Tuesday, 13^thSeptember, 2022

The House met at 1430 hours

[MADAM SPEAKER in the Chair]

NATIONAL ANTHEM

PRAYER

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ANNOUNCEMENTS BY MADAM SPEAKER

ACTING LEADER OF GOVERNMENT BUSINESS IN THE HOUSE

Madam Speaker: Hon. Members, I have received communication to the effect that in the absence of Her Honour the Vice-President, who is attending to other Government business, the Minister of Defence, Hon. Ambrose L. Lufuma, MP, has been appointed Acting Leader of Government Business in the House from Tuesday, 13^th September to 14^th September, 2022.

COMPOSITION OF THE STANDING ORDERS COMMITTEE

Madam Speaker:I also wish to inform the House that in accordance with Article 80 of the Constitution of Zambia (Amendment) Act No. 2 of 2016 and Standing Order No. 188 (1), the Standing Orders Committee for the Second Session of the Thirteenth National Assembly shall consist of the following hon. Members of Parliament:

The Hon. Madam Speaker (Chairperson)

The Hon. Leader of Government Business in the House 

The Hon. First Deputy Speaker (Vice-Chairperson)

The Hon. Second Deputy Speaker

The Hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning

The Hon. Government Chief Whip

The Hon. Leader of the Opposition

The Hon. Deputy Government Chief Whip

Mr S. Kampyongo, MP

Mr N. Chilangwa, MP

Mr M. Jamba, MP

Mr Emmanuel M. Musonda, MP

I thank you.

Interruptions

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Members!

As we start our business, I welcome all hon. Members. Without the masks, we can now see who is who and where one is sitting.

Laughter

Madam Speaker: So, it is good that at least we have gotten rid of the Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19), but we must still remain careful.

In terms of discipline and decorum, I appeal to hon. Members that discipline, integrity and decorum starts with each one of us. So, it is up to us, individually, to make sure that we maintain discipline and the decorum of the House as we represent the people of Zambia because they look up to us to ensure that we represent their interests.

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BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE

The Minister of Defence and Acting Leader of Government Business in the House(Mr Lufuma): Madam Speaker, I rise to give the House some idea of business it will consider this week. However, before I do that, let me take this opportunity to welcome all hon. Members to the first meeting of the Second Session of the Thirteenth National Assembly. I am glad that we are back safely and in good health. I also note that the hon. Members look eager to proceed with the Business of the House. I am, therefore, hopeful that the House as usual will work diligently and harmoniously in the performance of its functions despite hon. Members’ divergent views on various matters.

Madam Speaker, let me now come back to the Business of the House as expected to be transacted this week. As indicated on the Order Paper for today, Tuesday, 13^th September, 2022, the Business of this House will commence with Questions for Oral Answer. This will be followed by debate on the Motion of Thanks to His Excellency the President’s Address, which was delivered on Friday, 9^th September, 2022.

Madam Speaker, tomorrow, Wednesday, 14^th September, 2022, the Business of the House will start with Questions for Oral Answer. This will be followed by the presentation of Government Bills, if there will be any. Thereafter, the House will deal with Private Members Motions, if there will be any. The House will then continue with the debateon the Motion of Thanks to His Excellency the President’s Address.

Madam Speaker, on Thursday, 15^th September, 2022, the Business of the House will commence with Questions for Oral Answer. This will be followed by the presentation of Government Bills, if there will be any. The House will then continue with the debateon the Motion of Thanks to His Excellency the President’s Address.

Madam Speaker, on Friday, 16^th September, 2022, the Business of the House will begin with The Vice-President’s Question Time. This will be followed by Questions for Oral Answer. After that, the House will deal with the presentation of Government Bills, if there will be any. Then the House will continue with the debate on the Motion of Thanks to His Excellency the President’s Address.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

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MATTERS OF URGENT PUBLIC IMPORTANCE

HON. MTAYACHALO, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR CHAMA NORTH, ON THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE,HON. MTOLO, ON LATE FARMING INPUTS DISTRIBUTION

Mr Mtayachalo: On a matter of urgent public importance, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: A matter of urgent public importance is raised.

Mr Mtayachalo:Thank you, Madam Speaker, for according me this opportunity to raise a matter of urgent public importance.

First and foremost, I am a bearer of fraternal greetings from the people of Chama to you and your team, and their wish is that God will continue to bestow you with abundant wealth of wisdom as you preside over this important august House.I also welcome my colleagues, the hon. Members of Parliament.

Madam Speaker, the matter of urgent public importance I wish to raise is directed at the hon. Minister of Agriculture.

Madam Speaker, as you are aware, we have just come back from our respective constituencies and there are very serious concerns from the farming community in Chama District, and I think the nation at large, in as far as the continued delay in the distribution of farming inputs under the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) is concerned.I think you are aware that we are one month away before the onset of the rainy season and farmers are worried that up to this time, farming inputs have not been delivered, and this has the potential to affect household and national food security.

Madam Speaker, I am alive to the fact that the Government has listed companies to supply fertiliser under the FISP. However, we are concerned whether the companies which have been listed are capable of delivering fertiliser before the onset of the rainy season, especially that in rural areasroads are inaccessible. So, it will be practically impossible to deliver fertiliser to remote areas.

Therefore, Madam Speaker, I seek your serious indulgence on this matter. This is a matter of public interest because more than 70 per cent of Zambians are involved in agricultural activities.

HON. TWASA,MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR KASENENGWA, ON THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE,HON. MTOLO, ON THE FAILURE TO DELIVER FARMING INPUTS

Mr Twasa: On a matter of urgent public importance, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: A matter of urgent public importance is raised.

Mr Twasa:Madam Speaker, the people of Kasenengwa also send fraternal greetings to you and the entire membership of this House.

Madam Speaker, since Parliament adjourned at the end of July, I spent my entire time in Kasenengwa Constituency. Having gone round the constituency, I came to realise that there is a looming hunger crisis in Kasenengwa because of the failure to deliver farming inputs to the farmers in Kasenengwa. As a result of this, most maize barns or storage units are drying up and people have no maize. At every place in every ward in Kasenengwa I went to, people were saying that mukatilabililekoku Boma, kunokulinjala, meaning go and speak to the hon. Minister of Agriculture, there is hunger in Kasenengwa, and, indeed, it is a serious problem.

Madam Speaker, the people of Kasenengwa are appealing to the hon. Minister of Agriculture to send them relief food because they do not have maize. This is a serious crisis, which is looming in Kasenengwa.

Madam Speaker, I need your guidance on this matter.

Madam Speaker:Thank you very much.

The hon. Member for Chama North and the hon. Member for Kasenengwa have raised two issues and they are actually in away related. The issues that the hon. Members have raisedaffect the whole nation. The issue of fertiliser affects everyone, not just the people of Chama North. The issue of hunger also affects everyone, not just the people of Kasenengwa. However, those two issues that have been raised do not fall under the criterion that qualifies them to be raised as matters of urgent public importance. I believe the hon. Minister of Agriculture will address these issues as we go along. So, for now, the matters that have been raised will not be admitted, but at an appropriate time, the hon. Minister of Agriculture will issue a statement to the honourable House.

We can make progress.

Mr Kapyanga: On a matter of urgent public importance, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: A matter of urgent public importance is raised.

Mr Kapyanga: Madam Speaker, let me put on record that the people of Mpika are very excitedand happy to see you without a facemask.

Laughter

Mr Kapyanga: Madam Speaker, my matter of urgent public importance has been overtaken by events.

Madam Speaker:I thank the people of Chama North, Kasenengwaand Mpika. We also send our love and greetings to them.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

HON. J. CHIBUYE, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR ROAN, ON THE MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS AND INTERNAL SECURITY, HON. MWIIMBU

Mr J. Chibuye:On a matter of urgent public importance, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: A matter of urgent public importance is raised.

Mr J. Chibuye: Madam Speaker, equally, let me join my colleagues in sending greetings from the people of Roan to your office and the National Assembly of Zambia. It is nice that the people of Roan are now able to see clearly, who the Speaker of the National Assembly of Zambia is.

Laughter

Mr J. Chibuye: Madam Speaker –

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Members!

Let us stick to the issues. Otherwise, we are going to drift away from the core business of the House.

Mr J. Chibuye:Thank you very much for your guidance, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker, the matter of urgent public importance I wish to raise is directed at the hon. Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security.

Madam Speaker, when this august House wason recess, certain things happened in this nation firstly in Luano, where people took the law in their own hands. You will recall that there was an incident in Luano where it was purportedly reported that the body of a dead person hadrefused to be buried. This led to confusions and innocent people being targeted as the causers of that death.

Madam Speaker, not only in Luano; in Mazabuka, there was a similar incident, where unfortunately, we even lost a life because of this practice, and the police officers were overpowered by a mob. Recently in Lufwanyama, the same incident happened.The coffins were dragging people, trying to take them to the supposed killers.

Madam Speaker, I am worried that innocent souls will be lost in the process if no action is taken. I would like you to guide me on what the hon. Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security is doing to ensure that this practice comes to an end.

Madam Speaker: The hon. Member for Roan is asking me to delve in issues that touch on witchcraft.

Laughter

Madam Speaker: I am sure it is very difficult to determine whetherthose coffins really targetedpeople as they were moving. However, I believe the hon. Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security through various post officesis attending to the matter. So, I do not think it is a matter that qualifies to be raised as a matter of urgent public importance. However, as leaders, as I have guided before, let us engage with the relevant Ministers to find out what has been done in relation to some matters before we raise them on the Floor of the House. That way, we will not be looking like weare fishing for matters of urgent public importance. So, that matter is not admitted. We can make progress.

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Mr Nyambose (Chasefu): Madam Speaker, let me also join my colleagues in bringing fraternity greetings to you and the team, and all hon. Members of this august House.

QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER

RECRUITMENT OF POLICE OFFICERS

1. Mr Nyambose asked the Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security:

1. whether the Government has any plans to recruit police officers in 2022; and
2. if so, whether there are any plans to decentralise the recruitment process to the constituency level.

The Minister of Defence (Mr Lufuma) (on behalf of the Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security (Mr Mwiimbu)):Madam Speaker, the Zambia Police Service has plans to recruit 3,000police officers in the year 2022, …

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Lufuma: … if treasury authority is granted by the Ministry of Finance and National Planning.

Madam Speaker, the recruitment of police officers in the Zambia Police Service has always been decentralised.Provinces receive applications from districts, screening takes place and candidates are thereon recruited.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Mukosa(Chinsali): Madam Speaker, has the Acting hon. Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security tried to liaise with the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning to get an idea of when treasury authority will be granted so that people can have an idea of when that is going to materialise?

Mr Lufuma:Madam Speaker, we are in discussions, and we have an appointment next week on Wednesday to discuss this issue in detail so that we can see whether there are some monies available to assist us.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Nyambose: Madam Speaker, I thank the Acting Leader of Government Business in the House for the response. However, apart from the teachers and health workers’ recruitment, there has never been decentralised recruitment in this country. What I mean is that Chasefu never had a share in terms of recruitment previously. Since we have now embarked on a transparent decentralised system, the people of Chasefu or the energetic and learned youths, should have the opportunity to get recruited just like it was done during the recruitment of teachers and health workers. I congratulate and salute the Government for what it did and it should continue on the same trajectory.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Madam Speaker:Let us be precise and concise when we are asking supplementary questions. The hon. Acting Leader of Government Business in the House.

Interruptions

Madam Speaker: Can we have order, hon. Members!

In my opening remarks, I said that discipline starts with each one of us individually. So, we should not be talking when the House is in session.

Mr Lufuma: Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Member for the accolades and commendations that he has heaped on this New Dawn Government. I assure the hon. Member that we are going to do exactly what he desires and we shall decentralise the recruitment process. We shall do it just like we did when recruiting the teachers. From the provincial level down to the districts, targets will be given to each district and it will be up to each district to utilise those numbers, which numbers will then go to the provincial level where the actual recruitment and selection will take place. So, be assured that the New Dawn Government will continue being transparent.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Mtayachalo(Chama North):Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Minister for that response. Is there a specific number of people in each district who will benefit?

Mr Lufuma: Madam Speaker, I am afraid we have not gotten to that detail yet, but obviously, we will do that. Just be patient with us and we shall communicate.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Mushanga(Bwacha): Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Minister for the responses so far.

Madam Speaker, suppose the Ministry of Finance and National Planning does not give treasury authority to employ the 3,000 police officers, does the ministry have an alternative?

Is the question clear hon. Minister? What are you asking?

Laughter  

Mr Mushanga: Madam Speaker, the hon. Minister indicated that next week on Wednesday, he will meet the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning to discuss the issue to do with treasury authority to employ 3,000 police officers. Suppose treasury authority is not given, what is the alternative?

Madam Speaker: Hon. Member for Bwacha, according to our Standing Orders, you cannot ask questions based on suppositions. So, that question does not stand. We can move to the next question. Unless if you want to ask another question. Please, ask a direct question not suppositions.

Mr Mushanga:Madam Speaker, when the Ministry of Finance and National Planning grants treasury authority, when specifically, will police officers be recruited? That one is not a supposition.

Madam Speaker: I believe the hon. Minister has already indicated that they are still in discussions and they have not gone into details yet. So, you have exhausted your time.

Mr J. Chibuye(Roan): Madam Speaker, I commend the New Dawn Government for recruiting 30,000 teachers and 11,000 health workers.

Hon. Government Members:Hear, hear!

Mr J. Chibuye:Madam Speaker, it is on record that the principal himself has on several fora indicated that there will be nothing like paying kasumfing towards being recruited. Can the hon. Minister assure the would-be recruits and sensitise them at the same time that they should not fall prey to paying kasumfing when applying for jobs?

Mr Lufuma: Madam Speaker, the New Dawn Government is on record, just like the President said, saying it wants to fight every form of corruption and that ka sumfing is nothing but corruption.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Lufuma: So, I assure, encourage and sensitise all the would-be recruits in the Zambia Police Service that should there be anybody who asks for that ka sumfing, that person should immediately, without any hesitation at all, be reported to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

Hon. Opposition Member:Ka sumfing meaning?

Mr Lufuma: Ka sumfing is corruption chabe. Ka sumfing is basically giving a small token to induce or entice someone providing a certain service to facilitate and quicken the process so that that person is awarded. That is the explanation of ka sumfing. It is tantamount to corruption and we are saying no to corruption. So, please, report any such officer immediately to recruitment authorities and/or the ACC.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Kampyongo (Shiwang’andu):Madam Speaker, I appreciate the hon. Minister’s responses and I agree with him that, indeed, the recruitment of police recruits has always been decentralised according to police establishments.

Madam Speaker, treasury authority is not given from engagements in meetings between Ministers. All the ministries and Government spending agencies are finalising their 2023 budget expenditure proposals. Can the hon. Minister confirm to this august House that among the proposals they are submitting to the Ministry of Finance and National Planning, there is a budget line specifically for the recruitment of police officers, the basis which the hon. Minister will use to give them treasury authority?

Mr Lufuma: Madam Speaker, I thank Hon. Kampyongo for that question. Indeed, we are talking about 2022. In the 2023 Budget, there is a budget line for recruitment. However, we need a little money, which was not necessarily very clear in our Budget, to commence the recruitment process that is advertising, and eventually, the recruitment process up to December so that come January, after the Budget Meeting, we hope the budget line would have definitely been approved, with your assistance and then we can commence training. Training starts in 2023. However, the process starts now and this is why we are in discussions with the Ministry of Finance and National Planning to try and get that money which will assist us to facilitate the recruitment proess.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Tayengwa (Kabwata): Madam Speaker, the Acting hon. Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security has indicated that the process for recruiting police officers will start. Can he assure this House that this process will be free from cadreism unlike what we saw in the past?

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Lufuma: Madam Speaker, the assurance is through the process that we just undertook and that is the recruitment of teachers, which was cadre free. The recruitment of health workers by the Ministry of Health also went smoothly and was cadre free. Therefore, that to me is assurance enough that the New Dawn Government shall follow the same process without fail.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Simuzingili (Gwembe): Madam Speaker, greetings from the lovely people of Gwembe.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

COMPLETION AND OPERATIONALISATION OF THE IRRIGATION SCHEME IN

CHABBOBBOMA AREA

2. Mr Simuzingili asked the Minister of Agriculture:

(a)          when the irrigation scheme in Chabbobboma area in Gwembe District will be completed and operationalised;

(b)          what the cause of the delay in completing the project is; and

(c)          what the cost of the project is.

The Minister of Agriculture (Mr Mtolo): Madam Speaker, before I respond to the good people of Gwembe, the Ministry of Agriculture welcomes the hon. Members back to Lusaka. They look very healthy and you can tell that food prices have been stable and, therefore, they are feeding well. We are happy to see this representation of nutrition from these hon. Members.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mtolo: Madam Speaker, the Chabbobboma Irrigation Scheme in Gwembe will be completed and operationalised once the ministry mobilises more finances for the remaining civil works. As the hon. Member is aware, the works have commenced, but we are hopeful that come next year, we will move a little bit further with the programme.

Madam Speaker, as indicated, the lack of funds delayed the completion of the irrigation scheme.

Madam Speaker, the estimated cost of the scheme is US$1,242,000.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Interruptions

Madam Speaker: For those hon. Members who want to consult, please, you can do so quietly or, maybe, take a step outside to consult and then come back.

Mr Simuzingili: Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Minister for that elaborate answer and the people of Gwembe appreciate it.

Madam Speaker, we are so happy with that answer because in areas like Gwembe, there were perpetual floods, and perpetual drought and hunger. We thank the hon. Minister for the specific answer that come next year, that irrigation scheme will be operationalised.

Laughter

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Madam Speaker: Order!

Mr Menyani Zulu (Nyimba): Madam Speaker, the people of Nyimba also send greetings to you and the entire House.

Madam Speaker, this is a very viable project and I agree with my colleague that Gwembe is one of the areas mostly affected with drought in this country. The hon. Minister will agree with me that even Nyimba, where I come from, is just like Gwembe. There is drought in the area each year. The rain pattern differs every year, but we have perpetual drought. Does the Government have any plans to implement the same project it has started implementing in Gwembe inSinazongwe? The project should cover the whole stretch of the valley from Gwembe to Muchinga. Does the Government have any plans to implement this project in some areas where there are water bodies which we are not utilising?

Madam Speaker: The question regarding this project was specific to Gwembe. So, if the hon. Member for Nyimba wants to ask a question in those lines, so that we do not take the hon. Minister of Agriculture by surprise, he can put in a question.

PROVISION OF RELIEF FOOD IN MPIKA DISTRICT

 3. Mr Kapyanga (Mpika) asked the Vice-President:

 

1. whether the Government will provide relief food to the people of Chief Nabwalya’s area in Mpika District, who are threatened with hunger; and 
2. what long term measures the Government will take for the Nabwalya area, which is in perennial need of relief food as their crops are always destroyed by wild animals from the Luangwa North National Park.

The Minister of Defence and Acting Leader of Government Business in the House (Mr Lufuma): Madam Speaker, the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) pre-positioned 200 metric tonnes of maize for the people of Nabwalya’s area, in Mpika District, in October 2021. This followed an assessment of the food needs for the area for the period September 2021 to March 2022. A Project Implementation Partner (PIP) was engaged in November 2021 to distribute the maize to the vulnerable households in Nabwalya on behalf of the DMMU. Further, the project implementing partner distributed the maize to the vulnerable households in Nabwalya.

Madam Speaker, the DMMU this year conducted an in-depth vulnerability and needs assessment countrywide in Nabwalya, which stretches across Mpika and Lavushimanda districts and the extent of the food insecurity in the area has been determined, and a relief pipeline for the needs in Nabwalya has also been ascertained. Consequent to the assessment, food insecure households in Chief Nabwalya’s area will benefit from the relief pipeline earmarked for 2022/2023 in Lavushimanda District.

Madam Speaker, as to the long-term solution to crops being damaged by animals since people are settled in Game Management Areas (GMAs), the Government is exploring different options using a multi-sectoral approach involving, among others, ministries responsible for tourism, lands and natural resources, green economy and environment, the DMMU, the Resettlement Department and co-operating partners. One measure in this regard will involve community sensitisation regarding human-animal conflicts.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Kapyanga: Madam Speaker, right now, the people of Nabwalya are suffering; they are starving. When will the Government distribute relief food to avert the hunger crisis in Chief Nabwalya’s area?

Mr Lufuma: Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Member for that pertinent question. Relief distribution will begin in September 2022, after the national focus is released this week. We expect the national focus to be released this week, and as soon as that is done, we shall know the figures that will be required and before the end of September or this month, we should be up and running and ensure that our people in Chief Nabwalya’s area are well catered for and they do not die out of hunger.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

CONSTRUCTION OF A DISTRICT HOSPITAL IN ZIMBA DISTRICT

4. Mrs Munashabantu (Mapatizya) asked the Minister of Health:

1. whether the Government has any plans to construct a district hospital in Zimba District;
2. if so, when the plans will be implemented;
3. what the estimated cost of the project is; and
4. what the estimated timeframe for the completion of the project is.

The Minister of Labour and Social Security (Ms Tambatamba) (on behalf of the Minister of Health (Mrs Masebo)): Madam Speaker, the Government in the 2022 Ministry of Health’s Budget is focusing on completing the thirty-six district hospitals that are at various levels of construction. Therefore, the construction of district hospitals in districts that do not have public first level hospitals such as Zimba District will only be considered after the completion of the thirty-six district hospitals countrywide. The construction of district hospitals will be done in order to address the challenges of inadequate and inequitable distribution of health facilities across the country.

Madam Speaker, the House may wish to note that Zimba District is currently served by Zimba Mission Hospital, which is a faith-based facility. By Government categorisation, this is a first level hospital.The House may also wish to note that the Government supports faith-based health facilities countrywide, through the provision of human resource grants, medicines and medical supplies.

Madam Speaker, the plans will be implemented after the completion of the thirty-six district hospitals as stated above.

Madam Speaker, the estimated cost of the project will only be known upon award of the project to the responsive bidders.

Madam Speaker, the estimated timeframe will also be known upon award of the project to the responsive bidders at the time.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mrs Munashabantu: Madam Speaker, it is not necessarily a supplementary question, but I just wish to stress the need for a district hospital in Mapatizya. Mapatizya is in dire need of a district hospital. As regards the hospital being talked about, Zimba Mission Hospital,it is a mission hospital and not all the facilities and the needed machinery are there. Most of the cases are referred to Livingstone, and many lives have been lost because of the distance covered. Mapatizya stretches from Zimba to the Zambezi River, and it is a stretch of about 200 km of a bad road, which was neglected by the past Government. Considering the fact that there is a mine there which is –

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Member!

It is not time for debate; it is time for supplementary questions. I am sure you can make those representations to the hon. Minister when you meet next. The hon. Member for Mufulira.

Mr Mwila (Mufulira): Madam Speaker, I got interested when the hon. Minister responded that the Government this year is focusing on completing the thirty-six district hospitals. In Mufulira, the construction of a district hospital has stalled. The last time an answer was given on the Floor of this House, we were told that this project was estimated to be at 65 per cent. During the recess, I was in Mufulira and I did not see any works going on. So, regarding the thirty-six hospitals that the hon. Minister mentioned in her response, are the funds already available, are the works going on, and is Mufulira District Hospital which has stalled among the thirty-six district hospitals that the hon. Minister talked about in her response?

Madam Speaker: I will allow the question only because the hon. Minister referred to the thirty-six hospitals.

Ms Tambatamba: Madam Speaker, this information can be sought directly from the ministry. As to where these hospitals are being constructed, what I am aware of in this case is that amongst these facilities is a mini-hospital at Nyawa under the United Kingdom (UK)-funded project consisting of 115 mini-hospitals and five district hospitals. So, any other specific information can be sought from the ministry.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

CONSTRUCTION OF SPORTS DEVELOPMENT CENTRES IN ALL DISTRICTS

5. Mr C. Mpundu (Chembe) asked the Minister of Youth, Sport and Arts:

1. whether the Government has any plans to construct sports development centres in all districts, countrywide;
2. if so, when the plans will be implemented; and
3. if there are no such plans, why.

The Minister of Agriculture (Mr Mtolo) (on behalf of the Minister of Youth, Sport and Arts (Mr Nkandu)): Madam Speaker, the hon. Member may wish to note that it is the desire of the Government, through the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Arts, to construct and establish sports development centres in all districts countrywide, and this is enshrined in the implementation framework of the Eighth National Development Plan (8NDP).

Madam Speaker, plans to construct sports development centres in all districts will be implemented as soon as funds are made available. In this regard, the hon. Member of Parliament may wish to note that the ministry is also engaging co-operating partners in order to mobilise alternative source of funding for infrastructure development, which includes sports and development centres.

Madam Speaker, as indicated, plans are already there and they will be implemented accordingly.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr C. Mpundu: Madam Speaker, the hon. Minister is aware that sport is also a skill. Of course, some of our youths may not be willing to acquire technical skills that fall under the Constituency Development Fund (CDF). Is the hon. Minister in a position to come to this House and give us a list of those districts where these centres will be constructed? It is not every youth who may want to acquire technical skills; others would rather go for sports.

Mr Mtolo: Madam Speaker, I think the hon. Member’s suggestion is that a list should be brought in due course to indicate the areas where the sports centres will be built. Yes, that will be done, but for today, I am happy to let him know that in four areas, extensive work of repairing, renovating and fixing sports centres is ongoing. For example, the Kenneth Kaunda Stadium in Chipata, the Kaole Stadium in Mansa, which is of high interest to him, the Independence Stadium in Solwezi and the Kasama Stadium in Kasama are being worked on at a cost of not less than US$300,000 per stadium and these will be completed by the end of the year. So, yes, we will deliver the information required by the hon. Member for Chembe.

I thank you, Madam.

Interruptions

Madam Speaker: The hon. Member for Bwacha, do you have any supplementary question?  

Please, let us pay attention to what we are doing. Let us not chat. The hon. Member for Chienge.

Rev. Katuta (Chienge): Madam Speaker, recreation centres are very important. When we were growing up, we used to call them “holofeyas.” The hon. Minister talked about sports centres in Mansa or provincial centres only to be developed or renovated, but what about people who are, for example, in Chienge, do they not need recreation centres also?

Mr Mtolo: Madam Speaker, my answer in (a) was very clear that centres will be developed or constructed in all the districts. The four areas I mentioned were merely examples to show how serious the ministry is in its endeavour.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Chewe (Lubansenshi): Madam Speaker, greetings from the people of Lubansenshi Constituency, Luwingu District. I followed the hon. Minister very well and he acknowledged that the Government has plans to construct sports facilities across the country, province by province or district by province. Further, he talked about budget lines and that sport facilities will be constructed when funds are made available. Is he able to tell this honourable House and, indeed, the good people of Lubansenshi Constituency, how much it will cost to construct the sports facilities? Secondly, is he able to tell us when the sport facilities will be constructed. Is it this year or in 2023?

Mr Mtolo: Madam Speaker, I request that the hon. Member allows that, that information is brought together with the information which the hon. Member for Chembe asked for because he demanded for a list of districts, where the sports facilities will be constructed and when this will be done.  So, what we will do is that we will add another column for the cost.  It is not possible for me to give the details because I do not know exactly the plans of the type of stadium or recreation facility that will be developed in each district.

 I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Chibombwe (Bahati): Madam Speaker, we, the people of Bahati are the beneficiaries of the renovations at Kaole Stadium.  I thank the Federation International of Football Association (FIFA) through Football Association of Zambia (FAZ), because I am aware that the project is funded by FIFA. Can the hon. Minister inform this House and the nation, whether the four stadia he mentioned are funded by the Government or FIFA? Further, the contractor of Kaole Stadium is not at the site so when will he be back?

Mr Mtolo: Madam Speaker, I think I have the liberty to answer one question as per procedure and I choose to indicate that the funding for these four stadia, which are being worked on, is by the Federation International of Football Association (FIFA) based on a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ).

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

COMPLETION OF LOCAL COURTS IN NYIMBA DISTRICT

6. Mr Menyani Zulu asked the Minister of Justice:

1. when the construction of the following local courts in Nyimba District will be completed:

1. Katipa; and 
2. Nyimba;

1. what the cause of the delay in completing the projects is;
2. what the name of the contractor is; and
3. what the timeframe for completion of the projects is.

The Minister of Justice (Mr Haimbe, SC.): Madam Speaker, I wish to inform the House that the construction of Nyimba Local Court will be completed towards the end of this year 2022.  Currently, the assessment of the remaining works has been completed and the process is at tendering stage.  Funds are available for the completion of the remaining works. 

Madam Speaker, the construction of Katipa Local Court will commence once the processes of physical assessment, preparation of drawings and Bills of Quantities (BoQs), and tendering processes are completed.

Madam Speaker, the delay in completing the projects was due to the intermittent funding from the Treasury from 2015 to 2021. However, funds are now available and there will be no delay going forward.

Madam Speaker, the name of the contractor for the local court is SARZAM Contractors Limited.

Madam Speaker, the timeframe for the completion of the project is sixteen weeks, that is to say four months.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Mushanga: Madam Speaker, will the gesture of completing local courts, especially those above 80 per cent and I have in mind Chililalila Local Court in Makululu, like in Nyimba, be extended to court infrastructure above 80 per cent like the one I have cited?  

Madam Speaker: The question relates to local courts in Katipa and Nyimba in Nyimba District. I am sure that question, where the hon. Member is asking whether the gesture will be extended, has taken the hon. Minister by surprise.  The hon. Member can, maybe, put in a question.  The money is available for local courts in Katipa and Nyimba. 

Mr C. Mpundu: Madam Speaker, the hon. Minister of Justice is aware that the Zambia Police Service works in tandem with the courts. Does the ministry have any plans of constructing subordinate courts in the newly created districts to avoid officers transporting suspects 200 km to the Bomas, like the way it is in Chembe, and if the suspect runs away, the officer is charged for aiding a prisoner to escape?

Madam Speaker: You are expanding the question. You are bringing in the construction of subordinate courts in Chembe, yet the question relates to local courts in Katipa and Nyimba. 

Hon. Member for Chembe, if you want to ask specifically on subordinate courts in Chembe, you should put in a specific question.

Mr Munir Zulu (Lumezi): Madam Speaker, the hon. Minister of Justice has told this House that the works will be completed by December.  In the previous session, we were told that the hospital in Nyimba would be completed by June 2022. Unfortunately, no contractor is on site.  Are we seeing the same happening with the local courts?

Madam Speaker: Sorry, I missed the question.  Hon. Member, may you repeat the question.

Mr Munir Zulu: Madam Speaker, I was referring to the construction of a hospital in Nyimba Hospital and we were assured that it would be completed in June 2022. Unfortunately, no contractor is on site. Today, again, we have been told that the local court will be completed by December. So, my question to the hon. Minister of Justice is that: Are we seeing the same happening as we have been told that the local court will be completed in December, when in reality no works will be done?

Mr Haimbe, SC.: Madam Speaker, quite evidently, I cannot speak on behalf of the Ministry of Health in terms of whether or not the hospital facility was completed. However,having said that, if the hon. Member was listening very closely as I responded to the question, the fact is that a contractor by the name of SARZAM Contractors Limited has been identified. So, that should put any concerns by the hon. Member to rest.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Menyani Zulu: Madam Speaker, permit me to say this. The hon. Minister of Justice is a state counsel now and he understands how difficult it is to operate in areas where there is no court. Basically, there is no single court in this district, which is sad. This issue has come to the attention of his office, but it is a year now. I thank him for assuring the people of Nyimba that by December or so, the court will be completed. However, my simple question to the hon. Minister is: If the contractor has been identified and money is available, when will we see the contractor move on site?

Mr Haimbe, SC.: Madam Speaker, indeed, access to justice is a critical aspect of every human life. This is a situation that has been pending from 2014 and 2015 respectively to date and that is why the New Dawn Government has now addressed it. That is how seriously we take these matters. In the same light, the answers to the question as put forward are clear that the contractor will move on site as soon as assessment and tendering processes and the rest are completed. So, it is a matter of practicality and especially that the money is available, it will not be too late. Certainly, the hon. Member will note that a timeline has been given for completion, which is by December. Therefore, everything will occur within the intervening period.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Simumba (Nakonde): Madam Speaker, in an event that these courts are not completed by December, what are we going to do to the ministry?

Laughter

Madam Speaker: The question is speculative. So, it is not admitted.

REHABILITATION OF THE ROAD FROM MUSHIMBA VILLAGE TO CHIKUBI

7. Mr Chala (Chipili) asked the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development:

1. why the rehabilitation of the road from Mushimba Village to Chikubi in Chipili Parliamentary Constituency has stalled;
2. when the project will resume;
3. who the contractor is; and
4. how much money was paid to the contractor, as of March, 2022.

The Minister of Local Government and Rural Development (Mr Nkombo): Madam Speaker, the progress on the rehabilitation of the road from Mushimba Village to Chikubi in Chipili Constituency has stalled due to the lack of funds and the contractor is awaiting payment for works that have already been certified.

Madam Speaker, the project will resume as soon as the Government secures funds for the financing of the remaining scope of work.

Madam Speaker, the name of the contractor of this project is Transley Enterprises Limited.

Madam Speaker, a total sum of K3,423,141.56 has been paid to Transley Enterprises Limited as at 20^th March, 2022.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mrs Chonya (Kafue): Madam Speaker, I listened to the hon. Minister’s response with interest because I am relating this situation to the roads in Kafue. Since the hon. Minister said there is no money to pay the contractor, is it permissible to allow any other well-wisher to work on such a road in this village, to improve the situation because the rainy season is about to start and bearing in mind that this road is under a contract. So, is it permissible for stakeholders who are concerned to come in and do something on a contracted road?

Madam Speaker: The hon. Minister can indicate whether it is permissible, in relation to the question that has been asked.

Mr Nkombo: Madam Speaker, the hon. Member of Parliament for Kafue brings in an issue of kindness. If someone is willing to assist, my assumption is that he will be doing this at no cost to the Government. Therefore, there will be no problem whatsoever as long as there is no cost to the Government.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Chala: Madam Speaker, permit me to ask two questions.

Madam Speaker: Hon. Member for Chipili, you can ask two questions. So, you can ask one first or you can even ask the two questions at once.

Mr Chala: Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker, according to the response that I got, this project will be done when the money is made available. Now, the question is: When is the money going to be available? That is the first question. Secondly, I want the hon. Minister to tell me the exact words or message that I should go and tell your people in Chipili, concerning this road.

Mr Nkombo: Madam Speaker, thank you for allowing me to answer a question from the hon. Colleague from Chipili on the exact date when money is going to be available to repair this road.

Madam Speaker, the exact date when the money will be available to repair this road will depend on that particular activity being factored into the Budget, whether this year or next year. Let me just expand this point a little bit, so that I make it easy for hon. Members to understand. I wear a jacket of size 56, but if you bring me a jacket of size 42, I certainly will not wear it because it will not fit.

Madam Speaker, what was happening before is something that we have explained here on the Floor of this House over and over again. We will not print any money and we will not borrow any money. The previous Administration stretched and overcommitted contracts without taking due consideration on what this Parliament had appropriated for in the last five years. Until we correct the malaise that is associated with the debts that has been left by the hon. Colleagues in the previous Government for the contractors, I am afraid we are not going to use magic to settle these debts.

Madam Speaker, we have to budget for the payment of these obligations and that is not to say we are turning our back on these obligations. If they did the work, they must be paid. However, be mindful that there are many cases where money was paid and no work was done. So, we are going systematically to bring those who got money, which money should have completed that road in Chipili, but never worked so that they can account for what they were doing in the past. Secondly, on the exact words my colleague the hon. Member of Parliament is going to tell the people in Chipili, he should refer to my answer, in the first instance, and that is what he is going to tell my good people in Chipili.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: I hope the hon. Member for Chipili has gotten the message.

Mr Munir Zulu: Madam Speaker, I love the hon. Minister’s confession that some people were paid and never did the works. The hon. Minister has been consistently saying that some people were paid and never did the works, but we have not seen any of those people being named and shamed. The people of Lumezi would like to know if the contractor that the hon. Minister mentioned is a cadre.

Mr Nkombo: Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Colleague from Lumezi for a question that I desired to hear all this long. Yes, we said that. We are a decent group of people. It is very clear that we are dealing with people, some of whom are cadres, who got money without providing a collaborating service to the Government while others are not cadres and they are genuine businessmen.

Last year, Madam Speaker, I reported to this House that we had engaged a company on pro bono basis called Zulu Barrow Development Consultants Limited because it has expertise on assessing the quality and quantity of work that had been done or alleged to have been done on the roads. My office has been given a comprehensive report and we have since handed over this file to the Attorney-General’s Office to get expert advice. Part of what we are seeking from the Auditor-General is to terminate forthright, all the contracts for the contractors who underperformed and we will not renew all the contracts that have since expired because what we found in nearly all the ministries today, is that procurement was being done void of treasury authority. So, since it was being done void of treasury authority, it becomes an offence, not only according to the regulations but also the Appropriation Act to spend money that has not been authorised by the Treasury. So, give us a bit of time. You will hear their names when that time comes. Whether they are cadres or not, it may be premature for me to say, yes, this contractor is a cadre because I only know him at this point or juncture by his trading name. I do not know the person inside this corporate. So, as and when we are done with the company search to see who the directors are, with the view to remove the corporate veil and do the necessary, I am afraid, brother and friend, I do not know whether this person is a cadre or not.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Menyani Zulu: Madam Speaker, I sympathise with the hon. Minister of Local Government and Rural Development and it pains me and my heart bleeds. Some of us come from rural areas and when the hon. Minister speaks, sometimes one thinks he is joking or, maybe, he is being petty or he is trying to be political but for me, I understand.

Madam Speaker, I rise to ask this question, in fact it might not even be a question but I just wish to advise the hon. Minister. The hon. Minister in his response said that they may cancel the contracts which expired. Can the hon. Minister just cancel those contracts that expired because in my constituency, the contractors who went there turned out to be bogus contractors and it pains me to hear the hon. Minister say that they may cancel the contracts. What is he waiting for? Can he cancel the contract for this contractor so that we can have proper people work on the roads. The ministry earmarked some roads as having been worked on, yet no works were done because of a bogus set up.

Madam Speaker: It was not a question but a comment, unless if the hon. Minister wants to respond.

Mr Nkombo: Madam Speaker, I urge the hon. Member not to feel sorry for me because I am not looking for sympathy out here. However, I have taken note of his kind words and his forthrightness to make sure that we do the right thing. We have a duty to be cordial and it is in our Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) to be polite and cordial. The Attorney-General is the lawyer for the Government. I am not a lawyer. Therefore, it is only prudent that in every step of the way as we go towards winding up these contracts, we walk on firm ground and that there is no backlash. Remember, even the delays of these so called, using the hon. Member’s words, ‘bogus contracts’ also attract interest on default to payment. It is just that some of these people at this point do not yet have the courage to come to my office. If we had a weak leadership, they would have come to look for their interest on default of payment. We want to make sure that we clean up the past as we forge ahead. We shall soon get there; just wish us well. Do not feel sorry for us.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Mung’andu (Chama South): Madam Speaker, indeed, the situation in Chama South is no different. There are about three contractors from Chama Chikwa, Chikwa Mapamba, and Chifunda Imusa and Chikwa Imusa. I was shocked when the hon. Minister disclosed the amount of money which was paid to one of the contractors, but if you go on the ground, you will not see anything. We should admit that these things were done wrongly and we need to correct them.

Madam Speaker, the hon. Minister indicated that he is considering cancelling some contracts, yet the people need the services to be provided on the ground. Can the hon. Minister assure the people that when these contracts are cancelled, he is going to retender so that he takes the right contractors on the ground to do these works like the ones I have just mentioned?

Mr Nkombo: Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Member of Parliament for displaying a bit of patience in the way we are doing things. The hon. Member of Parliament may be interested to note that when we came in office last year, we embarked on our own ten-year road development programme. So, let me settle his anxieties on the non-renewal and the cancellation of contracts of contractors who have not performed. I am quite certain the hon. Member will be laughing very soon because we will not abandon the roads which connect our people from one place to another. We are fully aware, and as a demonstration of that, a few weeks ago, as a matter of fact under one week, my ministry released some money. The hon. Member of Parliament for Chama North and a few others such as the hon. Member of Parliament for Lundazi have been to my office to present their critical requirements.

Madam Speaker, the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning had earlier asked those in areas where crossing points were almost disconnecting people to submit their Bill of Quantities (BoQs). I am glad to tell you that we have since funded some roads, in certain instances to a tune of over K6 million to attend to one constituency. So, we are very mindful, and I encourage hon. Members, as the President of the Republic of Zambia said last Friday, to work together, especially on this matter where we all know that somebody was defrauding the system. We can be good together going forward. 

Madam Speaker, hon. Members can bring their problems through and let us be candid with one another. They should encourage the people they may know because most of them – In fact, just to be clear, all those who did not perform are from their party and it never existed in their heads that the Patriotic Front (PF) would be out of office. They were doing things with impunity. So, let us separate politics from things that affect our people so that we can together win and not simply point fingers at each other. I am very grateful to the hon. Member of Parliament for Chama South for his comment on this non-partisan affair.

I thank you, Madam.

Madam Speaker: So, the message is that let us engage each other. Let us see what needs to be done and work together for the betterment of the people of Zambia.

_______

MOTION

MOTION OF THANKS

Ms Halwiindi (Kabwe Central):  Madam Speaker, I beg to move that the thanks of this Assembly be recorded for the exposition of public policy contained in the President’s Address.

Madam Speaker: Is the Motion seconded?

Mr C. Mpundu (Nkana): Madam Speaker, I beg to second the Motion.

Ms Halwiindi:Madam Speaker, let me begin by expressing my profound gratitude to you for granting me this opportunity to move the Motion of Thanks to the Address by the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, on the occasion of the Official Opening of the Second Session of the Thirteenth National Assembly on Friday, 9^th September, 2022.

Madam Speaker, at the outset, Icongratulate the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, on delivering a well-thought-out speech, premised on the theme“Working Together towards Socio-Economic Transformation: Stimulating Economic Growth for Improved Livelihoods”.The speech did not only highlight the successes that have been achieved by the New Dawn Administration in its first year in the Government, but also outlined the socio-economic agenda that will be pursued in the coming year. 

Further, the President’s Speech was anchored on the four strategic development areas of the Eighth National Development Plan (8NDP), namely:

1. economic transformation and job creation;
2. human and social development:
3. environmental sustainability, and
4. good governance environment.

Madam Speaker, allow me now, to briefly comment on the salient issues raised in the President’s Speech. As I do so, I commend the President and his Administration for bringing our economy back on track,with a projected average growth rate of 4 percent in the medium term. Indeed, this is a sign that better things are about to come under the leadership of the President, Mr Hakainde Hichilema.

Madam Speaker, on economic transformation and job creation, it was clear from the President’s Speech that his Administration has identified four key sectors that would drive the transformation of our country’s economy. These are agriculture, mining, manufacturing and tourism. To show that his Government is determined to unlock the various economic opportunities across the sectors, the President announced several measures aimed at providingan enabling or conducive environment for the sectors to thrive, through the delivery of requisite policies, regulations and infrastructure and support services to enhance production, productivity and value addition, especially in the agriculture sector. We need to have agriculture hubs in all the ten provinces and that is very important. Local, regional and international markets for various products and services emanate from the four key sectors and the President emphasised that the economic transformation agenda will be led by the private sector. Therefore, I urge my fellow Zambians to take advantage of the good business environment to participate and benefit fully from the economic activities.

Madam Speaker, I now turn to human and social development. It is a well-known fact that the most important resource of any country is its people.Being cognisant of this, the President informed the House that his Administration has placed human and social development as one of the strategic development areas in the 8NDP. Under this, the Government has introduced free education in public schools from early childhood to secondary school so that more of our children, who previously were unable to attend school, can now be given an opportunity to do so.

Further, to ensure quality education, the Government recruited and deployed over 30,000 teachers to various schools across the country, a move meant to significantly improve the teacher-pupil ratio and also education outcomes. In addition, to ensure that no school-going child sits on the floor by the end of 2023, the Government has embarked on an ambitious exercise to leverage the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) to locally source desks for schools.

Madam Speaker, to mitigate the challenge of high youth unemployment, the Government is implementing various youth skills development programmes, such as metal fabrication, carpentry and joinery, mining, bricklaying and general agriculture.

Madam Speaker, the President’s pronouncement that his Administration will implement the policy of allocating 50 percent of all available land to women cannot go without commendation from me as a woman. To help implement this pronouncement across all districts in the country, I urge the Government to put into operation the Gender Equity and Equality Commission (GEEC) as provided for in Article 231 of our Constitution.

Madam Speaker, on a good governance environment, I will be failing in my duty if I do not commend the Government for placing the fight against corruption at the centre of its Administration. The President deserves commendation for moving quickly to establish the Economic and Financial Crimes Court so as to speed up and freely dispose of economic and financial crime cases. I also commend the President for reviving regulations and procedures around public procurement, among others, so as to protect public resources.

Madam Speaker, at this juncture, allow me to comment on the intention to abolish the death penalty. We as a country have come a long way in wanting to ensure that we reflect our character as a Christian nation in our laws and policies. We made progress when we put in the preamble of our Constitution that Zambia shall be a Christian nation. We now need to deal with the death penalty which is not only inimical to our Christian values but is also against international human rights laws. The President has demonstrated political will by announcing his Administration’s intention to abolish the death penalty. I, therefore, call upon the House to support the President’s legislative reform agenda.

Madam Speaker, I will not end my debate without mentioning our Government’s success in securing the International Monetary Fund (IMF) extended credit facility. This, as was indicated by President, will go a long way in helping with restructuring our country’s debt, stabilising the economy and freeing resources to support social sectors such as health, education, water and sanitation.

Madam Speaker, as I conclude my debate, allow me to make an appeal to all hon. Members that as we begin to debate the speech, let us be sober and also be objective in all our debates.

Hon. Opposition Members: Question!

Ms Halwiindi: With those remarks, I beg to move.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Madam Speaker: Does the seconder wish to speak now or later?

Mr Nyambose: Later.

Mr B. Mpundu wasinaudible.

Madam Speaker: Any other debate?

Mr B. Mpundu rose.

Madam Speaker: Hon. Member, I thought you said you wanted to debate later.

Mr B. Mpundu: Now, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: Okay sorry. I did not hear that.

Mr B. Mpundu: It was the hon. Member of Parliament for Chasefu who was trying to disturb me, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker, I thank you for giving me this opportunity to second this Motion moved by my counterpart from Kabwe, the Motion of Thanks in relation to the speech delivered to this august House by His Excellency the President during the official opening of Parliament last Friday.

Madam Speaker, in making my submission, permit me to start by appreciating the New Dawn Government, particularly His Excellency the President through the hon. Minister of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development, Eng. Charles Milupi. I apologise to Hon. Charles Milupi for having been a thorn in his flesh regarding Chibuluma Road.

Madam Speaker, I wish to report to this august House that yesterday, there was an announcement that the Road Development Agency (RDA) had solicited for bids to design and construct a rigid pavement for the 7 km Chibuluma Road. I wish to place on record and appeal to the hon. Minister that we have capable contractors in Kitwe who can work on that road. We do not expect them to bring foreign contractors. The other appeal to the hon. Minister is that we must sit down as local participants to ensure that we help guide the design of this stretch.

Therefore, Madam Speaker, you will hear very little noise from me regarding this stretch. I will now shift my attention to the hon. Minister of Water Development and Sanitation because water remains the biggest challenge in Kitwe and it is hoped that the Government will now address that particular predicament for our people in Kitwe.

Madam Speaker, let me quickly address the issues I took note of in the speech that was delivered by His Excellency and I will start with the economy.

Madam Speaker, it is very gratifying to note that the Government is pursuing the reconstruction of our economy and important economic fundamentals that are key in us seeing to it that we rise from the economic doldrums.

Madam Speaker, the first economic fundamental that I note is the performance of our currency. It is not arguable that our currency has continued to perform very well against major convertibles.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr B. Mpundu: It is also not arguable that for the first time in a very long time, our friends in South Africa, whose currency is the Rand, have to kneel down to beg for the Kwacha.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr B. Mpundu: Zambia being an import-oriented country, our people stand to benefit from the performance of our Kwacha.

Madam Speaker, secondly, on the macro-economic fundamentals, I take note of the strides made to bring inflation down to a single digit as well as grow our foreign reserves to an acceptable percentage of 3.8 months of import cover, which is obviously sufficient for us to deal with any external shocks.

Madam Speaker, I take note of the Government’s commitment, through the President’s Speech, and its desire to create a conducive environment for investment. I note what is happening in the North-Western Province, particularly the investment in the nickel project in Kalumbila as well as the prolonged life of Kansanshi Mine. That is key to creating sustainable jobs for our people because our biggest problem in Zambia is dealing with issues of job creation.

Madam Speaker, the only emphasis I would like to place on the Government is that there was a very subtle mention of its desire to unlock the problems at Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) and Mopani Copper Mines. I wish the hon. Minister of Mines and Minerals Development was around and he should now come to this august House and give an amplified version of what the Government is doing in the near term to address that problem because there is destitution on the Copperbelt due to the challenges at KCM and Mopani Copper Mines.

Madam Speaker, the energy sector gives us a lot of delight because, not long ago, we were burning ourselves with candles but now, we are afloat in terms of the sufficiency of power generation.The gratifying point to note is that we remain geographically capable to supply the region with our power now. It is worth noting that the Government is looking at the East African market, away from our traditional export market for power, which are our neighbouring countries as well as South Africa.

Madam Speaker, I am further delighted to note that the Government is considering tapping into the huge water reserves in Luapula. I come from Luapula and I cry when I see how our water reserves in Luapula are going to waste. One would have thought that the Government would now have invested in Luapula, which is rarely affected by drought. With our experience, we saw not long ago that because of drought on the southern part, we could not produce enough power. Luapula remains our perfect destination in as far as tapping into the potential we have in generating enough hydropower.

Madam Speaker, on governance issues, I take note of the Government’s resolve to fight graft. Corruption remains one of the biggest impediments to giving our people the much-needed development. My appeal to law enforcement agencies is that corruption must be fought back and forth. There must not be any sacred cow in the pursuit to fight this graft. Cases that happened in the past must be fought vigorously and culprits brought to book, and cases that are happening now must equally be fought aggressively so as to send a signal that anyone who engages in illicit activities, in as far as defrauding our people of the revenue needed to develop our communities, must be dealt with by the law.

Madam Speaker, let me quickly talk about the Constituency Development Fund (CDF). The CDF is a commitment shown so far by the Government to ensure that it moves resources from the Central Government to our people in the communities. I in particular said from the outset, when the pronouncement was made, that it is a good step in as far as making the people responsible for their own developmental destiny. I wish to place on record that the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning as well as the hon. Minister of Local Government and Rural Development must be proactive to make this a reality. Timely disbursement is expected from the Ministry of Finance and National Planning and the Government should address all the grey areas around the effective implementation of the CDF.

Madam Speaker, let me end by making a clarion call to the Government. The public has been mentioning that there is a need for it to reform the pension system in this country because some people have died without accessing their pension. It is hoped that the Government will reform the pension system in this country, so that an individual who works so hard can access funds possibly in five years intervals so that he/she can make investments. When people have access to long serving contributions, they can invest and create the much-needed jobs for our people in the communities.

Madam Speaker, thank you for having given me this opportunity.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Fube (Chilubi): Madam Speaker, the people of Chilubi would like to start by talking about the theme of the President’s Speech. As the President said, it tallies with the Eighth National Development Plan (8NDP)’s theme. Those who have taken time to read will realise that they are almost twin themes, which is a very good thing, because they have to match.

Madam Speaker, the people of Chilubi would like to indicate from the outset that the President’s Speech hasnot matched with many things under the four pillars in the 8NDP, and I will demonstrate this as Idebate within the eight minutes.

Madam Speaker, the President said that we have consistently subdued inflation from a high of 25.6 per cent in August 2021, to a single digit of 9.8 per cent. The people of Chilubi believe contrary to what has been floated that there are no economic fundamentals that have contributed to this particular – that is why the President was even very careful by mentioning the word ‘subdue’ because when you subdue, it means that it is not a natural process that you have engaged.

Madam Speaker, still on economic fundamentals, I submit that the 3.7 months of export cover is also artificial in that,we talk about the balance of payments and many other factors, including what we export as a country, but thingshave still remained the same, and we have just survivedthe punches of the Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19). So, the people of Chilubi submit that this is more of an artificial situation than a real one.

Madam Speaker, the people of Chilubi would like to address the issue of agriculture.

Interruptions

Mr Fube: I can address numbers without problems.

Madam Speaker, let me talk about what the Government submitted earlier through the Ministry of Agriculture. The hon. Minister of Agriculture informed this House that it was going to giveeach farmer six bags. The people of Chilubi are worried because, currently, the price of edible oils in the country is sky rocketing and from the demonstration of crop diversification,the six bags are not contributing to growing crops which will reduce pressure on our import cover. On this score,this will not help us to grow agriculture as the President envisages. The people of Chilubi would also like to mention that in the 8NDP, this is one of the key reforms that the Government intends to use to arrest the shocks of the economy. However,this has not been addressed, especially that this should also contribute to the diversification of crops.

Madam Speaker, on page 11 of the speech, the President mentioned a range of agricultural products. He talked about us attaining the status of enabling us import some agricultural raw materials to other countries, including the European market. However, the President on page 10,talked about agriculture being the window of creating employment opportunities. The people of Chilubi have a very big problem of how employment can be created in the absence of value addition in this case, as it may be, because in the whole speech, there was no mention of a strong standing on value addition but there was mention of exporting raw materials to other countries,including China.

Madam Speaker, another factor that the people of Chilubi noted from the President’s Speech is that electricity is an enabler in terms of the growth of a primary or secondary industry. The President –

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Member for Chilubi!

Mr Nkombo: On a point of order, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Mr Nkombo: Madam Speaker, I stand pursuant toStanding Order No. 58 (4). I have observed that from the moment the hon. Member of Parliament for Chilubi started speaking, he has been reading from a text which was prepared either by himself or other people.

Laughter

Mr Nkombo: Madam Speaker, Standing Order No. 58 (4) states as follows:

“A member shall not read a speech during debate but may make reference to notes or quote from a document.”

I have seen that the hon. Member has been continuously reading from that bulky document that he has, suggesting that somebody may have prepared the speech for him. Is he, therefore, in order –

Mr Fube: That is an insult Mr Minister.

Mr Nkombo: Is the hon. Member of Parliament for Chilubi in order to read while debating when he is supposed to be just speaking?

Madam Speaker:If the hon. Member for Chilubi is indeed reading,he is contravening Standing Order No. 58 (4). Please, hon. Member for Chilubi, avoid reading a speech. You can make reference –

Mr Fube rose.

Madam Speaker: I have not finished, hon. Member for Chilubi. As you debate, you can refer to copious notes but do not read.

You may proceed.

Mr Fube:Anyway, I cannot say much about the reading, but I was referring to copious notes. I can even dump this thing that side and I will still speak.

Interruptions

Mr Fube: I will dump it there. Let me even remove the glasses.

Laughter

Mr Fube: Madam Speaker, though I have been accused of having been reading a speech, I was talking about electricity being an enabler to the economyin relation to a primary or secondary industry. I will demonstrate that these are my notes.

Madam Speaker, the President claimed of having increased power generation although we know that the economy is accrual in terms of its performance. We were told that the tariffs for industrial consumption will soon increase. For me and the people of Chilubi, if the tariffs for industrial consumption increase, it means that the products we will be buying from different industries will be of higher prices, and I do not think that that will contribute to economic growth.

Having said that, Madam Speaker, I also want to address what was written on page 25.

Interruptions

Mr Fube: Yes. It is referral, come on. No one is going to stop me doing from this. You all do this.

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Members!

Let us allow the hon. Member to debate.

Mr Fube: Madam Speaker, let me talk about the tone in which this speech was delivered. Yes, the President called for unity and working together, but he had two tongues. He talked about working together and I counted the word ‘shame’ eleven times. He used it on the opposite side, that it should be ashamed of the non-performance.

Madam Speaker, the people of Chilubi would also like to talk about the four pillars of the 8NDP. Regarding the way they were addressed, the four pillars were presented in a disjointed manner. I think that I cannot blame the President; it is the people who wrote that speech who put the President in that kind of scenario. You will find that –

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Member for Chilubi!

Let me just guide. I am sure you are familiar with our Standing Orders in terms of Content of Speech, which states as follows:

“(1) A member who is debating shall-

1. confine his or her debate to the subject under discussion; and
2. ensure that the information he or she provides to the House is factual and verifiable.

            (2) A member who is debating shall not-

                        (a)        impute any improper motives to the President, Vice-President or any other member;”

So, please, as you debate, ensure that you comply with our Standing Orders. Proceed.

Mr Fube: Madam, since morality allows me to admit when I am wrong, if I was wrong and went outside the rules, I apologise.

Madam Speaker, I was talking about the disjointed way the four pillars of the 8NDP were written in the speech. The speech did not follow the pillars properly.

Madam Speaker, on a light note, since my debate has been disrupted every now and then, I would like to say something to whoever wrote the speech. This is an official speech. The President mentioned the phrase “kasumfing” and that is not official language. Next time, we would like to see what is allowed in Parliament, which is the official language. Those who care to read, you read the “ka sumfing” in the speech. That is not an English phrase.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Interruptions

Madam Speaker: Order!

Mr J. Chibuye (Roan): Thank you very much, Madam Speaker, for allowing me to add my voice to the debate on the President’s Speech.

Madam Speaker, allow me to begin by identifying the theme of the President’s Speech, namely “Working Together towards Socio-Economic Transformation: Stimulating Economic Growth for Improved Livelihoods.”

Madam Speaker, I commend the New Dawn Government for having worked on improving the import cover from 1.9 months to the standard three months cover period. These are good indicators for our economy.

Madam Speaker, let me turn to page 8 of the President’s Speech where he stated that the inflation rate has reduced from 25.6 to 9.8 per cent. What are the indicators that the inflation rate has actually reduced? I believe that, indeed, the inflation rate is reducing by looking at the prices of the food basket. If you go to Pick n Pay, Shoprite and other leading chain stores, you will agree with me that a container of cooking oil which was costing K259, today costs K185.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Hon. Opposition Member: Question!

Mr J. Chibuye: You may question but this is what I have seen. A 10 kg bag of sugar which I was personally buying at K245, today costs K185.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr J. Chibuye: Madam Speaker, as a sensible person, I cannot question this, and I believe this is leading us to the right direction. However, those who are doubting my statement must go to Shoprite right now and verify, and I am sure they will be ashamed.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr J. Chibuye: Madam Speaker, I am contributing to this speech as a Member of Parliament for Roan Constituency because whatever I am saying here will be verified by the people of Roan Constituency. I stand to represent the people of Roan Constituency in a just and fair manner. I will not say what is not here nor there.

Madam Speaker, on page 9 of the President’s Speech, the President alluded to the Eighth National Development Plan (8NDP) and I am glad that he mentioned the four pillars in the 8NDP. I will zero in on one pillar, which is economic transformation and job creation, and this time, we want to see jobs being created. In the same vein, regardless of the question that others might ask, I commend the New Dawn Government for creating 30,000 jobs for teachers and 11,000 spaces for health workers. We also heard this morning from the Acting hon. Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation that very soon, the Government will create another 3,000 job opportunities.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr J. Chibuye: Madam Speaker, this is what we want. We want jobs to be created. We do not want to see everyone rushing for jobs when we hear that there is a census. I believe that in the olden days, the jobs for the census were reserved for people who had nothing to do, but today because of the backlog that we have, even those who are degree holders rushed to go and apply for the census jobs. So, it is gratifying that the theme of the 8NDP will critically look at the area of job creation. I urge the New Dawn Government not to fail us on this one. The people of Roan Constituency are grappling with high unemployment and I want them to benefit from the job creation.

Let me zero in, Madam Speaker, on the issue that affects me mightily and this is mining. I come from a mining constituency and it has been predominantly a mining constituency from time immemorial. I am glad my elder brother here has indicated that it has been that way since 1935. Hon. Milupi has worked at Luanshya Copper Mines before.

Madam Speaker, the President indicated that the Government is going to create a conducive environment for both local and international investors. Yes, as a country, we need foreign direct investment (FDI), but I caution the Government that in as much as we want to create this FDI, we must ensure that the foreigners who come into our country actually abide by the laws of this land. We do not want people to start coming here and then looking at the Zambian people as tools of labour. We want the labour to equal the benefits that they are getting from the mining institutions.

Madam Speaker, it is gratifying that the President spoke of the US$1.35 billion that has been injected in the Kansanshi and Kalumbila mines. It was also gratifying to hear the President talk of the prolonged life of Kansanshi and Kalumbila mines for twenty years. It is very important. I wish the President can also look at Shaft No. 28 at Luanshya Copper Mine. Shaft No. 28 has a lifespan of thirty-five years, and there is copper ore at this mine which can amount to close to 30 million metric tonnes. We want the Government to go and create more jobs in Roan Constituency by urging and asking our investor, Luanshya Copper Mines, to open Shaft No. 28. I shall be a happy person in Roan Constituency when Shaft No. 28 is opened, and this will reflect what the President talked about, of creating more job opportunities in relation to the 8NDP.

Madam Speaker, I want to talk about what is happening in my constituency. I wish the hon. Minister of Mines and Minerals Development was here because I want him to look at the mode of mining that is being practiced in the constituency. There are so many open pit mines in the constituency. The President, in his speech on one page, talked of legalising mining, and he meant giving respect to the people we call jerabos. This illegality is being perpetrated in the constituency because of the so many open pit mines that are being created by our investors. You will agree with me that when you open an open mine which is 10 m deep, the moment –

Madam Speaker: Order!

Business was suspended from 1640 hours until 1700 hours.

[MADAM SPEAKER in the Chair]

Madam Speaker: We have lost almost five minutes.  I was seated here but the quorum had not been formed. We need to do better. Today is just the first day, and I expect hon. Members to observe time.

Mr J. Chibuye: Madam Speaker, in conclusion, in order for the New Dawn Government to create jobs or rather follow the first pillar of the 8NDP of economic growth and job creation, the people of Roan Constituency urge His Excellency the Republican President to convince the investors at Luanshya Copper Mines to open Shaft No. 28, today and not tomorrow. The people ofRoan Constituency are tired of hearing that the mine will be opened. However, we want the President to convince the investors to reopen Shaft No. 28. In addition, this will even spur the production of 3 million metric tonnes of copper that the Government targets to produce annually.

Madam Speaker, I thank you for giving me an opportunity to add my voice to the debate on the President’s Speech.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Chala (Chipili): Madam Speaker, thank you for giving me this opportunity to contribute to the debate on the President’s Speech on behalf of the people of Chipili.

Madam Speaker, firstly, let me state that the President’s Speech was too long. 

Interruptions

Mr Chala: Madam Speaker, it was two hours or so. I am not trying to sympathise with the President, but I am just bringing that out, and I will use the word ‘innuendo’ which people should take note.

Madam Speaker, let me talk about the two mines on the Copperbelt, which are in the hands of the Government. When you perusethrough the speech, there is no clear policy and direction on the position of the Government on the two mines. I wanted the President to indicate the direction or what the Government intends to do concerning these mines. I want to demonstrate that –

Mr Kambita: On a point of order, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Mr Kambita: Madam Speaker, I was seated here listening attentively to the hon. Member for Chipili who is debating and I rise pursuant to Standing Orders No. 65, which actually compels us as Members of Parliament to be factual in our debates.

Madam Speaker, I heard the hon. Member for Chipili talk about the length of the President’s Speech. In expanding his debate –

Interruptions

Madam Speaker: Order!

Hon. Members, you cannot start making rulings while a point of order is being raised and also, it is not your role to make the ruling.  Let us just wait and hear, and then an appropriate ruling will be made. 

May the hon. Member for Zambezi East continue.

Mr Kambita: Madam Speaker, this House, as you have rightly put it, is a House of rules, and the period it sits is prescribed in the Standing Orders. When the President came to this House, he delivered his speech within the time allocated by this House.I am wondering whether the hon. Member debating is in order to insinuate that the President’s Speech was too long. In any case, as he is debating, he looks like he was sleeping. Could it be that he was not listening attentively that –

Interruptions

Madam Speaker: Order!

Hon. Member, do not make imputations which you cannot prove.

Mr Kambita: Madam Speaker, the fact of my point of order is whether he is in order to insinuate that the Republican President’s Speech was too long, beyond what this Parliament actually allocates in terms of time for sittings.

I seek your serious ruling, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: To the extent that the hon. Member for Chipili said the speech was long, that is not correct because it was delivered within the time allocated for sittings of the House. So, that statement is not correct, hon. Member for Chipili. Please, continue, but remain factual.

Mr Chala: Madam Speaker, I have been interrupted on what I wanted to say on the mines. Nevertheless, I was saying that I perused through the speech, and I wanted to hear the direction on these two mines. I did not want to just hear things like, “No, we will take care or we have taken care and we are not going to lose jobs.”

Madam Speaker, let me give you a practical example from the President’s Speech on Indeni Petroleum Refinery. If you read that part, the Government’s position was clearly spelled out. The Zambian people, who are the main stakeholders, will now start deliberating on that because the debate will not just end here. The direction that this Government is going to take on IndeniPetroleum Refinery has been explained, and that is what I expected to hear on these two mines. I do not know why our hon. Colleagues did not elaborate what their intention is on these mines. I do not know why it is difficult for them to come out clearly on this. We do not know why they did not state the Government’s position or intention on these two mines.

Madam Speaker, let me also talk about the recruitment of teachers. I listened to the President’s Speech and I went through it. The President talked about the past and the present. We appreciate the recruitment of 30,000 teachers and we have acknowledged it. It is in public domain that 30,000 teachers have been recruited, including nurses. However, I wanted to hear that come 2023, we are going to recruit 30,000 more teachers, so that –

Interruptions

Mr Chala: That is what I wanted to hear from the President.

Interruptions

Madam Speaker: Order!

Let us allow the hon. Member to express himself.

Mr Chala: That is what I wanted to hear. Whether it is the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning who will say that, I do not care. I, however, have to mention it, in case our hon. Colleagues leave that out. The people who were left out during the last recruitment are over 80,000 and they are hoping to hear that another recruitment of 30,000 teachers is coming and it should be done every year. Then my people will start dancing and will say that “now, the New Dawn Government has done it.”

Laughter

Mr Chala: That is what I want my people to start dancing to.

Madam Speaker, if that part has been left out by the President, I urge the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning to whisper to the President to say, “Mr President, there is a part that we have forgotten; 30,000 teachers, 2023.”

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chala:Madam Speaker – mulekutika? Mulekutika?

Laughter

Mr Chala: What I mean is: Are you listening? Are you listening, especially the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning?

Madam Speaker, I want to see this and the people of Zambia will appreciate it. We will dance together when that happens. I will help them and say, “Bally has done it!” That is what they will say. They are waiting out there to hear that there will be a continuous recruitment of teachers and nurses, which did not come out in the President’s Speech.

Madam Speaker, may God bless you and give you more wisdom as you preside over this august House until the end.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Madam Speaker: Now we do not have masks, so we cannot even smile.

Laughter

Mr Mung’andu (Chama South): Madam Speaker, from the outset, I congratulate the petitioners for Kabushi and Kwacha ...

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mung’andu: ... because we have been told that the High Court has stayed the elections on the Copperbelt. That is how it should be. In simple terms, there will be no elections. That is what the High Court has ruled.

Madam Speaker: Order!

Hon. Members, the Notice of Motion relates to the President’s Address. Let us stick to that. You can make those announcements later.

Proceed, hon. Member.

Mr Mung’andu: Madam Speaker, the President in his debate indicated and emphasised that the New Dawn Government has actually ended load shedding in one year and he even gave us figures. However, I was extremely disappointed and was actually perplexed by the President’s claims, and I will advise. We have advised before and we were ignored. We were labelled to be United Party for National Development (UPND) surrogates then and we have ended up being on the left side of the House because of not listening. Nonetheless, I will advise President Hakainde Hichilema.

Madam Speaker, government is a going concern. The hon. Ministers and the President know that, just as a company is also equally a going concern. It will do him well if he acknowledges the successes that his predecessor scored. It will do him more good. Clearly, we know what he went through. That is the life of a politician in Africa, although we need to change. We put each other through unbearable pressures. I advise President Hakainde Hichilema to heal. If he cannot heal, let him pretend to have healed. It will be something that will be good for him.

Hon. Government Members: Question!

Mr Mung’andu: I say so because the Kafue Gorge Lower Hydropower Station that he mentioned, which has a generation capacity of 750 MW, was a project which was initiated by the Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) Government. However, the MMD Government never implemented a single cubic metre of concrete there. It was implemented by the Patriotic Front (PF) Government.

Interruptions

Mr Mung’andu: These are facts, hon. Colleagues.

Interruptions

Mr Mung’andu: It is the PF Government that implemented that project.

Hon. UPND Members: No!

Mr Mtolo: On a point of order, Madam Speaker.

Mr Mung’andu: It was commissioned by President Edgar Chagwa Lungu and you know that commissioning was supposed to be done in phases. Under phase one, generator sets were switched on and President Hakainde Hichilema also completed the other phases.If we were to ask, what is it that the New Dawn Government has built at Kafue Hydro Power Station?

Mr Mtolo: On a point of order, Madam Speaker.

Mr Mung’andu:It should tell us in terms of percentage. Nothing. So, it is very important that the President –

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Member for Chama South!

A point of order is raised by the hon. Minister of Agriculture.

Mr Mtolo: Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order pursuant to Standing Order No. 65, which stipulates that when you stand up to speak, you must tell the truth because the whole country and the world is listening.

Mada Speaker, the power station that Hon. Mung’andu, the Member of Parliament for Chama South, is referring to it was started by the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD) Government and the Patriotic Front (PF) Government continued where it had left from. By the time the PF Government was leaving, only one generator had been installed at the generating station, which has five generators, and it was hardly working. The PF changed the figures of this generating station from a low figure to a high figure.

Madam Speaker, is Hon. Mung’andu in order not to tell the country and the world at large that when President Hakainde Hichilema took over, the Managing Director he put at ZESCO Limited installed three more generators to increase power generation and completely kill the issue of load shedding.

Madam Speaker, why is Hon. Mung’andu, who is a very able speaker, falling short of telling the truth? Is he in order to mislead the nation? I stand on this very serious point of order because we owe the country the truth.

Madam Speaker, I seek your indulgence.

Madam Speaker: Thank you for that point of order.

Hon. Members, from where I am seated, I do not see any value being added to pointing fingers as to who started a certain project and who did what? What is important is that we have now sorted out the issue of load shedding. I was seated here when the President’s Address was being delivered and I heard who initiated the project, what happened at one stage and what happened at another point. However, what I am saying is there is no value being added to the people of Zambia by apportioning blame or apportioning successes. Let us stick to the facts.  If we see that something is wrong somewhere, let us offer alternative solutions to the other side so that the other side can pick on those alternatives. This idea of blaming each other and claiming this and that will not take us anywhere.

May the hon. Member continue as guided.

Mr Mung’andu: Madam Speaker, I do not understand. If anything, hon. Ministers are expected to respond and not to rise on points of order.

Madam Speaker: I have already ruled hon. Member.

Mr Mung’andu: Madam Speaker, I appeal to President Hakainde Hichilema to mention where his predecessors scored successes and to promise to build better than the previous Administration. Zambians will be able to understand and I believe he will be able to gain more unlike the situation is. It is up to him to get my advice or ignore it. 2026 is quite near.

Madam Speaker, let me come to the issue of inflation. We should understand that the appreciation of the Kwacha is something that is good for the country, but do you know that exporters and importers, especially importers,are seriously affected by this?

Interruptions

Mr Mung’andu: Madam Speaker, these are facts. When the Kwacha drastically reduces – some traders are keeping their goods and cannot sell them because they will make a loss. The question I ask the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning is: What is it that we have produced and exported which has made the Kwacha to appreciate?

Interruptions

Mr Mung’andu: Do not just argue. You have no idea of economic fundamentals or principles.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Madam Speaker: Order!

Mr Mung’andu: If you understand the appreciation of the currency, there must be goods and services –

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Member!

Hon. Members, let us speak through the Presiding Officer. Let us not talk to the hon. Members. If you have a point, take note and when it is your time to debate, you can respond. What the hon. Member for Chama South is saying is his opinion. So, if you have any counter views, you can take note and then you can rebate, so that we have order in the House.

May the hon. Member for Chama South continue.

Mr Mung’andu: Madam Speaker, I really appreciate your ruling and guidance. However, those on the right should explain to the people of Zambia what we have exported which has made the Kwacha to gain. Currencies do not just gain. It is either they removed the Kwacha from circulation or people have no money on the market. Less Kwacha in circulation and more dollars means the Kwacha can gain.

These are facts. Is it what you have done? There is also good will because of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)’s announcement that we have reached the board level agreement. Those speculators who were keeping dollars in their accounts will be able to release them on the market. Those are the two factors. Have we exported anything? The answer is no. Are people facing hardships because there is no money in circulation? The answer is yes. Maybe, only you, because you are now in the Government,have money.

Madam Speaker: Address the Chair. Are you referring to me?

Mr Mung’andu: No, Madam.

Laughter

Madam Speaker:Proceed, hon. Member.

Mr Mung’andu: Madam Speaker, these are fundamentals that we need to address as a nation. If the currency is appreciating and we are jumping, yet people are going through hardships – President Rupiah Banda lost an election with a very sound economy, which was not translating into the beneficiation of the citizens.

Madam Speaker, the final point I would have loved to hear from the President is about the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of this country. I am sure you are aware that more than 70 to 80 per cent is dependent on copper, but the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning and the President have given more rebates to copper mining companies such that even the energy sector is likely to experience changes.

Madam Speaker, I am happy that the hon. Minister of Energy is back. We are likely to have a vicious circle because they are removing subsidies. When you were supposed to pay K2,000 for the connection of a house, you will pay K14,000. These are facts. They have already started implementing this before the approval of the Energy Regulation Board (ERB). If you have a house in Chalala and you want it to be connected to the national grid, you will pay in excess of K60,000 to K70,000, which we are against.

Interruptions

Mr Mung’andu: Do not just mention things. I have proof. If you want me to lay it on the Table of the House, I can do that.

Mr Kapala: On a point of order, Madam Speaker.

Mr Mung’andu: There are people who are from paying those fees. These are things that we should look at. We need to build our industry. We can select the sectors of energy we can subsidise and those that we cannot subsidise.

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Member of Parliament for Chama South!The hon. Minister of Energy wants to raise a point of order.

Mr Kapala: Madam Speaker, I am amazed to hear that the hon. Member of Parliament –

Madam Speaker: Hon. Minister, cite the Standing Order and regulation that has been breached.

Mr Kapala: Oh sorry, I do not have the book.

Hon Members: Standing Order No. 65.

Mr Kapala: Madam Speaker, Standing Order No. 65.

Madam Speaker: Proceed, hon. Minister.

Mr Kapala: Madam Speaker, the truth is that ZESCO Limited has not yet applied for any tariff adjustment, later on connection fees. So, I do not know where the hon. Member of Parliament for Chama South got the information that connection fees will increase from K2,000 to K14,000. I do not believe it. Is he in order to lie to this august House?

Laughter

Madam Speaker: To mislead.

Mr Kapala: Is he in order to mislead the House that connection fees will increase from K2,000 to K14,000?

I seriously need your ruling on this matter, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: Hon. Member for Chama South, as you debate, please, comply with the requirements of Standing Order No. 65 1 (a), which specifically says that you should be factual. Do not speculate if the approvals have not been done. Let us not mislead members of the public that ZESCO Limited has already approved these charges. Please, proceed as guided.

Mr Mung’andu: Madam Speaker, I am shocked that the hon. Minister is not aware, yet he is heading that ministry.

Madam Speaker: Order! I have already ruled on that.

Mr Mung’andu: Madam Speaker, the President called for co-operation, and we are ready to work with him as hon. Members of Parliament by providing effective checks and balances, but they should listen. It is as simple as that. We are ready to work with them, but they should listen to us.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mtayachalo (Chama North): Madam Speaker, thank you for according me this opportunity to contribute to the debate on the President’s Speech, which was delivered on Friday last week.

 

Madam Speaker, I will first talk about the area of agriculture. I come from a constituency whose economy is agriculture driven, and it is true that agriculture is the mainstay of our people, especially in rural areas, and the agriculture sector employs more than 72 per cent of the people of Zambia.

 

Madam Speaker, I read the President’s Speech and the President acknowledged the challenges facing the agriculture sector in this country. He outlined those challenges, but what was absent is the late delivery of farming inputs. If you read the speech, the President talked about the lack of extension officers and other things, but the critical issue is the late delivery of farming inputs. Even if you provide extension officers, but you do not deliver farming inputs, then you have not done anything. So, I think it is important that these issues are addressed as quickly as possible, if we are to realise the diversification agenda that we have been talking about.

Madam Speaker, if you look at the budget for the Ministry of Agriculture – the President talked about the foreign market and so on and so forth, but I feel that we have not done much as a country to upgrade our small-scale farmers for them to access a lucrative foreign market. I feel that as a country, we have impoverished our own farmers by political design because we have failed to source for readily lucrative market on the foreign market for our small-scale farmers, especially maize farmers. That is why most of our farmers have failed to generate high income.

Madam Speaker, I feel that we need to amend the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) so that instead of it just buying maize for strategic food reserves, it can be used as a vehicle to export maize on behalf of the small-scale farmers. Yes, we have allowed the export of maize, but the small-scale farmers in Chama have no capacity to export maize to Kenya or the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). So, we must do something to ensure that we are able to export produce on behalf of our small-scale farmers. That way, a bag of maize may sell for K500 on the international market. That is the only way we are going to resolve the high budgetary allocation to the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) because farmers will be able to buy their own farming inputs, if at all they derive maximum value from their sweat.

Madam Speaker, the other area I want to talk about is the mining industry. The mining industry continues to play a key role in Zambia’s economic development. Undoubtedly, more than 70 per cent of our foreign exchange earnings come from the mining industry. The President’s Speech says the Government is going to create an enabling environment to promote investment. While investment is welcome, we should also realise that we must promote domestic investment. Since the copper mining industry started in 1920s, we have not derived maximum economic benefits from our mineral wealth except after the Matero Reforms in 1969, when the mining ownership was transferred to the Zambians. That is the time we saw infrastructure come up in this country such as the Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) and many manufacturing industries. However, after privatisation, we saw massive job losses and capital freight. So, we need to do more to ensure that the people of Zambia derive maximum benefits from their mineral wealth.

Madam Speaker, I concur with my comrade who talked about the Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) and Mopani Copper Mines (MCM). When Glencoredecided to offload shares to Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines Investments Holdings (ZCCM-IH), it was a window of opportunity –

Madam Speaker: Order!

Hon. Member, the use of the word ‘comrade’. We do not have comrades here. We have hon. Members.

Mr Mtayachalo: Thank you, Madam Speaker, for the guidance. I come from a background of a trade union, where we use the word ‘comrade’.

Madam Speaker, I was saying that when Glencore decided to offload the shares, it was a window of opportunity for this country to own the mines. So, the decision that the Patriotic Front (PF) Government took, in my view, was in national interest. However, we have not seen a clear-cut policy from the New Dawn Government in as far as the ownership of KCM and Mopani Copper Mines is concerned. We have been crying over the ownership of the mines, but we seem not to be coming up with a concrete decision to ensure that the Zambians once more own the mining industry. In Chile, there are private companies in the mining industry, but the State also runs some mines, which are doing very well. So, I believe we can also do the same instead of us giving tax holidays to the mining firms who at the end of the day externalise whatever they make from our mineral wealth. So, I want to see a situation in which Zambians will benefit from their mineral wealth.

Madam Speaker, let me talk about the Constituency Development Fund (CDF). The President mentioned in the speech that the CDF will undergo some legal changes and he talked about expanding the Constituency Development Fund Committee (CDFC). The New Dawn Government has been talking about the prudent management of public resources, but if we are to increase the number of members to sit on the CDFC, it means more resources will be going towards sitting allowances and so on and so forth. I feel that the current Act is adequate. The current composition of the CDFC is adequate because it is well representative. Religious leaders from the community are part of it, but we are talking of bringing in the District Commissioners (DCs). I believe that we should not bring politics in the administration of CDF because DCs actually chair District Development Committees (DDCs). So, there will be conflict of interest if you put them in the CDFC. So, if at all something wrong happens in the CDFC, where will people run to, if DCs are part of the CDFC? It is important that we do not look at some of the amendments we want to make using political lenses because the CDF Act has been there from the time of President Levy Patrick Mwanawasa until the current President. So, I do not know what really is the problem.

Madam Speaker: Order!

The hon. Member’stime expired.

Mr Munir Zulu (Lumezi): Madam Speaker, thank you for permitting the most marginalised people to contribute to the debate on the speech.

Madam Speaker, permit me to start with page 27 of the President’s Speech where the President stated that, “we are pleased to report that the country is food secure with over 1.2 million tonnes”. When we started the sitting, the hon. Member for Kasenengwa rose on a matter of urgent public importance and complained about the hunger situation in Kasenengwa.

Madam Speaker, in the same vein, permit me to go to page 36 where the President stated that “we cannot over-emphasise the role of good governance in creating a conducive environment for socio-economic transformation”.

Madam Speaker, let me refer to the theme of this year’s speech on page 4, which is “working together towards socio-economic transformation: stimulating economic growth for improved livelihoods”. I listened to His Excellency’s Address to the House and this theme is not different from the theme that was coined last year and it was probably addressed to our colleagues on your right. I say so because many times, the President has preached about working together but you find people telling you fimba upoke.

Laughter

Madam Speaker: Meaning?

Mr Munir Zulu: Burst if you wish.

Madam Speaker, you tend to wonder because these speeches are saying let us work together when the reality is the opposite. This is a problem and implementing the messages that we preach to the people is going to be done at a greater cost.

Madam Speaker, I have both speeches in my hand, the one delivered this year and the one delivered last year. On page 43 of the speech that the President delivered last year, he said that said, “we have a zero-tolerance policy on corruption in all its forms. We will wage war on corruption and not spare any expense to ensure that perpetrators are made to account for their impropriety”.

Madam Speaker, we have dramatised the fight against corruption in this country. Yesterday, and the day before yesterday, we read that the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) was summoning aspiring candidates in Kwacha and Kabushi. Where is the corruption? Aspiring to stand has become corruption in this country.

Madam Speaker, is the President addressing people who do not have ears to listen and eyes to see or is it on purpose that people who are mandated to receive instructions from the Head of State have deliberately decided not to listen to what he says because what we are witnessing is that the President says one thing and the opposite is what is being practiced?

Madam Speaker, the President, on page 44, spoke about doing away with the death penalty and, of course, it is a progressive initiative. One thing that we should have done as we amend this was to look at what happens at Lusaka July. What happens to those who play with cucumbers and bananas? The law should not only be for a certain provision. We have seen the challenge of amending the death penalty and doing away with it. Very soon, those on death penalty will be demanding for certain conjugal rights. Right now, they are demanding for conjugal rights at Mukobeko Maximum Prison and even those who play with bananas will demand that we do not criminalise such offences –

Mr Kambita: On a point of order, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Mr Kambita: Madam Speaker, thank you very much for according me the opportunity to raise this point of order. I rise pursuant to Standing Order No. 65, which has now become very popular in this House.

Madam Speaker, our rules are very clear on relevance to what is being debated. We have a very important speech that we need to debate and comment on. The Motion is very clear. It says thanks to the President’s Speech and that is what hon. Members are supposed to be debating. Now, here we are and an hon. Member of Parliament is talking about bananas, which are irrelevant issues, insinuating things that are not related to what we are debating.

Madam Speaker, I seek your serious ruling to ensure that the hon. Member who is debating sticks to what we are debating here.

Madam Speaker: Thank you very much for that point of order that has been raised. As I am seated here, I was also wondering where we are going. I looked for the page where the President was talking about bananas and cucumbers and I did not see any. I did not see anything about Lusaka July. Please, hon. Members, as we debate, let us remain relevant and let us not debate from common sense. That is why hon. Members were given this speech so they can look at it thoroughly and research. We have a very capable research department, which hon. Members are not taking advantage of or utilising. Let us remain relevant to the speech. Let us make proposals that are going to enhance what the President was talking about. Let us criticise, but let us offer workable solutions. That is the role of a Member of Parliament.

May the hon. Member for Lumezi continue as guided.

Mr Munir Zulu: Madam Speaker, I was referring to page 44 of the speech and the President said “to ensure that the country has harmonised penal provisions, the Government has commenced the process to repeal and replace the Penal Code, Chapter 87 of the Laws of Zambia and the Criminal Procedure Code, Chapter 88 of the Laws of Zambia”.

Madam Speaker, I was sent here by the good people of Lumezi to speak on their behalf and I was expanding my debate, not that I said that was from the President’s Speech. Harmonised penal provisions –

Madam Speaker: Hon. Member for Lumezi, I have guided.  Please, proceed with your debate as guided.

Mr Munir Zulu: Madam Speaker, on page 41, the President talked about land ownership. Some people have not had title deeds for so many years. Some people died and left assets, and their children also died and we are failing to give people title deeds.

Madam Speaker, on page 47, the President again emphasised that we have a duty to unite this country. If we continue on this trajectory, we shall not unite this country. We were sent here by the people to speak on their behalf and we tend to trivialise issues because we still think we are campaigning. We are not here to campaign; we are here to speak for our people.

Madam Speaker: Hon. Member, relevance again. Please, be relevant to the speech. Proceed.

Mr Munir Zulu: Madam Speaker, initially, I had no intention of debating because I knew I would be curtailed.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.                                                                       

Laughter

Madam Speaker: I assure you hon. Members that everybody has a right to debate. Each hon. Member has eight minutes within which to debate. How you utilise that eight minutes is up to you, but remember, as you are speaking or debating, you are doing that on behalf of the people who elected you and sent you to this House to represent them. So, let us add value to the wishes and the will of the people of Zambia, not for personal gratification or personal interest.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Madam Speaker: Let us bear that in mind as we debate. As I said, let us offer alternative workable solutions. That is the role of a Member of Parliament. Any further debate?

Anyway, it is the first day. We are still getting used to debating.

ADJOURNMENT

The Minister of Defence and Acting Leader of Government Business in the House (Mr Lufuma): Madam Speaker, I beg to move that the House do now adjourn.

Question put and agreed to.

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The House adjourned at 1751 hours until 1430 hours on Wednesday, 14^thSeptember, 2022.

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