is already training lecturers in China and USA who are earmarked to fill the various positions that are vacant.

I thank you, Sir.

CHONDWE-KANSAMFU FOREST

107. Mr Chishiba (Kafulafuta) asked the Minister of Lands, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection.

(a)    whether the Government had any plans to de-gazette the Chondwe-Kansamfu Forest in Kafulafuta Parliamentary Constituency; and 

(b)    if so, when the forest would be gazetted.

Mr Sing’ombe: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Speaker: A point of order is raised.

It looks like it is a special day for points of order.

Mr Sing’ombe: Mr Speaker, it is on record that I have never risen on a point of order. However, I rise on a very serious point of order. Is the hon. Deputy Minister, who is responding to the question asked by Hon. Chishiba, in order to, in this House, wear a white wig, like the one that is supposed to be worn by presiding officers like the Hon. Speaker and the Clerks-at-the-Table? I seek your serious ruling.

Laughter

Mr Speaker: Much as I know that I am disadvantaged with my poor eyesight, hence my wearing of spectacles, but even from where I am seated, I cannot see the resemblance of the wig that the Clerks-at-the-Table and I are wearing with what the hon. Deputy Minister is purportedly wearing. In that sense, I will not rule him as out of order.

The Deputy Minister of Lands, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection (Mr Muchima): Mr Speaker, the Government has no plans to de-gazette Chondwe/Kansamfu National Forest in Kafulafuta Parliamentary Constituency on the Copperbelt. 

Sir, Chondwe National Forest No. F/37 covers approximately 2,046 hectares. The national forestry reserve was declared under Statutory Instrument No. 54 of 1970 while Kansamfu National Forest No. 68, which covers approximately 2,270 hectares, was declared under Statutory Instrument No. 47 of 1964. The combined hectarage for the two forest reserves is approximately 4, 316. 

Mr Speaker, the rationale for declaring the two forests as Protected Forest Areas (PFAs) was to protect the water catchment system of several streams which feed into the Kafulafuta Stream. 

Mr Speaker, as earlier stated, the Government has no plans to de-gazette the two national forests in the near future for the reasons stated in (a) above.

Mr Speaker, I thank you. 

Mr Chishiba: Mr Speaker, how will the Government help the people who are being displaced by big investors like Dangote, who have settled only 1km from the forest? Can the hon. Minister clearly state where these people will be relocated to. 

The Minister of Lands, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection (Mr Simuusa): Mr Speaker, in any instance where a licence is granted to an investor, such as Dangote, to commence operations, there must be an approved resettlement action plan (RAP), which must have details of what the investor will do with the displaced people. Therefore, where investors are setting up their industries, be it in mining or any other, they must specify what they will do with the people who will be affected in the area. 

Mr Speaker, I also wish to take this opportunity to let the House know that the Government is concerned at the rate at which protected forests are being reduced in size. I wish to state that, when de-gazetting, we would have to identify an equal or bigger area we can gazette elsewhere so that we maintain our forestry hectarage. We are losing our forest reserves at a very high rate. Zambia has one of the highest deforestation rates in the world and this situation must be reversed. However, the hon. Member’s concern is catered for in the RAP.   

I thank you, Sir. 

Mr Muntanga (Kalomo Central): Mr Speaker, I suppose that the land in question is traditional and belongs to the chief. It is a known fact that, where any member of the community is not consulted to convert traditional land to State land, the title will not be given. Were the affected villagers consulted about giving the land to this investor? 

Mr Simuusa: Mr Speaker, I confirm that the villagers were consulted. About eight families have been taken care of. I also wish to state that a gazetted forest area is not under customary land. It is under the direct possession of the State.

I thank you, Sir. 

Ms Namugala (Mafinga): Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister correctly said, and I agree, that Zambia’s deforestation rate is one of the highest in the world. However, when our colleagues were campaigning to take power, they criticised us over the rate of deforestation and the general management of our forest reserves. One year down the road, how have they, if at all they have, reversed deforestation and what plans have they for curbing it in the remaining four years? 

Mr Simuusa: Mr Speaker, the hon. Member’s question gives me a very good opportunity to elaborate what we are doing as a Government. 

Mr Speaker, I have just launched a countrywide forest audit, which will tell us exactly how serious this problem is. This is one of the measures we have put in place. We want to know exactly how serious the problem is so that we know where we should direct our efforts. Immediately, we are introducing alternative sources of energy for appliances like stoves so that the use of wood from our forests is reduced. 

Mr Speaker, very shortly, I will be announcing a national tree-planting programme to which we have allocated K12 billion. 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!{mospagebreak}

Mr Simuusa: This will see the whole country being reforested and afforested. 

Mr Speaker, I can assure the hon. Member that, in a year’s time, when we do the second audit, there will be data to show what we would have achieved. Talking is one thing; doing is another. As an engineer, I know that data speaks. We shall establish the baseline and, a year or two from now, when we do an audit, it will be very clear that we are reversing the rate of deforestation. We want to achieve a zero deforestation rate before we start going net positive.

I thank you, Sir. 

  Ms Lubezhi (Namwala): Mr Speaker, we have had land disputes with investors in the North-Western Province and Mazabuka, where villagers have been displaced. Can the hon. Minister confirm that the RAPs are not effective. 

Mr Simuusa: Mr Speaker, the RAP is part of the approval process during an environmental impact assessment (EIA). Any investor or industry that does not respect the plan will have their licence withdrawn. I can, further, confirm that Albidon Mine, where I personally went, was severely warned that, if it did not implement the RAP, its licence would be withdrawn. The company, therefore, came up with another plan to finish the RAP programme, this time backed by a financial allocation. The RAP is a serious undertaking. 

I thank you. 

Mr Katambo (Masaiti): Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister stated that there are eight families affected by Dangote’s investment. 

Sir, Dangote is already constructing twenty-four houses for the first families that have been agreed upon. However, there are over 200 families affected with the coming of this investor to Masaiti District. Can the hon. Minister clarify the issue further.

Mr Simuusa: Mr Speaker, I would like the hon. Member to substantiate the figures that he is quoting because an area catering for 200 families is very big and I do not think that the area occupied by Dangote is that big. I wish the hon. Member could substantiate the figures and bring them to us. We will, then, definitely look into the matter because displacing people is a very serious undertaking when it comes to such industries. 

I thank you, Sir. 

Dr Kalila (Lukulu East): Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister has indicated that he will soon announce a major tree-planting exercise that will cover the whole country, as a way of stopping deforestation. Clearly, that is not enough, unless we deal with the root cause of the deforestation. What is he doing to stop the wanton deforestation that is going on along the Kaoma/Lukulu Corridor, which has been invaded by Chinese nationals and other people who are felling trees at an alarming rate, almost to depletion?

Mr Simuusa: Mr Speaker, in agreeing with the hon. Member, I also wish to admit that the activities in his area and the Western Province, as a whole, are totally unacceptable. Sir, very soon, I will be bringing a ministerial statement concerning deforestation to the House and the hon. Member will be delighted with the measures I will announce. I do not want to pre-empt that statement, but it is coming very soon and you will be delighted with its contents.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Ng’onga: Mr Speaker, considering the ambitious tree-planting programme that the hon. Minister has said his ministry will be undertaking soon, has he taken into account the transportation of seedlings to our rural constituencies?

Mr Simuusa: Mr Speaker, in the last session of this august House, my ministry provided 500 seedlings for every hon. Member of Parliament to go and plant in their constituencies. Unfortunately, only a few hon. Members came to pick up the seedlings to go and plant.

Hon. Members: From where?

Interruptions

Mr Simuusa: From our district and provincial offices.

Interruptions

Mr Simuusa: Mr Speaker, I will, again, make a ministerial statement on how immense the benefits from these trees are. Therefore, as leaders, we need to put in more effort to help the Government in picking up the seedlings. We are going to prepare and plant these seedlings. Shortly, I am going to announce to the country all the points where seedlings will be available. We expect each person who is interested and ready to go to the centres and pick up the seedlings. I think that it would be too much of a burden on the Government to start delivering seedlings when there are people who can pick them up free of charge, especially the hon. Members of Parliament, who should lead by example.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Miyutu: Mr Speaker, just like we have a new Government, we also have new hon. Members of Parliament in some of these constituencies. Therefore, as the hon. Minister issues statements, he should know that we have serious hon. Members of Parliament.

Laughter

Mr Miyutu: Sir, asking on behalf of the people of Kalabo Central, is the hon. Minister assuring us that the Forestry Department in the district is going to supply over 1,500 trees? I am ready to pick these trees even today.

Hon. Opposition Member: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker: I presume that the hon. Member is referring to seedlings, not trees. Is it so?

Hon. Members: Seedlings.

Mr Simuusa: Mr Speaker, it is very comforting to see that the response is very positive. I think, this time around, we are going to have a very successful tree-planting exercise, especially with the kind of zeal I am seeing. Actually, 1, 500 seedlings are small in bulk and can be picked up. I, therefore, assure the hon. Member that there will be a centre near to his constituency in Kalabo, where he could go and pick up those seedlings. I am happy to say that the seedlings will be there and he can pick them up and go and plant. Thank you for that zeal. I know that we shall manage.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Hamudulu (Siavonga): Mr Speaker, it is interesting to hear about the upcoming tree-planting programme that the hon. Minister has talked about. However, in Siavonga, our forest has been depleted due to charcoal burning because the Mopani tree is good for charcoal. What sort of trees does the hon. Minister want us to plant in the valley?

Mr Simuusa: Mr Speaker, I will soon come with a ministerial statement on tree-planting. However, I wish to say that our plan is to have the correct species for each province. We will not provide the same tree for the whole country, but the correct tree species for specific provinces, after we have done a lot of consultation.

Sir, on the issue of charcoal burning, as a nation, we need to confront it and make a decision on it. We need to discuss and decide what we want to do about it. It is true that charcoal burning is responsible for deforestation in many areas. So, what you should do, as an hon. Member of Parliament, is go to the Forestry Department to see the species that we have selected for your area and confirm that you are happy with that species.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mweetwa (Choma Central): Mr Speaker, looking at the Budget, to me, the programme that the hon. Minister has talked about is supposed to be a well-planned programme, if it has be effectively implemented. However, the hon. Minister appears to present to us the impression that this is like a gamble or a haphazard approach, where he is asking those who are serious to assist. Does the Government have a proper plan and channel of distribution for these seedlings so that, regardless of the lack of serious hon. Members of Parliament, the seedlings will still go to the intended places where deforestation is occurring, unlike subjecting us to speculation?

Mr Simuusa: Mr Speaker, there is no speculation at all. It is a very well-crafted plan or programme. I am going to bring a full ministerial statement just to demonstrate how well-planned and strategic this programme is. 

Sir, the hon. Member of Parliament for Muchinga asked what measures we are taking and I wish to tell him that this is a very huge agenda. As a country, we must to be proud that we are involved at the highest level in addressing issues of forestry, which I call ‘the green gold’, as well as climate change. So, when I present that ministerial statement, the hon. Member will be pleasantly surprised and impressed at the details and how well-planned the programme is. He can wait for that statement and ask his questions then.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

REPAIR OF SCHOOLS IN SHANG’OMBO DISTRICT

108. Mr Njeulu (Sinjembela) asked the Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education when the roofs which had been blown off during the 2011/2012 rainy season at the following schools would be repaired:

(a)    Liyuwayuwa;

(b)    Lyamaya; and

(c)    Mwanambao.

The Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education (Mr P. Ngoma): Mr Speaker, the Government is fully aware of the roofs that were blown off during the 2011/2012 rainy season at Liyuwayua, Lyamaya and Mwanambao schools. The Government will soon release K485 million, which was allocated for the repair of blown off roofs of schools in the Western Province in the 2012 Budget.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Njeulu: Mr Speaker, I am glad that the hon. Minister, visited two of the schools whose roofs were blown off and he saw for himself how the pupils were now learning under the trees. I would like to know how soon the repairs will be done.

Mr P. Ngoma: Mr Speaker, the repairs will be done very soon.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Belemu (Mbabala): Mr Speaker, I would like to find out from the hon. Minister how the pupils in the affected schools will write their examinations seeing that they are beginning in the next two weeks or so?

Mr P. Ngoma: Mr Speaker, the schools in question are not among the listed examination centres from where pupils are expected to write their examinations.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mutelo (Lukulu West): Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister has said all the schools whose roofs were blown off in the Western Province will be repaired. I would like to know whether Nangoma in Lukulu West is among the schools that will be repaired.

Laughter

Mr P. Ngoma: Mr Speaker, we are talking about schools in the Western Province benefiting from this K485 million. So, the school the hon. Member is talking about is one of the schools to be repaired.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Hon. Government Member: Hear, hear!

Mr Mufalali (Senanga): Mr Speaker, the schools that have no roofs are so many in the Western Province. I have in mind Kayeya and Sitangamanyanga schools. Is the K485 million enough to cater for the repairs in all these schools?

Mr P. Ngoma: Mr Speaker, according to the budget which we received from the Western Province, this money is adequate to cover all the schools that need to be worked on.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Member: Hear, hear!

Mr Antonio (Kaoma Central): Mr Speaker, it appears the hon. Minister has just made a general statement relating to this matter. I would like to know how many schools in the Western Province are targeted for this programme.

Mr P. Ngoma: Mr Speaker, like I said, the Provincial Education Officer sent his team to the Western Province to make an assessment of all the affected schools and a report was brought to the Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education Headquarters, indicating how much is needed to carry out the necessary works in all the affected schools.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Speaker: The question is: What is the number of schools?

Mr P. Ngoma: Mr Speaker, unfortunately, for now, it is not possible for me to state the exact number of the schools earmarked for repairs.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Ntundu (Gwembe): Mr Speaker, from the question asked by the hon. Member for Sinjembela, it is a well-known fact that four schools in Gwembe had their roofs blown off while, in Monze, three schools were affected. Five schools in Kalomo also had their roofs blown off as well as in Dundumwezi where six …
 
Mr Speaker: Hon. Member for Gwembe, …

Mr Ntundu: Sir, the question is …

Mr Speaker: Wait, the Speaker is speaking. I note that you have just walked in. So, you may not have followed the question. Geographically, your question cannot qualify as a supplementary question. If you want to file a separate question, please do so.

COMMUNITY RADIO STATIONS

109. Mr Sichula (Nakonde) asked the Minister of Information and Broadcasting:

(a)    what type of assistance the Government rendered to community radio stations for their sustenance; and

(b)    what impact, if any, the radio stations had created on their communities since their inception in Zambia.

The Deputy Minister of Broadcasting and Information (Mr Kapeya): Mr Speaker, before a community radio station is licensed to operate, it must provide proof of sustainability. The Government is not obliged to provide assistance to community radio stations. However, the Government is contemplating partnering with community radio stations on various national issues such as sensitisation on piracy, the fight against corruption, agriculture and health matters, voter education as well as the Constitution-making process.

Sir, in all the ten provinces of Zambia there is, at least, a community radio station, which has resulted in people’s increased access to information. This has translated into increased platforms for information sharing and dissemination for an informed citizenry.

Mr Speaker, in areas where the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) signal is weak, communities are able to tune to the local radio stations in their vicinity and access news around them and beyond. The ZNBC has partnered with some community radio stations to air its news where its signal is weak.

Sir, communities have increased access to programmes that are of immediate benefit to them because they are able to identify with the programme content being produced in their language of communication. This has uplifted rural communities through listening to programmes that directly affect their livelihoods on issues such as agriculture, environment, reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, cervical cancer, cholera and so on and so forth. This is in contrast to the programming done on commercial radio stations, which is dictated by commercial imperatives.

Mr Speaker, community radio stations have also helped to increase employment for the youths and retired professionals who are no longer in mainstream media. Community radio stations are also promoting and preserving Zambia’s culture and traditions through recording traditional songs, folk stories and forums.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mweetwa: Mr Speaker, in view of the innumerable benefits from the community radio stations, when is the PF Government going to liberalise their air waves and, in addition, commercial radio stations to broadcast across the breadth and width of this country in line with the PF campaign promises and in President Sata’s words, to be free to broadcast the same way the Cable News Network (CNN) and British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) broadcast without limitation? 

Mr Kapeya: Mr Speaker, the current scenario is that community radio stations are restricted to only broadcast in their communities. In fact, the licences do indicate that that they should only operate within their perimeters. However, as the hon. Member clearly put it, the English people say, “no condition is permanent.” Therefore, should there be need to change the policy, definitely, that will be done.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Kakoma (Zambezi West): Mr Speaker, the hon. Deputy Minister of Information and Broadcasting was recently in Solwezi to launch a provincial television project. What is that provincial television project about and have the studios been built? Further, are people already receiving the television signal and what language is the broadcasting been done in?

Mr Speaker: The question on the Floor of the House is different from the question which the hon. Member for Zambezi West has posed. It is a very interesting question but, maybe, you need to submit it separately.

The hon. Member for Sinazongwe may take the Floor.

Mr Hamudulu hesitated to stand up.

Mr Speaker: Siavonga, sorry.

Mr Hamudulu: Sir, Siavonga and Sinazongwe are very close to each other.

The hon. Minister has mentioned that the Government has intentions to partner with community radio stations. What shape is this partnership going to take? Is it by way of shareholding or one-off commercial programmes?

The Minister of Information and Broadcasting (Mr Sakeni): Mr Speaker, it is by way of radio programmes. As you are aware, the Government has several programmes and we will need to pay for them when they are aired on private stations, just like people pay the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) and the like. Community radio stations do not, in most cases, have the capacity to even maintain and pay their journalists. Therefore, it is important that the Government takes some of the programmes which are supposed to be spread by the Zambia National Information Service (ZANIS) to them. An example I can give is the sensitisation of the public on the rebasing of the Kwacha. We will need to depend on community radio stations to reach certain areas effectively.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Dr Kalila: Sir, the people of Lukulu are also desirous of having a community radio station. They have since organised themselves and applied for a broadcasting licence which is taking long to be approved. When is the ministry going to grant them a licence?

Mr Sakeni: Mr Speaker, our committee meets about once every three months. I am sure that application will be dealt with in the next two weeks when we hold the next meeting. It is almost four months since we last met.

I thank you, Sir.

CHINGOLA/ANGOLA RAILWAY LINE

110. Mr Lufuma (Kabompo West) asked the Minister of Transport, Works, Supply and Communication:

(a)    what caused the delay in commencing the construction of the railway line from Chingola to Angola via Mwinilunga; and

(b)    what measures the Government had taken to ensure that the contractor commenced work on the railway line without any further delay.

The Deputy Minister of Transport, Works, Supply and Communication (Dr Mwali): Mr Speaker, the Government signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with North West Rail Company to construct a railway line between Chingola and Solwezi in 2005. In 2008, the construction permit, which was given to North West Rail Company, was withdrawn due to failure by the company to commence construction on time. This eventually led to the nullification of the MoU and the permit itself. 

Mr Speaker, in 2011, the construction permit was restored. However, the project has still not commenced because of the need for a fresh environmental impact assessment (EIA). It is the Zambia Environmental Management Agency’s (ZEMA) policy that an EIA be conducted every two years if a project has not commenced. The Government has ensured that the EIA will be conducted and submitted to ZEMA. The agency has since called for comments from the stakeholders and, once the EIA is approved, North West Rail Company will commence the construction of the railway line.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Lufuma: Mr Speaker, I am thankful for that elaborate answer by the hon. Minister. I know this project has been on the table for a long time and the people of North-Western Province are getting slightly impatient. Therefore, when is this EIA going to be conducted so that the works can commence?

The Minister of Transport, Works, Supply and Communication (Mr Yaluma): Mr Speaker, I would like to request the hon. Member to repeat the question.

Mr Speaker: Hon. Member, repeat the question.

Mr Lufuma: Mr Speaker, what I was saying is that I appreciate the answer that the hon. Minister has given. However, this project has been on the tables for a long time and the people of North-Western Province, who are supposed to benefit from the construction of this railway line, are becoming impatient. Therefore, when is this EIA, which seems to be holding the project back, going to be conducted so that the project can commence?

Mr Yaluma: Mr Speaker, the process of conducting an EIA depends on a lot of issues, one of them being public participation before it can be approved. So, the delay by the public to make submissions is one of the factors impeding this process. I am pretty sure that once all the information is collected, ZEMA will go ahead and approve the EIA. Having said that, I think the hon. Minister of Lands, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection is listening and will push the process so that the construction of the railway line can commence.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Kakoma: Mr Speaker, in the past, apart from environmental issues, the promoter of this project has been complaining about failure to have reached an agreement with mining companies, which will be the major customers of that railway line. As a result, the financiers of the project have also been sitting on the fence. Has that matter been resolved? If not, would the Government consider going into a public-private partnership with North West Rail Company and use the Eurobond money to construct the railway line?

Laughter 

Mr Yaluma: Mr Speaker, I think the hon. Member for Zambezi West has just put it right. Yes, it has taken so long and there have been some funding problems and all that. However, we must realise that this is a private investment. As such, the owners of the company will have to source funding. On the other hand, the Government has indicated willingness to help them source the funding. So, whenever they come to ask for assistance, we will go into a partnership and move forward.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

_________________

MOTIONS

MOTION OF THANKS

(Debate resumed)

Mr Chisala (Chilubi): Mr Speaker, when business was adjourned on Friday, 5th October, 2012, I was about to state that in February, 2012, I posed a question during His Honour the Vice-President’s Question Time asking when the PF Government would get rid of the people who have infiltrated the PF and brought confusion and, as a result, are hampering the progress the Government intends to make.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chisala:  In his answer, His Honour the Vice-President informed the House that the Government was in the process of getting rid of the people who are hampering progress.

Mr Speaker, it has been observed by many Zambians across the country who are development-oriented that within the PF Government system, there are still some Permanent Secretaries, directors and human resource officers among others who still harbour hatred for the PF Government.

Hon. PF Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chisala: As a result, we are failing to make progress. I would like to advise His Excellency the President and Cabinet Ministers that this is the time for us to get rid of these people because they are a hindering factor in the progress that we intend to make for the Zambian people. Mr Speaker, some of these people are ineffective, corrupt and, above all, intransigent. Each time we go there, …

Mr Livune: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Mr Livune: Mr Speaker, is my good friend, Hon. Chisala, who is on the Floor of the House, in order to encourage unlawful dismissals in this country? Sir, I need your serious ruling.

Mr Speaker: Well, I have not heard him say that whoever should be relieved of their responsibilities should be so relieved in an unlawful manner. I do not think he has said that. He has merely said that there are some people who are impeding progress. How they are eventually removed, I think, is a separate and independent issue altogether and an issue which he, himself, has not even addressed in any detail. Therefore, to suggest that he is advocating for illegality or lawlessness, I think, is not fair and correct.

The hon. Member for Chilubi can continue.

Mr Chisala: Mr Speaker, for the period that the PF Government has been in office, …

Mr Speaker: Order!

Business was suspended from 1615 hours until 1630 hours.{mospagebreak}

[MR SPEAKER in the Chair]

Mr Chisala: Mr Speaker, when business was suspended, I was about to emphasise the point that the speech delivered to this august House by His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia was extremely paramount in the sense that it was accommodating, encouraging, educative, remindful, sensible, inspiring, directional and, above all, not confrontational. 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chisala: Mr Speaker, it is only people who do not read and understand what is contained in a particular document who would condemn this speech. 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chisala: Mr Speaker, I was very attentive when His Excellency the President was delivering the speech. He stressed the point that hon. Members of Parliaments’ views have to be respected because they live with the electorates and know the geographical areas of their constituencies. 

Furthermore, His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia indicated that if this country has to progress, we have to work as a team. If this is not done, it will be extremely difficult for us to make any positive achievement. Certain areas will not have schools, hospitals, airstrips, and construction or manufacturing industries simply because there are some differences going on. This is because there are some people, who do not understand the PF Manifesto, who have infiltrated the PF Government.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chisala: His Honour the Vice-President and Cabinet Ministers are the conveyor belt between the people of Zambia and the President. This message should be delivered to His Excellency the President because some of us are not privileged enough to have the opportunity to talk to him. Time for us to correct the mistakes that the Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) Government made is now.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chisala: The PF Government has a few more years before the end of the five-year term. Therefore, we have to work between today and 2015. So, let us not spare any wrongdoer in our Government. Let us get rid of them and serve the Zambian people. 

Mr Speaker, His Excellency the President talked about some of the achievements that the PF Government has made. It is on record that, during the months that we have been in power, we have made some positive achievements although some people are not able to see what we have done. Since the formation of this PF Government, we have managed to reduce the prices of fuel …

Hon. Opposition Member: Question!

Mr Chisala: … and mealie-meal. Furthermore, the Milyashi Copper Mine has been opened and the Government is in the process of opening the Mokambo Copper Mine.

Hon. Government Members: Bwekeshapo.

Mr Chisala: Mr Speaker, I would like to stress the point that we have reverted to the secondary school system and, above all, the PF Government has created fifteen districts. This means that more jobs will be created for the Zambian people. 

Mr Speaker, I would like to urge my colleagues on your left hand side to realise that this is a working Government.  

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Hon. Opposition Members: Question!

Mr Chisala: I emphasise that this is a working Government simply because I have empirical evidence.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chisala: Mr Speaker, just this year, the PF Government has managed to recruit 3,000 teachers.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chisala: In the health sector, the Government has recruited 701 medical personnel.

Hon. Government Members: Yes!

Mr Chisala: Mr Speaker, as if that were not enough, we are, again, in the process of recruiting 300 community health workers.

Interruptions

Mr Chisala: These 300 community health workers will greatly assist in alleviating the problem of understaffing the health sector in the country.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwila: Hammer!

Mr Chisala: Mr Speaker, the President talked about the need to avoid violence. There is no need for violence in this country because we know that Zambia is a peaceful nation. The President candidly spoke against violence but, to my dismay, some of my colleagues who have been condemning the PF cadres over what transpired at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross during the State Funeral the late Mama Betty Kaunda are the people who had championed the fracas in Livingstone where mourners at a funeral were beaten up.

Interruptions

Mr Chisala: Mr Speaker, because of what our colleagues have been doing, it has been discovered that even their cadres have been misbehaving. This is the time for them to correct their wrongs. We are very displeased with their behaviour. We want them to change. They must change for the better.

Mr Speaker, lastly, I would like to address the issue of unemployment. His Excellency the President talked about the issue of youth unemployment. Youth unemployment does not only affect Zambia. In fact, 75 per cent of youth worldwide are unemployed. 

Hon. Government Member: Hear, hear!

Mr Chisala: Mr Speaker, if I had to give a block figure, according to the just-ended Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Conference in Sri Lanka, you would discover that over 1.2 billion youths worldwide are not employed. It is only a few countries such as Trinidad and Tobago that have managed youth unemployment because they made this issue a priority.

Mr Speaker, as a member of the PF, I have every belief that we can also do it …

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chisala: … because this Government is doing everything possible, and going by the party manifesto in everything it does.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chisala: For example, we are in the process of creating extractive industries. In addition, I would like to stress that our Government is in the process of recruiting 3,000 youth and adults …

Hon. Opposition Members: Aah!

Mr Chisala: … in Mwembeshi, Mwambashi and Milyashi. We are in the process of recruiting 3,000 people before the end of this year. This number will greatly help us to reduce youth unemployment. In addition, we will make sure that we open many more industries so that our youth can get employed.

Mr Speaker, with these words, I thank you.

Mr Mutati (Lunte): Mr Speaker, I would like to thank you for giving me an opportunity to render my comments on the President’s Speech. I share the grief that has been expressed by Hon. Chisala, hon. Member of Parliament for Chilubi Parliamentary Constituency, that this Government, in his words ‘has failed to perform’.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutati: Mr Speaker, I share this grief that the gap between the euphoria, and sometimes the fantasy, and the realities of the Government is failing to close. It is creating grief. I also share that …

Mr Chisala: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Mr Chisala: Mr Speaker, I rise on very serious point of order. Is the hon. Member of Parliament for Lunte in order to purport that I have indicated that the PF Government has failed to work? I need your serious ruling.

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order!

I followed quite closely the debate by the hon. Member of Parliament for Chilubi and, in that debate, he urged the Government to maximise the available time in terms of delivery, but I do not think that, that, in itself, is an admission of failure. It is certainly not.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker: I think that if hon. Members have a certain position, they are free to take it independently. Therefore, I share the anxiety that has been expressed by the hon. Member for Chilubi about how his views have been comprehended by the hon. Member for Lunte. I have no doubt that the hon. Member for Lunte can make his point independent of the views that have been expressed by the hon. Member for Chilubi. He is free to canvass for his views to be accepted.

The hon. Member for Lunte may continue.

Mr Mutati: Mr Speaker, it is also quite evident that wisdom is not an exclusive possession. Evidently, our colleagues in the Government have been orbiting and need to calm down and deal with the difficult choices that will anchor development.

Mr Speaker, it is evident that the speech certainly contained a sense of grief. There was a call not to demonise, denounce or divide each other because we are clothed with the responsibility of nation building. That is critically important. 

Mr Speaker, the speech acknowledged that some things never change. There was an acknowledgement that the micro-economic framework that was inherited by the PF Government with regard to economic growth, interest rates and the exchange rate was sound.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutati: There was an urging not to change what is good. There was also an acknowledgement in the speech that the Sixth National Development Plan (SNDP), stakeholder driven and all-inclusive, must not be tampered with. There was further acknowledgement that the Vision 2030, which is all-embracing be not destroyed. 

Mr Speaker, we, on the left  side of the House are not in a hurry to supplant our colleagues on the other side, but remain anxious and seized with the responsibility to restrain our friends from their unwavering propensity to continuously make promises, the majority of which remain difficult to fulfil.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutati: Mr Speaker, I also want to remind our colleagues that appeasement has never been a long-term investment. This is the summation of the grief. 

Sir, in the first speech that was delivered, there was an articulation of the four core areas that the PF Government would push in the five years of governance. The first core area mentioned was local government because the Government was starting anew. It said that it would put in place a revenue sharing mechanism, create a social scheme that would permit local councils to construct low-cost housing, create autonomy and improve service delivery. However, in the second speech, there has been a policy contradiction. What has been achieved is the transformation of street vendors into traders without licences.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutati: Mr Speaker, what has been achieved is the introduction of regulations that choke business and jobs, and the avoidance of the implementation of laws that create order on the streets. That, maybe, is an achievement because order is secondary.

Mr Speaker, in one year, we have seen the philosophy of decentralisation re-set, and re-started in the second year. This year is about mechanisms. We just hope that we are not going to re-set to create mechanisms at the end of the second year.

Mr Speaker, the second core area that was mentioned last year was agriculture. We were told that the dominance of maize would be reversed. We were also told that the distortion created by maize in the Budget, from a funding perspective, was going to be reversed, and that the farming blocks were going to be the way forward in developing in this country, in particular, diversification. One year later, we are spending 50 per cent more on maize than the budget of the Ministry of Health, and three times more on maize than domestic borrowing. 

Mr Speaker, take Nansanga Farming Block, for instance. Due to inertia and indecision, this farming block has remained a work in progress after one year. It has not been able to create a single job. Perhaps, the solution lies in the creation of a new ministry. We need to create a Ministry of Maize and Fertiliser so that it can take care of this big budget for maize …

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutati: … and leave the current Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock to deal with fingerlings, broken dams, export of goats to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and similar pursuits.

Laughter

Mr Mutati: Mr Speaker, the third core area was education, and my colleague Hon. Professor Lungwangwa already articulated that you need to start with a vision and not pouring of concrete when creating and constructing desired universities. The fact that the hon. Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education is absent indicates that he is reflecting on the need to develop the vision for the respective universities in order to harmonise, co-ordinate and assist in national development.

Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education …

Mr Kapeya: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Mr Kapeya: Mr Speaker, is the hon. Member of Parliament for Lunte in order to be dancing while debating? I need your serious ruling.

Laughter

Mr Speaker: Order!

Maybe, it is a question of interpretation of the movements. Certainly, the Chairperson cannot construe those movements as constituting a dance. 

The hon. Member may continue.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutati: Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education indicated that he was going to integrate community schools in the mainstream education system and provide them with trained teachers. I have over forty of these in Lunte but, one year later, I still do not have a single trained teacher in any of them. Maybe, that is progress.

Interruptions

Mr Mutati: Mr Speaker, the fourth core area that was to be pushed forward was health. Dr Kasonde, the missing sentence in this year, for health, which you left, perhaps, because you have done something about it, is the issue of your co-ordination and alignment with traditional healers. I think that, maybe, that task has been achieved. Well done.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutati: Mr Speaker, the critical element, beyond these four core areas, is the creation of 1 million jobs. We are not going to create these jobs by the introduction of new words and concepts or supplanting the role of the private sector and say that the Government is going to take over the role of job creation. The Government is a facilitator. Development must be achieved through priorities, and in a logical sequence. You should deal with the things that can create jobs now while keeping your eyes on the medium and long-term aspects. 

Mr Speaker, here are a couple of examples. In terms of keeping things logical, you need to minimise the bureaucracy, regulations and inertia in the various Government departments in order for you to create jobs. You also need to minimise the compliance costs, and there are examples that I can give. I have already spoken about the Nansanga Farming Block. It is still a work in progress because of inertia and lack of co-ordination in the termination of that decision for it to be implemented. Currently, there are five mining projects. However, because of issues of EIAs and other things, these projects are yet to be implemented.

Mr Speaker, there are projects in Nakonde for Jatropha which can create jobs. However, they are yet to be implemented because of bureaucracy. There are things that we must do now in order to push things forward.

Mr Speaker, the other thing I wish to talk about is access to, and cost of money. This year, in April, the Central Bank changed the regime of determination of interest and made a reference rate of 9 per cent. However, the reality is that, while the reference rate is 9 per cent, the actual rate is about 20 per cent. Therefore, the cost of money still remains high. 

Sir, we have also assumed that lending through commercial banks, which is short-term, is what is going to provide us with the necessary capital for investment to go forward. That is a wrong equation. What we need to do is create a fund through the Development Bank of Zambia (DBZ) or any other bank for us to have the long-term capital that is required for us to go forward.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutati: Mr Speaker, the third area that we need to focus on is that of infrastructure. I quite agree that we can create clusters and all the other things. It is alright. However, I step back and take my district, Mporokoso, as an example. What I need to do first in order to establish a cluster in Mporokoso is finish the Kasama/Mporokoso Road because no private sector will go there unless we do that. We also need to address the energy deficiency or low voltage in order to encourage the cluster. So, all I am saying is that we should do first things first.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutati:  Let us not build things that will not work because we have not attended to the first things first. 

Mr Speaker, apart from that, we left our colleagues with a number of projects that they needed to finish. In the mining sector, we have over K4 billion projects de trident in dollars, de trident Konkola Deep, and the expansion of Mopani. Our colleagues need to accelerate their efforts to ensure that these things are completed so that they create the capacity to generate the jobs that are required.

Sir, we also left for our colleagues the manufacturing of cement, Mulyashi; and projects in the energy sector: Itezhi-tezhi, Maamba Collieries, Kafue Gorge, and a transmission system. All we are asking is that our colleagues deal with what is pending and finish it quickly if they want to create jobs. They should not jump and do something different.

Ms Kalima: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutati: Mr Speaker, order is critical in development, and the totality of the investment book that we left with our colleagues is well over US$10 billion which, if they focused on it, our colleagues can create the jobs that are required by our people in Zambia. Instead of developing new concepts, new words, re-inventing the wheel and creating programmes that create the fantasy that these solutions have a semblance of a magical solution to the challenges that we face. There is no magical solution apart from hard work and dealing with things in an orderly manner.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutati: That is how the Government must govern.

Hon. Government Members: Be honest.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutati: Mr Speaker, we, on this side of the House, have already said that we do not want to supplant. Our role and responsibility shall always remain that of restraining you from making additional promises. Deliver what you said first before you make a new promise. That is all we are asking of you.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutati: Mr Speaker, as a final reflection, it is quite clear that the boat is sailing across the rivers, or the seas but it is quite evident that it is leaking …

Hon. Opposition: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutati: … and the leakage is getting bigger and bigger.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutati: Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwiimbu (Monze Central): Mr Speaker, I thank you for according me the opportunity to debate the President’s Speech that was delivered by His Excellency the President on the Floor of this House on 21st September, 2012.

Sir, I note that there is a plea from our colleagues that we appreciate what the PF Government has done and give them accolades on their achievements. I am going to do just that.

Mr Speaker, I would like to praise our colleagues on your right for being consistently inconsistent in the things that they have been doing.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwiimbu: Mr Speaker, I recall that, when we were together with our colleagues in the PF on your left, we used to have common concerns and we all believed that, if one of us formed Government, they would follow up and work to realise those aspirations. 

Sir, I further recall that we used to debate and vote against the Motion on District Commissioners (DCs). Now that they are in Government, they are so overwhelmed with the task of ensuring that this office is maintained. They were on the Floor of this House propounding the need to have professional civil servants. Immediately they came into office, they decided to replace the DCs whom they presumed to have been political cadres. They purportedly replaced them with professionals. However, a month did not pass before they decided to replace the professionals with party cadres.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwiimbu: The party cadres are now running the District Commissioner’s offices.

Mr Speaker, as a result of that decision which they have made, there is frustration in the Civil Service. The professionals are now being supervised by people who are incompetent and unqualified.

Hon. Government Members: Question!

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwiimbu: Sir, while we were together on your left, it is on record that we used to debate and advise the Government to have professional Permanent Secretaries (PSs) who rise through the ranks of the Civil Service. Alas, all the professional PSs who have served this country diligently have been replaced by party cadres.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwiimbu: No wonder there are lamentations on the part of the Government that it is failing to implement Government projects. It has employed people who are incompetent, unprofessional and unable to run ministries.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwiimbu: Mr Speaker, while we were together on your left, we used to lament and ask the MMD Government to ensure that the rule of law prevails in this country. I did not realise that the PF was envious of the things our friends in the MMD were doing.

Laughter

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwiimbu: I am not surprised that, last week, His Excellency the President informed the nation that he did not realise that, after all, the Public Order Act is a very good piece of legislation …

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Hon. Government Members: Question!

Mr Mutati: ... that should be implemented fully. It, therefore, entails that the complaints were not out of principle. They were out of envy of the things our friends in the MMD were doing. 

Mr Speaker, our friends in the PF were victims of the same Public Order Act. I recall those who were in the UPND – I can recognise some of them and, with your permission, …

Mr Speaker: I will not permit you because the tradition of the House is not to debate individuals. Just continue debating issues. Nothing will be lost.

Laughter

Mr Mwiimbu: It is very rare to get lost.

Mr Speaker: I meant lost in a different sense. You will not lose anything if you do not refer to individuals and that is what I meant.

Mr Mwiimbu: Mr Speaker, I will not refer to the individuals by name, but will refer to those that were in the UNPD and are now in the PF. They suffered injustice as a result of the Public Order Act. I am aware that those colleagues who are that side were arrested and taken to court as a result of the Public Order Act. I am surprised that those colleagues are so loud in their silence over this particular issue.

Sir, when our colleagues on your right were on this side of the House, we used to collectively condemn the MMD for failing to provide adequate inputs for farmers. We used to say together that no matter how ingenious you are, the four bags of fertiliser and 10 kg of seed will not uplift the living standards of our people. However, our colleagues are now in the forefront of appreciating this same issue of giving the farmers four bags of fertiliser and a 10 kg bag of maize. They were envious of the things the MMD were doing. 

Hon. UPND Members: Shame!

Hon. UNPD Member: Nothing has changed.

Mr Mwiimbu: Mr Speaker, when we were on this side of the House, we used to condemn the Government of the day for appointing Opposition Members of Parliament to serve on the Government side. They even called them rebels. They expelled those colleagues of ours and they did not want to have anything to do with them. However, today, they are so envious of ensuring that they appoint those whom they perceive to be weak.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Interruptions

Mr Kampyongo: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Speaker: Order!

A point of order is raised

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, I have been following the hon. Member of Parliament on the Floor debating and constantly referring to resolutions which were passed during the time when we had a pact with them. The pact was dissolved and the PF decided to run for elections as a party. Therefore, all those resolutions which were passed have become null and void.

Hon. Opposition Member: Aah!

Mr Kampyongo: Is he, therefore, in order to continue referring to those resolutions? As if that is not enough, he has referred to hon. Members of Parliament who were called rebels who were not appointed in Government. They were just ordinary hon. Members of Parliament. There is a Constitution and there are provisions in that Constitution which allow the Head of State to appoint a Member of Parliament from any side of the House.

Interruptions

Mr Kampyongo: Is he in order to continue debating in that fashion?

Mr Speaker: There is nothing unprocedural about the manner in which the hon. Member for Monze Central is debating. He is highlighting various points and issues of principle. Let me assure you that sooner than later, I will be moving to the right and you will have your turn to respond. This is a debate. Let us not curtail each other’s debate. Whether those principles were founded on a pact or not, resolutions or not, call them what you will, the issue is that these are national issues. Whether they were secured privately or publicly, it matters not. They are public issues.

The hon. Member may continue.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwiimbu: Mr Speaker, I am aware that the Constitution of Zambia allows the President to appoint Members of Parliament from within Parliament. The same Constitution does not state that you should appoint Members from the Opposition political parties without consulting them. I am aware that if this issue is tested constitutionally in the High Court of Zambia, the High Court will rule in favour of those who are against the idea of appointing Members of Parliament from the Opposition without consultation.

Hon. Opposition Members:  Hear, hear!{mospagebreak}

Mr Mwiimbu: Mr Speaker, I am aware that when we were together on this side with our colleagues on the right, our colleagues were very emphatic that once they form Government, they will ensure that they appoint professional diplomats to serve the interests of Zambia in various missions abroad. However, what we have noted is that most of those who are being given diplomatic jobs abroad in our various missions are party cadres without any professional qualifications whatsoever. The only qualifications they posses are either the fact that they are related to someone in the Government or they are party cadres. They have run away, as fast as Usain Bolt, from these cherished principles which we supported.

Mr Speaker, when our colleagues and we were together on this side of the House, we voted against the Local Government Service Commission. There was a division. The Vice-President, Hon. Scott, led us to vote against the Local Government Service Commission. However, this time, they are cherishing the idea of the Local Government Service Commission. 

Hon. Opposition Members: Shame!

Mr Mwiimbu: It is a change of principles and they are entitled to it. 

Mr Speaker, whilst we were together, we had important common goals and issues pertaining to the Constitution-making process. Together with them, we had agreed that when we are together, we shall ensure that we vote for the 50 per cent plus one threshold in the elections. We were going to ensure that we shall have the running mate clause. We were going to ensure that we are going to have a decentralised system that will serve the people of this country but, alas, our friends have changed goalposts. This time round, our colleagues on the right do not support those values anymore.

Sir, public pronouncements have been made pertaining to the issues I have raised. Arising from the statement I have made, I shudder to think of what will happen to the Constitution-making process in this country. I am aware that the people of Zambia are agitating for a referendum. However, as a result of that agitation and the stance that has been taken by our colleagues on the right, there will be no Constitution. It is a flawed process and we will just be wasting money. Stances have been taken. We are for the 50 per cent plus one clause, … 

Hon. Opposition Member: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwiimbu: … but those on your right do not want it. Once we go for a referendum, the people of Zambia will be divided. Once they are divided, the threshold which is required for a referendum to pass is 50 per cent plus one. Due to the stances we are taking, we will not achieve the 50plus one per cent. We would have wasted all the public resources we are spending. If our colleagues are sincere pertaining to the Constitution-making process, they must initiate a forum to discuss issues prudently and in the interest of the nation.

Mr Speaker, arising from that, I also want to call upon the Church that in the same vein that they did in 1991, where they convinced former President Kaunda to amend Article 4 of the Constitution, let them bring the Opposition and the Government together so that we can have a common stance over the Constitution. If we do not do that, the K95 billion that has already been spent and the more money that is going to be spent is a waste of public resources. The Constitution will not be passed. There is no political will on the side of our colleagues to pass this particular Constitution. 

Hon. Government Members: Question!

Mr Mwiimbu: I know you are saying, “Question,” but deep down your hearts you know that, actually, you do not believe in what you are saying. The people of Zambia are yearning for a new Constitution, but you are not going to deliver a new Constitution as a result of the stance you have taken. We are wasting public resources. We are wasting money that is supposed to be used for public services. You know that you will not pass the Constitution. 

Mr Livune: We shall arrest you!

Mr Mwiimbu: Mr Speaker, I am aware that our colleagues are celebrating that they have gone to lenders and have obtained US$750 million Eurobond. They think that this is the first loan this country has ever acquired. 

Sir, let me remind the PF that, in 1973, the Government of the United National Independence Party (UNIP) borrowed US$150 million using the same Eurobond. As a result of that US$150 million, we were caught in a debt trap. In the same vein, this US$750 million will lead us into another debt trap. It should be aware that for the US$750 million you are borrowing, you are going to pay back not less than US$1.8 billion in ten years’ time.

Sir, the PF should tell the nation what the cost of borrowing that money is. How much money are you paying the facilitators and the lawyers handling matters of this loan? You may find that 30 per cent of the US$750 million has been spent on lawyers, accountants and facilitators. The money we are going to get is less than US$500 million. Already, we have informed the nation that US$150 million is going to pay for the Formula 1 Roads. We have already been told that US$130 million will go to Kafue Gorge Lower and that US$120 million will go to Zambia Railways. Therefore, what are you going to remain with?

Hon. Opposition Members: Nothing!

Mr Mwiimbu: What are you celebrating over this money?

Interruptions

Mr Chilangwa: On a point of order, Mr Speaker.

Mr Speaker: Order! 

Practise some patience. He is just on the verge of winding up and I will move to the right of the House. 

Mr Livune: Hear, hear! Long live Mr Speaker!

Mr Ntundu: They are not even accountants. 

Mr Mwiimbu: Mr Speaker, if they do not want to listen to the advice from this side, it is up to them. Our colleagues used to behave in the same way and style, if not worse, …

Laughter

Mr Mwiimbu: … and they are on the left now. 

Interruptions

Mr Mwiimbu: Mr Speaker, in my constituency, when the youths heard that there would be more money in their pockets, all the baggie pants in the shops were bought thinking that the more pockets they had, the more money they would get.

Laughter

Mr Mwiimbu: Alas, the youths have no money because of the promises which were not fulfilled. 

Sir, finally, I would like to appeal to all of us and to the leaders of this august House that we should cherish the sanctity of this House. We should ensure that the privileges of speaking and rights that are inherent are protected jealously by this House. The people out there have only one mouthpiece which is this House. I would like to appeal to all of us in the Opposition, those sitting as backbenchers and those in Government to cherish Parliament. This is the forum where the people of Zambia expect issues to be addressed and debated without fear of any recrimination. I would like to appeal that we cherish this noble idea that was fought hard for by our fathers and mothers.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker: Order! 

I am now moving to the right side of the House. 

The Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Security (Mr Chitotela): Mr Speaker, thank you for giving me the opportunity…

Hon. Opposition Members: He is reading!

Mr Speaker: That is a figure of speech. There are logistical challenges.

Laughter

Mr Chitotela: … to contribute to debate on the speech delivered to this House by the President of the Republic of Zambia. To begin with, I would like to state that I am very proud to be part of this Government that is working very hard to restore the lost …

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order! 

The hon. Minister is entitled to do so. So, do not curtail him. The hon. Member for Monze Central was just making a passionate appeal about respecting these privileges. No sooner than he has finished than we want to undermine these same privileges on the left. 

Hon. Minister, you may continue.

Mr Chitotela: Mr Speaker, I was saying that I am a very proud hon. Minister to belong to the Government that is restoring the lost dream and dignity of the people of Zambia. As can be understood from the spirit and meaning of the speech given by the President, my Government will pursue all possible means to ensure the decency and dignity that all the citizens deserve.

Mr Speaker, in as far as the social security system is concerned, my Government is working very hard to ensure that pension benefits are paid. The Government of the Republic of Zambia has paid K5 billion towards the…

Hon. Opposition Members: The what?

Mr Chitotela: … benefits for the Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) workers.

Mr Speaker, the Government is making a comprehensive social security review that will, among other measures, ensure pension benefits are indexed to inflation level, that the replacement ratio of between 40 to 60 per cent is achieved and a timely payment of benefits and introduction of pension for the retirees is implemented.

Mr Speaker, as a Government Minister, I will not use proverbs that will insult the others by stating that the Chief was greeting you using a bad language. When the President delivered his speech, he emphasised the need for peace. The PF Government is ready to work with the Zambian people to achieve this. Some of us are a living testimony, but we will not subject the hon. Opposition Members of Parliament to the inhuman treatment that we were subjected to. We will welcome all the people that are willing to work with us.

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order, hon. Member of Parliament for Gwembe.

The hon. Member may continue.

Mr Chitotela: Mr Speaker, as we emphasise the need for peace, let me urge the hon. Members of Parliament to implement this peace we are talking about. These speeches we give in this House have a consequential influence on the people that we lead. We are not building peace when we debate in a manner that engenders hurt among ourselves. The PF Government is appealing to everyone to speak with one voice since the Zambian country is for all of us. We should cherish the peace that we have so that we set a good example for the future generation. The PF Government is committed to ensuring that development reaches all the sectors of society for the benefit of all the Zambian people.

Mr Speaker, out of the K40 billion that was released by the Government of the Republic of Zambia to TAZARA, K10 billion was set aside for the payment of retirees’ benefits. To this effect, after my presentation, I will lay a document on the Table to assist the hon. Members of Parliament, who represent the people who worked for TAZARA, to know that they can get their terminal benefits. 

Sir, the Zambia State Insurance Company (ZSIC) Life has made payments amounting to 210 cheques which have not been collected by the pensioners. The National Pension Scheme Authority (NAPSA) was also given K5 billion, and it has made 105 payments. This has happened in the one year that the PF Government has been in office. The pensioners have been waiting for their pension for the last twenty years. It is only fair to appreciate and congratulate the Government for a job well done.

Mr Speaker, we cannot talk about the macro growth, if it is not interpreted in the micro, and, later, social level because the Zambian people will not appreciate the interest rate. The PF Government is committed to changing this scenario so that the Zambian people can benefit like the President, in his speech, stated that Zambians do not just deserve a better life, but are entitled to one.

Mr Speaker, we must cherish and work hard in order to ensure that what was built by the former Government is not destroyed. There are some things that it did in both a bad and good way. However, as a responsible Government, we will speak out and state where it did well.

Mr Speaker, some of the hon. Members were privileged to be hon. Ministers, but they did very little to develop the constituencies where they come from. For instance, in some constituencies in Luapula Province, we have seen the construction of the Kasanta/Milengi and Chembe/Mansa roads by the PF Government within one year and it is only fair to appreciate such efforts. Where people are doing well, you must say, “Thank you.”

Mr Speaker, the construction of the Luena Farming Block has been on the drawing board since 1975 but, today, I am a proud hon. Member of Parliament for Pambashe Constituency, because I went to inspect that area, and found the construction of this project in progress. It is not possible for the PF Government to fulfil all the promises it made to the Zambian people in one year but, within five years, it is determined to deliver these promises.

Mr Speaker, the hon. Member of Parliament for Lunte Constituency, which borders Pambashe Constituency, will agree with me that when the Luena Sugar Farming Block becomes operational, the people from Lunte will also benefit from this plantation. 

Mr Speaker, let me introduce the elementary language in commerce. Commerce is defined as the aid and aids to trade. In this case, the aids to trade are the roads and housing infrastructure. The road infrastructure the President recently launched is a catalyst for development. It will take development to remote areas that are not known. The PF Government is committed to working together with those in the Opposition who mean well and want to participate in the development of Zambia. We shall listen to their ideas and implement the good ideas that they will give to us.

Mr Speaker, on the issue of unemployment, especially among the youths, we inherited a system that I will describe as a ‘sangwapo’ business. 

Hon. Members: What does that mean?

Mr Chitotela: This was a free-for-all kind of system. As the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, we are currently compiling data to establish how many youths are unemployed. We cannot simply come up with a blanket statement of saying all the youths are unemployed.

Mr Speaker, we are doing this because we want to establish how many youths are looking for jobs in accounting, human resource management, marketing or engineering. This will make it easier for us to create jobs. We will know which sector is most hit in terms of demand for employment. The PF is committed to creating good and sustainable jobs for Zambians. 

Mr Speaker, I would like to urge foreign and local investors to invest in Zambia. They must, however, respect the Zambian labour laws and employees. Zambian employees only have one country to which they belong. If investors do not want to respect their employees, then their investment is not welcome to this country. As a Government, we will offer protection, but we will not be biased to the statement which says “Thou shall not break the golden egg.” Both the egg and the bird which lays it must be protected. We must protect the bird that lays the golden egg as well as the egg itself so that together we leave a legacy that Zambians shall point to and say, “This is what our brothers and sisters, and fathers and mothers did for us.”

Mr Speaker, we are hon. Members of Parliament and we are supposed to represent the people. We should not come to Parliament to give hateful speeches. I wish to appeal to my brothers on your left, Sir, to be sober. 

Hon. Opposition Members: Question!

Mr Chitotela: You can advise and criticise on principle. Do not make personal attacks. Do not bring personal characters into debates. Criticise me on principle and I shall listen to you. I shall pick sense out of the things that you shall speak. However, if you come with a personal assault, as a Government, we will find it difficult to take what you say. You may mean well, but the manner in which you present yourself will make it difficult for us to accept your ideas. 

Mr Speaker, as a Government, we are committed to creating sustainable employment and respecting the rights of Zambian retirees who have served the country with dignity. We will make sure that we do not subject them to unnecessary anguish. 

I thank you, Sir.  

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

The Deputy Minister of Mines, Energy and Water Development (Mr Zulu): Mr Speaker, I thank you for giving me this opportunity to contribute to the Motion of Thanks to the Speech by His Excellency the President. 

As hon. Members of this august House are aware, energy is an important input in all sectors of the economy. The energy sector is extremely privileged to be provided clear guidance and direction, as outlined by His Excellency in his speech to this House. In thanking His Excellency for his clear guidance and policy direction, allow me to outline some of the key issues in the energy sector. 

Mr Speaker, let me comment on electricity. Electricity is a key driver of economic growth. It is a major input in all economic sectors such as agriculture, mining, manufacturing and tourism. Currently, the Zambia Electricity  Supply Corporation’s (ZESCO) electricity generating capacity stands at 1,600 megawatts, which is 99 per cent hydro. Its net exports are 5 per cent of the total generation. Namibia and the Congo DR are the two beneficiaries of the 5 per cent export. The current peak demand for electricity exceeds the generation capacity by about 250 megawatts. 

Mr Speaker, in order to meet both current and future electricity demands, both ZESCO and the private sector must continue to invest in electricity infrastructure development. Power project development is essential for meeting power needs for new investments in the mining industry and creation of job opportunities for the people of Zambia which will enhance economic development. Further, power surpluses, resulting from the development of power projects, would culminate into foreign exchange earnings through export of electricity of electricity from Zambia to other regions in Africa. 

Mr Speaker, there are a number of projects being implemented in the electricity sector. The Kafue Gorge Lower Hydro Power Project is a Greenfield project located about 6 km downstream the tailrace of the existing 900 megawatts Kafue Gorge Power Station on the Kafue River. This one will give us 750 megawatts at an estimated cost of K10 trillion. 

Mr Speaker, there is also the Itezhi-tezhi Power Project at 120 megawatts. About 95 per cent of the infrastructure has already been done and the project will be commissioned in the next three to four months. 

Mr Speaker, the Kariba North Bank Extension generates 360 megawatts. The project is being undertaken by ZESCO that wholly owns it.  

Mr Speaker, the Kalungwishi Hydro Power Project generates 247 megawatts and is being developed by a private Zambian company called Lunzua Power Authority (LPA), as an Independent Power Producer (IPP) on a Build, Own and Operate (BOO) basis. The optimisation of the project will entail the development of 247 megawatts with Kabwelume at 93 megawatts and Kundabwika Falls at 154 megawatts. The project cost is estimated at K3.259 trillion. 

Mr Speaker, Shiwang’andu Mini Hydro Project, at 1 megawatt, is being developed by ZESCO at a cost of K20 billion. 

Mr Speaker, Maamba Coal Fire Powered Project will be developed by a power venture of two companies, namely Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines –Investment Holdings (ZCCM-IH) of Zambia and Nava Bharat Pte of Singapore. The project is scheduled to be developed in two phases of 300 megawatts each and will supply power to the national grid. 

Maamba Collieries Limited is located in the southern part of Zambia in the mining town of Maamba, about 352 km from Lusaka. The project will be developed under the Private-Public-Partnership (PPP) with the ZCCM-IH representing the Government of Zambia. This will be on a BOO basis and shareholding splitting will be 65 per cent for Nava Bharat and 35 per cent for the ZCCM-IH. 

Mr Speaker, EMCO Coal Fired Thermal Power Station Project, at 330 megawatts generation, will be developed by an IPP, namely EMCO Energy Zambia Limited, a registered company in Zambia and a wholly owned subsidiary company of EMCO Overseas Pte Limited of Singapore. The coal concession area is located in Sinazongwe District of the Southern Province, approximately 350 km and 280 km from Lusaka and Livingstone, respectively. The project implementation agreement has been signed and construction will take thirty-six months to develop after financial close. 

Mr Speaker, we also have the Kabompo Gorge Hydro Power Project that is a 40 megawatts station. The project was offered to the Copperbelt Energy Corporation (CEC) in 2008 to carry out a feasibility study of the power station and the associated transmission line for power evaluation to grid. The Kabompo Gorge Hydro Electric Project is situated on the Kabompo River, about 100 km from Solwezi and 18 km from the Solwezi/Mwinilunga Road. The project will be developed by the CEC as an IPP on a BOO basis. 

Mr Speaker, we also have the Lunzua Power Station Extension Project. The engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract was signed on 21st July, 2011, for the proposed 14.4mw scheme at a cost of K262 billion. We also have the Lusiwasi Power Station Extension project whose EPC contract was signed on 21st July, 2011, for the proposed 86mw scheme at a cost of K831 billion. The construction period will be three years and is expected to commence after the completion of Lunzua.

Sir, we have another project in Ndola, the Heavy Fuel Oil Plant. Given the long lead time of hydro-power projects, a 50mw heavy fuel oil power plant is being constructed in Ndola by a company called Ndola Energy Company. The plant will use heavy fuel oil which is currently being produced at Indeni Oil Refinery and is expected to be commissioned in the first quarter of 2013. 

Mr Speaker, we also have the big one, the Batoka Hydro-Power Project. The site is located on the Zambezi River and shared between Zambia and Zimbabwe. It has an estimated potential of 1,600mw. The project is being implemented as a joint venture between the two countries, which are, currently, discussing implementation issues.

Mr Speaker, those were generation projects. We also have eight transmission projects estimated to cost K4.36 trillion. They are:

(a)    Kariba North Bank Extension – Kafue West (330kv);

(b)    Itezhi-tezhi/Mumbwa/Lusaka West (220kv and 330kv);

(c)    Kalungwishi/Kasama (330kv);

(d)    Maamba/Munzuma (330kv);

(e)    Kafue West/Muzuma/Livingstone (330kv);

(f)    Pensulo/Kasama (330kv);

(g)    Pensulo/Chipata (330kv); and

(h)    Kafue Gorge Lower/Lusaka South/Lusaka West (330kv).

Sir, it is envisaged that these projects will be commissioned by 2016. Do you know what that means?

Sir, the Government is continuing with its effort to ensure a stable supply of fuel. Further, the uniform petroleum pricing programme is continuing. In order to increase storage capacity, depots are being and will be constructed in all provincial centres. Of these, the Lusaka Depot will be commissioned in November, 2012, whilst the one in Mpika will be handed over by the end of December, 2012. Other than fuel supply, the bitumen plant at the Indeni is being refurbished with the view to having it operational in early 2013.

Mr Speaker, the implications of these activities outlined by His Excellency in his Speech is that the implementation of all these projects will lead to positive development in the country. The commissioning of a 50mw electricity plant in Ndola in 2013 will mean that load shedding, for example, will be reduced by a similar magnitude. As the projects come on stream, electricity supply in this country will improve.

Sir, we estimate that the implementation of the electricity projects will create 5,291 local jobs of varying durations. The refurbishment of the bitumen plant will ensure that the ambitious road construction project recently flagged off by His Excellency the President will draw from locally-produced bitumen, thus cutting costs and speeding up implementation.

Mr Musukwa: Hear, hear!

Mr Zulu: It is, therefore, our view, in the energy sector, that the policies of this administration are yielding positive results. 

Mr Speaker, water is a natural resource that is very important and critical to all human activities. If it is supplied in sufficient quantity and quality, it can contribute to economic development and improvement of peoples’ livelihood. My ministry has continued to improve access to water through various projects and programmes that include construction of dams and boreholes.

Sir, to ensure sustainable utilisation of water resources, there is a need to improve the management of water. It is in this light that my ministry, over the last decade or so, has been working on the new Water Resource Management Act. It has, so far, revised the National Water Policy and is in the process of repealing the 1949 Water Act, Cap 198 and replacing it with the new Water Resources Management Act, No. 21 of 2011. The commencement date for the new Act is 1st October, 2012.

Mr Speaker, the commencement date of the new Act marks the beginning of improved water resources management, which will lead to improved access for various uses. Some of the key provisions of the new Act are to:

(a)    strengthen both the legal and institutional framework:

(b)    provide for the management of our water resources in an integrated manner; and

(c)    encourage the participation of stakeholders at different levels in water resources management. This will include the participation of stakeholders from the highest to the lowest unit, which is the Water Users Association.

Sir, what is most important is that the new Act has taken into consideration the issue of decentralisation, hence, the participation of stakeholders at different levels. Further, it provides for the management and development of Zambia’s vast water resource. It will also make it easier for the country to manage all shared water courses and participate in various international agreements, unlike at present when there is no clear framework for co-operation in water resources management and development.

Mr Speaker, I feel strongly that the President means well for the country. He encouraged all of us, as my colleague on your left said, to work as a team. You know, it is only through team work that we can build this country. Let us emulate our National Football Team, which has players from all over the country, whom it calls whenever there is a game. We have, for example, players like Hichani Himoonde and Katongo. When these boys come together, they play as a team.

Mr Livune: Aah! Question!

Mr Zulu: Even we, as spectators, cheer all of them. We do not look at which place or which area they come from. We just look at them as Zambians.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Zulu: Hon. Members, it is important that we work as team if we want to develop this country. When we go outside this country, people look at us as Zambians, not as UPND or people from the Southern Province.

Interruptions

Mr Zulu: I am sure that we are proud Zambians that our National Football Team won the Africa Cup of Nations trophy. In the same way the team won that trophy, let us here, in Parliament, get the ‘Africa Cup of Parliament’.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

The Deputy Minister of Defence (Mr Mwila): Mr Speaker, thank you for giving me an opportunity to add my voice to the debate on the President’s Speech.

Sir, when we began debating this Motion, some hon. Members of Parliament stood on the Floor of the House and said that the President’s Speech has no substance. As we went on, they realised that our President meant business and they started debating on real issues. I want commend them for that.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwila: Mr Speaker, it is on record that one hon. Member of Parliament from the Opposition stood on the Floor of the House and said that he could not work with the PF and Mr Michael Chilufya Sata. However, the President appealed to all of us, and our colleagues in the Opposition, to work together if we are to develop our constituencies. That is what he meant.

Sir, some hon. Members who, like me, are experienced and were in the last Parliament, such as Hon. Kakoma, Hon. Jack Mwiimbu and Hon. Brigadier-General Dr Chituwo, will agree with me that we co-operated with the then MMD Government.

Hon. MMD Members: No!

Mr V. Mwale: You did not even participate ku National Constitutional Conference (NCC)!

Mr Mwila: Yes, we criticised the MMD!

Mr Speaker, there was a time when we used to give credit to the MMD when it did the right thing.

When Professor Lungwangwa was the hon. Minister of Education, twenty schools were built in my constituency with three more basic schools being constructed in 2011 because I, as the area hon. Member of Parliament co-operated with the MMD when it was in power. I will miss Mr Matongo and Mr Hachipuka because we praised the MMD Government whenever it did something commendable, but also criticised it whenever we felt it were wrong.

Mr Speaker, His Excellency the President has appealed to all of us to work together and take development to our people. From experience, I can assure you that, after five years, all of us will be asked by our electorates in our various constituencies what we have done for them.

Sir, I was also thinking to myself that it would have been better if I were the hon. Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education or the hon. Minister of Health because, if someone said that they could not work with the President, what would that imply? You can only develop your constituency when you work with the Government of the day.

Mr Speaker, when I was in the Opposition, I used to go to hon. Ministers’ offices. Hon. Simbao can bear me witness because I used to go to his office when he was hon. Minister of Health. I also used to go to the former hon. Minister of Foreign Affairs, who is now MMD Vice-President. This shows that we worked together to develop our constituencies despite belonging to different parties. 

Mr Speaker, I ask His Honour the Vice-President to bring a signed list of all those who do not want to work with us. Those who want to work with us should do the same also sign somewhere. We, in the Government, are ready to work with all hon. Members of Parliament, regardless of where they come from. That is the experience I have. Am I not right, Hon. Simuusa?

Mr Simuusa: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwila: Mr Speaker, we promised the people of Zambia to review the labour laws. On page 33 of our manifesto, we said we were going to review the Employment Act, Cap 268; the Industrial and Labour Relations Act, Cap 269; and the minimum wage. 

Sir, in less than a year, under the leadership of President Michael Sata, we have revised the minimum wage. In 2007, Hon. Mutale Nalumango revised the minimum wage. The MMD revised it again in 2011 after we pressured it to do so.

Mr Speaker, the PF Government has raised the minimum wage for domestic workers from K250 000 to K520 000, and the people out there have appreciated this gesture. The poor voted for us and we are committed to delivering our promises to them. People must believe that Michael Sata is President. That will not change.

Sir, I remember when I sat where Hon. Mooya is, and our colleagues in the MMD and the UPND told us that we had no manifesto. Today, when they are debating, they refer to the PF Manifesto which they said we did not have. They told the people of Zambia that Sata would never rule this country but, today, he is President. I was happy to hear them say “His Excellency President Sata”. It means that they have accepted that Mr Sata is President for the next five years.

Mr Speaker, we promised the people of Zambia that we would lower taxes, especially income tax. In less than a year of being in power, the hon. Minister of Finance came to this House with a K2 million tax-free threshold, which the workers of this country benefited from to the tune of K300, 000 or K400, 000. That is what we meant when we said that we would put more money in people’s pockets. That is the interpretation of the ‘More Money in Your Pocket’ slogan.

Sir, His Excellency the President made a commitment that we shall broaden the tax base. By doing so, we will have more people and companies paying taxes and, eventually, people will begin to pay lower taxes. The other promise we made, which the President talked about, is the re-introduction of the Abuse of Office clause which had been removed from the Constitution by the MMD Government.

Mr V. Mwale: It was there in the Penal Code

Mr Speaker: Order!

Hon. Member for Chipangali, I have noticed that you have been debating while seated. It is very unusual for you to adopt this kind of conduct and that is why I have been very slow to counsel you. I thought you would simply restrain yourself. I know that the hon. Member for Gwembe is missing from the House, but he does not require any substitute.

Laughter

Mr Mwila: Mr Speaker, in less than a year, we re-introduced that clause and even those who removed it from the Constitution voted with us to have it restored. That is the success that people must stand up and commend us for. As Government, we are here to listen to them, and I am happy that an hon. Member from Kabompo appreciated the creation of new districts in some parts of the country. He even asked me when we would create new districts in the North-Western Province. That is how an Opposition hon. Member of Parliament is supposed to be because the Government is open to suggestions. Very soon, the North-Western Province will have more districts, thereby promoting infrastructure development.

Sir, Chipili is now a district, which will have a District Education Board Secretary (DEBS) office, a district hospital and offices for the District Health Management Team (DHMT) and the council where many people will be employed. So, you can see that the creation of new districts is one way of creating jobs.

Sir, the Government recently released K42 billion to be injected into the Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia (NCZ) so that the company is resuscitated. My colleague, the hon. Member of Parliament for Kafue can agree with me that the move to revive operations at the NCZ will create jobs for many people. What more do you want?

Mr Mwaliteta indicated assent

Mr Mwila: Mr Speaker, the Government intends to work on the Kitwe/Chingola Dual Carriageway. In Luapula, the President is going to commission some roads, one of them being the Luanshya/Luwingu Road, which is partly in my constituency and Hon. Kalaba’s. 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwila: Sir, the people of Luapula are delighted about these developments and, in two years’ time, Luapula will be a no-go area for the Opposition because the development that is taking place will speak for itself. The other roads that are being worked on are the Nchelenge/Chiengi and the Samfya/Musaila/Luwingu Road.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!{mospagebreak}

Mr Mwila: President Michael Sata is delivering on his promises whether some people like it or not. I can tell you that those who have experienced being in Government, like the Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD), can say that we are on the right track.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwila: Mr Speaker, lastly, I would like to comment on what the hon. Member of Parliament for Kasenengwa said when she stood on the Floor of this House and talked about the recruitment of defence and security personnel. She said that we employed our relatives and there was too much corruption in the process. On behalf of the Ministry of Defence, I want to challenge my sister to avail that information to us if she has got evidence to that effect so that we can take action. The Government’s position is that as far as we are concerned, there was no corruption involved. So, my appeal to Hon. Kalima or the hon. Opposition Members of Parliament is to work with the Patriotic Front (PF) Government.

I thank you very much, Mr Speaker.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

The Deputy Minister for Home Affairs (Mr Kampyongo): Mr Speaker, I will start by thanking you most sincerely for giving me this opportunity to also make comments on the speech made by His Excellency the President and the Motion which was ably moved by my colleague, the hon. Member for Luanshya, Hon. Chungu. Before I do that, allow me to speak on behalf of my colleague, the hon. Minister for Muchinga Province, Hon. Mulenga, all the hon. Members of Parliament from Muchinga and all the Government workers who mobilised themselves when the first decision was made to bury our mother, Mama Betty Kaunda, in Chinsali. I would also like to thank you for allowing the House to join hands with everybody in according our mother the send-off which she, indeed, deserved. 

Mr Speaker, in that light, I will move to a point which the President belaboured, which is unity, because this mother we were putting to rest and other mothers of this nation, contributed immensely to ensure that this country was a united from the time we got Independence. However, I must state, however, that working together entails mutual respect for one another. We should learn to understand that we are all important and should always embrace each other, in line with the way we have been brought up in this nation. 

The idea of thinking that one is more knowledgeable than the others will not take us anywhere. For now, there is only one Government, which the people of Zambia have given the mandate to take care of the affairs of the nation. So, it is incumbent upon all those who are probably waiting to come and take care of the affairs of the country at a later stage to co-operate with us because it is not a question of negotiating but a requirement. 

Mr Speaker, our people are looking for development and that can only come by leaders working together. In fact, working together for the people of Zambia is not a problem. The problem we have is the kind of politics that we have seen in the recent past. Generally, as Zambians, we have co-existed well. We do not look at where one comes from.

Interruptions

Mr Kampyongo: Well, that is a fact, and I will give you an example. On our first assignment in the ministry with my colleague, we went to sort out a problem in the Southern Province and stopped over in Monze to greet our brother, Hon. Hamududu. I am talking about unity, so hon. Members had better listen.

Laughter

Mr Kampyongo: We embraced each other. When we were parting, we overheard a petrol attendant telling his colleague that we were embracing each other when we were hon. Government Members while our colleague was a hon. Member of the Opposition. His friend replied saying, ‘Ah, ndiye mwamene balili aba ku Lusaka”, meaning we are friends. So, these people were saying that if we leaders can embrace each other, they should also follow suit. So, the kinds of politics that we are exercising now are divisive and we should change the way we do things.

Mr Speaker, I will refer to some sentiments which have been made in this House about the Police Force. We have all heard lamentations that Zambia now is a police state. Let us stop politicising every issue and being hypocritical. We acknowledge that there are problems in the Police Force and these are challenges which have built up over a long time. This is a service we have not invested in significantly. I can give you an example of the training institute we have at Lilayi. This is a facility which was established in 1955 to train only about twenty police officers. The infrastructure you find there is as old as that. 

Sir, the population of the nation has grown and we need to police it in a different way. So, we need to invest in the police, starting from the training facilities and also build infrastructure such as police camps and posts which all hon. Members of Parliament in here have been crying for. However, that is not something that will come like a dream. It is something that requires concerted effort and the PF has been trying to make efforts since it came into power to source finances to embark on this important task. 

We are also trying to harmonise the structures in the Police Force. In harmonising the conditions of service, we are looking at how to motivate our men and women in uniform. At the moment, if someone joins the police as a constable, he/she does not even know when he/she is going to become a sergeant. There are no systems at all. Therefore, people are demoralised. We are trying to ensure that we have facilities for in-service training. When people join the police, they should know how they will be moving up the ranks and how they will be prepared to take up their next position of authority. So, these are issues that require concerted efforts. Therefore, my appeal to our colleagues in the Opposition is that the police does not require the confrontation it has been subjected to.

Mr Speaker, for the first time in this country and through affirmative action, our Head of State has realised that even our female counterparts in uniform can also be in charge of important institutions. We have a female Inspector-General of Police and …

Mr Speaker: Order!

Business was suspended from 1815 hours until 1830 hours.

[Mr SPEAKER in the Chair]

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, before business was suspended, I was making an appeal to our colleagues on your left to avoid being confrontational with the police. The PF Government has an open door policy where our colleagues can engage us so that we look at the best way to administer the Public Order Act.  That is very clear, but we are not going to allow a situation where the police is dared right in their backyards. We have seen, in recent times …

Mr M. B. Mwale: On a point of order, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Ikala panshi, iwe.

Mr Kampyongo: … situations where people have gone to beat up innocent human beings right at the police station because they know probably they will be saved by their instructors. That, unfortunately, the police is not going to tolerate. 

Interruptions

Mr Kampyongo: So, the best we can do for the betterment of the nation is to cut down on politicising the utilisation of the police. You have sisters and brothers in the Zambia Police and they would not be happy to mete out even minimum force on their brothers. So, do not allow them to be dared in the most extreme situations. Let us engage each other at the political level. We have an open door policy where our colleagues can engage us and see how we can administer the Public Order Act. I think I have made by point very clear on that aspect.

Mr Speaker, let me now talk about the Road Development Agency (RDA). The President has decided to supervise the RDA and I think his decision to do that is reaffirmed by what Hon. Mutati said. This has to do with the issue of bureaucracies. We have had situations where a road is earmarked for works, but it will take one year for the feasibility studies to be conducted and it will take another year for a contract to be awarded. The President has only five years for now to show that he can deliver. When works are not done, the people of Zambia will not say the RDA has failed to work on the roads. They will say that President Michael Sata has failed …

Mr Kalaba: Hear, hear!

Mr Kampyongo: … and that is why the President has decided to be in charge of the RDA like he said bamba zonke. If you do not perform, he strikes the whip. So, …

Mr Speaker: Order!

The hon. Deputy Minister should, please, use the official language.

You can continue.

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, I am sorry about that because I borrowed the words the President used when he was making that decision.  The President wants to ensure that when he makes a commitment, it is fulfilled. 

Mr Kalaba: Hear, hear!

Mr Kampyongo: There are no jokes about that because it is affirmative action. We are in support because I have been waiting for a road which was supposed to have been done last year in my constituency and it cannot be done because of the same bureaucratic tendencies Hon. Mutati referred to. 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kampyongo: So, the Head of State has decided to be in charge and, if he fails, the people will say that he has failed to deliver and that is how it is going to be.

Mr Speaker, there was talk about the Constitution. For now, the committee is doing its work and I think I would not want to refer to my elder brother because he might come and whip me. We have participated in this process as hon. Members in a different way than it was before. Of course, this time the difference has been that I have not been attached to the process and not cashing in like it was before. There was a pact that side over this same Constitution making process. So, if it failed when there was that pact and there was a talk show just this …

Mr Speaker: Order!

The hon. Deputy Minister should address the Chair.

You can continue.

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, I am talking about the talk show which was at the Mulungushi Conference Centre. 

Hon. Opposition Members: Aah!

Mr Kampyongo: I know that the people who benefited from this do not want to hear this, but let us try and give chance to this technical committee to do its work and come up with a road map which we shall then discuss if it is going to work or not. As far as we are concerned, we have had no opposition with regard to all the pertinent issues which the people of Zambia would like to be attended to in the Constitution. So, as far as we are concerned, we are closely following the committee so that the people will not be disappointed in the process.

Finally, Mr Speaker, corruption does not just concern the people in the Government, but even the people on your left hand side. 

Hon. Opposition Member: Question!

Mr Kampyongo: It is very possible. The worst form of corruption I witnessed when I came to this House …

Interruptions 

Mr Speaker: Order!

Mr Kampyongo: … was when hon. Members of Parliament on your left hand side were rounded up from their designated places of residence and quarantined in hotels and were lectured on how to come and conduct business in this House. We do not know what packages were floated …

Interruptions

Mr Mwiimbu: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, let us call people to virtues that we believe in ourselves.

Interruptions

Hon. Opposition Members left the Assembly Chamber.

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, let us go …

Mr Speaker: Order! 

Hon. Deputy Minister, if your intention is to refer to the elections, then you are out of order.

You can continue.

Mr Kampyongo: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I did not mention any election and I am grateful for your guidance, but what I am just simply saying is that let us call people to the virtues that we believe in ourselves so that we do not deceive our people out there.

In conclusion, Mr Speaker, we have a responsibility to create jobs and these need to be protected. We have the Department of Immigration in the Ministry of Home Affairs which is charged with a responsibility of ensuring that it only accepts people to come and work in our country with the rear professions. So, we are trying to make sure that we make this department more effective in discharging its functions to safeguard people’s jobs.

Mr Speaker, I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!
 
The Deputy Minister for Muchinga Province (Mr Sichone): Mr Speaker, I thank you for giving me the privilege to contribute my thoughts on the Official Opening Address of His Excellency the President to the Second Session of the Eleventh National Assembly. 

Mr Speaker, having gone through the speech, I strongly feel that it is one of the most inspiring speeches for the people of this country. I say so because Muchinga Province, where I am the Provincial Minister, is solely a product of the PF Government.

Mr Speaker, during our campaigns, His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia promised the people of this country that he was going to create a tenth province when voted into Government. True to his word, this promise has been fulfilled. What benefits have come with this new province? 

Mr Speaker, Muchinga Province was initially part of the Northern Province, which was the biggest in this country. With twenty-two districts, service delivery in the province proved to be very difficult. The new province has six districts, one of which was part of the Eastern Province. This province has huge potential in tourism, mining and agriculture, to mention but a few.  

Mr Speaker, the potential in tourism gives a lot of hope to the people of this country. The President talked about tourism being one of the mainstays of our economy. The people in the province are surrounded by four national game parks, namely, the North Luangwa, the South Luangwa, Lavushi Manda and the Bangweulu Swamps. 

The North Luangwa is a park where you can view the ‘Big Five’. In the Lavushi Manda National Park, you find the famous shoe-bill bird while the Bangweulu Swamps is home to the famous Black Lechwe. 

Mr Speaker, for a long time, the tourism potential in Muchinga Province has not been opened up to both the people of this country and foreign investors. 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sichone: By the creation of this province, the potential in tourism has just been opened up. There are many investors who are knocking on our doors to inquire about the process of investing in the tourism sector.

Mr Speaker, I must also talk about the potential that we have in mining. Currently, there are two companies that have finished processing the documentation for registration. One of them will be mining rare earth minerals in Isoka, on Nkombwa Hills. This company will also take advantage of that to enable us to manufacture fertilisers out of the phosphate deposits which in Isoka. By the end of this year, according to the plan submitted to my office, the ground-breaking ceremony will be held and activities will, thereafter, commence. The implication of this is that we will have 2,000 jobs created immediately. 

Sir, these are the jobs that people have been talking about vis-á-vis youth unemployment. I would like to tell people who have been talking about the high unemployment levels that these are some of the strategies the PF Government has on the table, and which his Excellency outlined in his speech. 

Mr Speaker, in the mining sector, the province has manganese deposits. I must mention that there is another company that is putting up a Ferro Alloy Plant. This plant will immediately create about 600 high-value jobs. Within three years, this company is likely to create about 2,200 jobs. This entails that, together with the other strategies that we have put in place, the PF Government will create jobs for about 80 per cent of the youth in Muchinga Province, who are, currently, on the streets.

Mr Speaker, in view of the serious migration of our people, particularly the youth, who moved from the province to other parts of the country in search of employment, this will be an opportunity for all of them and others with the necessary qualifications and skills to come to the province and get these jobs.

Hon. Government Member: Hear, hear!

Mr Sichone: Mr Speaker, I must mention that I am also a bearer of a message from the chiefs who, for so many years, were entangled in this phenomenon called poverty, together with their subjects. It is only under the PF Government …

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 Mr Sichone: … that we have witnessed an increment in the chiefs’ subsidies. This has brought dignity to the traditional rulers.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sichone: They are no longer begging from their subjects. Instead, the subjects are rushing to get help from the chiefs. This is what the PF Government, under the able leadership of His Excellency, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, promised and has, so far, implemented. 

Mr Speaker, it is only under the PF Government that we have seen the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) reach the highest level of K1 billion per constituency. 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sichone: This money will be accessed by the people from your left just as much as those on your right. This is the only fund that will assure our colleagues from the left an opportunity to present something to their constituencies. On this point, the PF Government deserves to be commended.

Mr Speaker, in my province, there are a few significant challenges, one of which is inadequate banking facilities. It is only Finance Bank that operates there. Just recently, the PF Government saved Finance Bank from an illegal transaction that could have seen it go under. 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwila: Bwekeshapo!

Hon. Government Member: Ema Minister aya!

Mr Sichone: Finance Bank is in almost all the districts of the Province. If we had allowed that illegal transaction to succeed, by now, the farmers in my province would have had no opportunity to access their money. How were they going to be paid? That has been avoided by as a result of the stance by the Government, under the able leadership of His Excellency, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata.

Mr Speaker, we have not only saved Finance Bank, but also, I must mention, the Zambia Telecommunications Company Limited (ZAMTEL), from which our province benefits. The only communication services provider which was there before we had these other new companies in the province was ZAMTEL. When it was illegally or dubiously sold, so many people lost their jobs. Service delivery just became so poor and there was nothing to talk about in the province. When ZAMTEL was privatised, one had to go to Kasama to get an engineer to work on one’s telephone line. ZAMTEL has been saved and we have seen some people get their jobs back. I will not only talk about ZAMTEL.

Mr Speaker, I also would like to talk about the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA). TAZARA accrued heavy debts in the past twenty years. In simple terms, TAZARA needs more than US$20 million to clear its indebtedness. It is only under the PF Government that there has been a serious Budget allocation of US$10 million through this House. This amount translates into K50 billion all for recapitalisation and to pay the people who retired fifteen or eighteen years ago from TAZARA, but never got what was due to them. Is that not worth a commendation?

Mr Speaker, the PF Government is addressing the power issues that we heard from the hon. Deputy Minister of Mines, Energy, and Water Development. In July, 2012, we launched a project called the Pensulo-Mpika Kasama Project to upgrade the power supplied to my province from 33 kilovolts to 330 kilovolts.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, Hear!

Mr Sichone: Mr Speaker, presently, the contractor is on site, working. The energy issues in my province will be addressed as a result of this improvement. Is that not what we promised the people? We promised that we were going to upgrade the power supply and service delivery.

Mr Speaker, you may wish to know that the potential in agriculture, which was underrated for so many years, has been unlocked. This is the only Government that has identified three areas for Resettlement Schemes in the province. These will be used as farming blocks. We definitely believe that more that 5,000 jobs in the agriculture sector will be created by the end of 2016.

Mr Speaker, let me talk about value addition. There is a company in the province that is growing palms. It is called ZAMPALM. This company will start production within two to three years. The company plans to export or transport palms for processing to areas such as Lusaka and the Copperbelt provinces, where they will put up processing plants. As a result of the proper leadership of this Government, that factory will be constructed in the province and it will create more than 500 jobs.

Mr Speaker, there is the Link Zambia 8,000 km Road Project. I must put this on record that, as a result of this project, Chama will be linked to Chinsali by a bituminous road, for the first time in the history of this nation.

Mr Speaker, you must be aware that it is only 160 km from Chama to Chinsali. However, to travel from Chinsali to Chama, currently, forty-eight years since Independence, one has to travel more than a 1,000 km. That will come to pass. The road project will also create about 600 jobs in the next three years. I must also mention that part of the 8,000 km of the Link Zambia 8,000 km Road Project is the Chinsali/Samfya Road which will link Chinsali to Kasama, and Luapula and Congo through Muchinga Province. This road is part of the Link Zambia 8,000 km Road Project. 

Mr Speaker, I must also mention that the Government of Malawi has built a good road from Isoka, which is at the border, through Chitipa, linking Lilongwe. It has built a very good bridge on the other side of the border. The same bituminous road should be extended to Nakonde so that we expand the economic activities of Nakonde. This road is part of the roads that have been planned. 

Mr Speaker, the PF Government is talking about decentralisation. We have decided, as the provincial administration, under the able leadership of His Excellency the President, that, from the beginning, we should embark on one better exercise with the help of the  Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) to expand the road between Serenje and Nakonde and, possibly, make a dual carriage way. The feasibility studies have been conducted and the project has advanced. This implies that the economic activities of the province in Muchinga will be improved. Once the economic activities are improved, every Jim and Jack in the province will have an opportunity to participate in one of the economic activities that will come as a result of this infrastructure. 

Mr Speaker, the poverty that has accumulated in the province for the last twenty years will definitely come to pass. It is written in some literature that we shall always have the poor. However, we should not have poverty levels to the extent that they are.

Mr Speaker, I must mention that the PF Government is exploring the potential of the Chambeshi River. Chambeshi River discharges clean water into the Luapula River and Congo River because nothing has been going on there for many years. We want to tap the water from Chambeshi River so that we can start using it for irrigation. I must also mention that Mbesuma Ranch, which was defunct during the rule of our colleagues on the left, has been resuscitated. For the first time, this House approved K3 billion in the 2012 Budget meant to support and resuscitate the ranch. At the moment, there are more than 250 beautiful animals meant for breeding on that farm that are meant for sale to the people in the province at a subsidised rate, hence reducing the poverty levels.

Mr Speaker, I am very proud to mention that it is only in the PF Government that has included youths in the Executive arm of the Government. I am proud to mention that this shows how committed His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia is to upgrading leadership in the youth. 

Mr Speaker, I must also say that the talking that is taking place in this country is not good. We are witnessing much talking on every small matter. If the word yapping was Parliamentary, I would have used it in this case. There is so much of it in this country. We are talking much more than we are working. Let people give us a chance. We have a mandate to work and cannot be compared to a Government which was in power for twenty years. How do you compare one year and twenty years? It is not practical.

Mr Speaker, with these few remarks, I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear! 

Mr Speaker: Order!

ADJOURNMENT

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, I beg to move that the House do now adjourn.

Question put and agreed to.

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The House adjourned at 1901 hours until 1430 hours on Wednesday, 10th October, 2005.

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