Wednesday, 18th June, 2025

Wednesday, 18^thJune, 2025

The House met at 1430 hours

[MADAM SPEAKER in the Chair]

NATIONAL ANTHEM

PRAYER

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ANNOUNCEMENTS BY MADAM SPEAKER

PUPILS AND TEACHERS FROM BROOK NURSERY, PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL

Madam Speaker: Hon. Members, I wish to recognise the presence in the Public Gallery of pupils and teachers from Brook Nursery, Primary and Secondary School, Lusaka District.

On behalf of the National Assembly of Zambia, I warmly welcome our visitors into our midst.

I thank you.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

VISITORS FROM JOHN HOWARD SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH

Madam Speaker: Hon. Members, I wish to recognise the presence in the Public Gallery of visitors from John Howard Seventh-Day Adventist (SDA) Church, Lusaka District.

On behalf of the National Assembly of Zambia, I warmly welcome our visitors into our midst.

I thank you.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

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URGENT MATTERS WITHOUT NOTICE

HON. KAFWAYA, MEMBER FOR LUNTE, ON HER HONOUR THE VICE PRESIDENT, MRS NALUMANGO, ON THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS AND INTERNAL SECURITY’S SUBMISSION TO LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES OF THE AUDITOR-GENERAL’S REPORT ON A FORENSIC AUDIT ON MEDICINES DONATED BY THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WITHOUT THE REPORT BEING TABLED IN THE HOUSE

Mr Kafwaya ( Lunte): On an Urgent Matter without Notice, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: An Urgent Matter without Notice is raised.

Mr Kafwaya: Madam Speaker, thank you so much for the opportunity granted to me to raise this Urgent Matter without Notice.

Madam Speaker: You may proceed.

Mr Kafwaya: Madam Speaker, you may be aware that there have been an allegation by the people of the United States of America (USA) that they donated medicines to the United Party for National Development (UPND) Government and that the medicine has been stolen. As a matter of fact, recently, the hon. Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security declared that an audit had been launched whose report had been handed over to the law enforcement agencies (LEA) for the culprits to be assessed.

Madam Speaker, the audit that the hon. Minister referred to is the Auditor-General’s Report. It is not just a convention, but also a legal requirement. The Constitution requires that the Auditor-General’s Report be reported to the people of Zambia on the same day through the Office of the President and the National Assembly of Zambia.

Madam, you can check the journals or records on your Table. The foresic report has never been tabled in this Assembly for the people of Zambia. How, then, is it that the hon. Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security has handed it over to the LEAs?

Madam Speaker, is the UPND Government in order …

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kafwaya: … to commence the abrogation of the Constitution in this blatant manner?

Madam Speaker, I seek your serious direction as I raise the matter on Her Honour the Vice-President.

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Member!

Hon. Members, you are supposed to raise your Urgent Matters without Notice within one minute. Please, do not debate. That is what our rules require.

Hon. Member for Lunte, firstly, you said that this issue was raised some time back.

Interruptions

Madam Speaker: Not yesterday. You did not state that it was mentioned yesterday. Also, you know that we have the Public Accounts Committee, which considers the Auditor-General‘s Report. So, the matter that you have raised does not qualify to be an Urgent Matter without Notice. Please, explore other ways by which you can bring this issue to the attention of the House and the members of the public. You can even raise it with the Public Accounts Committee. That is another avenue that you can use. So, the matter is not adimitted.

HON. B. MPUNDU, MEMBER FOR NKANA, ON HON. SYAKALIMA, MINISTER OF EDUCATION, ON SANITATION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ZAMBIA

Mr B. Mpundu (Nkana): On an Urgent Matter without Notice, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: An Urgent Matter without Notice is raised.

Mr B. Mpundu: Madam Speaker, I direct my Urgent Matter without Notice to the hon. Minister of Education.

Madam Speaker, the University of Zambia (UNZA) is home to over 30,000 students. Yesterday, on my visit to the university, I found a very horrific situation which, if not handled well, might lead to very serious health complications. Hostels such as the ‘Ruins’, Mwanawasa and Zambezi have serious sanitation problems. Can you imagine that 2,000 students are serviced by only ten toilets? Further, the water situation at the university is dire. Is the hon. Minister of Education in order to not come and inform the nation, taking advantage of the students absence from the university, as to the interventions that the Government is making to address the sanitation situation at the university? Remember, UNZA does not close. As I am speaking, there are students there.

Madam Speaker, I seek your indulgence.

Madam Speaker: Hon. Member for Nkana, explore other ways in which you can bring this matter to the attention of the House. First of all, the matter does not qualify to be raised as an Urgent Matter without Notice.

Mr B. Mpundu interjected.

Madam Speaker: Hon. Member for Nkana, you raised a matter and I am responding by giving guidance, but you are still debating whilst seated.

Mr B. Mpundu interjected.

Madam Speaker: No, please! If sanctions visit you, you will start complaining.

HON. KAMONDO, MEMBER FOR MUFUMBWE, ON MR MWIIMBU, SC., HON. MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS AND INTERNAL SECURITY, ON MUFUMBWE GOLD RUSH KILLINGS

Mr Kamondo (Mufumbwe): On an Urgent Matter without Notice, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: An Urgent Matter without Notice is raised.

Mr Kamondo: Madam Speaker, I am most grateful. I rise on an Urgent Matter without Notice directed to the hon. Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security.

Madam Speaker, you have heard that in Mufumbwe, there has been a tragedy in which many people have died in Kikonge Ward over the gold rush. About nine people have been confirmed dead and 173 people have been admitted to hospital. Some of them have since been discharged. Is the hon. Minister in order to remain quiet and not come to this House to provide solutions so that we avoid further deaths? Currently, the situation is ongoing and we may end up seeing more deaths. If the situation is not addressed, many people are going to lose their lives because people keep going to the area, which has attracted many people from within Zambia and neighbouring countries.

Madam Speaker: Hon. Member for Mufumbwe, I do not know whether it is the hon. Minister of Mines and Minerals Development or the hon. Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security who should handle the matter. You are talking about the gold rush in Mufumbwe and that people are dying. So, I do not know whether your worry is the gold rush or the people who are dying. I need to make an appropriate order.

Mr Kamondo: Thank you, Madam Speaker. This matter should have been co-ordinated by the two ministries, that is, the Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development and the Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security. The Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security is the one that has been providing the security personnel to prevent the people who have been going to the mines while the Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development is also supposed to regulate the mining industry. So, the two ministries should look at the matter. I do not know what you are going to decide, but this is a matter of urgency.

Madam Speaker: Thank you very much, hon. Member.

The issue of the gold rush, I think, has been going on for some time. We have seen reports from Kasempa, Mumbwa and all over. I think, the people of Zambia need to know what is happening on the ground. In this regard, I direct that the hon. Minister of Mines and Minerals Development, together with the hon. Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security, come to the House and issue a comprehensive statement on what is happening on the ground and how these problems can be averted. So, the hon. Minister of Mines and Minerals Development and the hon. Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security should come back to the House on Tuesday, next week, with a comprehensive statement on how the issue is going to be tackled and how the loss of life we are seeing as a country will be averted.

Thank you.

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MINISTERIAL STATEMENTS

CHALLENGES EXPERIENCED ON THE AIRTEL ZAMBIA NETWORK

The Minister of Technology and Science (Mr Mutati): Madam Speaker, thank you for according me the opportunity to deliver this Ministerial Statement in response to the Urgent Matter without Notice raised by Hon. Fred Chaatila, Member of Parliament for Moomba Constituency, on Friday, 13^th June, 2025.

Madam Speaker, I quote the matter raised, in part, as follows:

“We have one network provider by the name of Airtel, whose services will cause harm to the nation if not managed well. We have a situation in which calls are being made and, at any time, a call is cut. Nurses were not able to get through, putting that mother at risk.”

Madam Speaker, allow me to express, on behalf of the Government, my sincere regrets to the people of Zambia for the continued poor quality of service that they have been experiencing from some mobile network operators.

Madam Speaker, as the Government, our vision is to ensure availability of communication services countrywide to enhance the quality of life of our people in line with the digital transformation agenda. The Government aims to put in place adequate communication and information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure that will enable all parts of the country, including the rural areas, to have access to quality digital services.

Madam Speaker, given the Government’s desire to deepen universal access, there should be no excuse for exclusion and poor quality of service, especially in an era where mobile phone communication is critical to the delivery of public services, digital trade, financial inclusion and education, among others.

Madam Speaker, the connectivity challenges experienced, particularly with Airtel Zambia, include frequent call drops, unstable voice services, poor mobile Internet, especially during peak hours, and prolonged outages. The House may wish to note that the Government is deeply concerned, as these challenges breach established consumer protection guidelines and are a threat to the realisation of the digital transformation agenda. In the specific instance, in which a prolonged outage was experienced, it has been established that Airtel Zambia failed to meet key requirements under both the quality of service and consumer protection. Accordingly, the Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA), as a regulator, will impose appropriate sanctions once its assessment of the outage is completed. The sanctions may include financial penalties, mandatory customer compensation and, if necessary, a review of the operator's licence conditions to ensure that Zambians receive the service quality they deserve.

Madam Speaker, in the case of Moomba Parliamentary Constituency, it should be noted that the constituency is connected by both the Zambia Telecommunications Company Limited (Zamtel) and Airtel Zambia. The Government is working to implement local roaming to create redundancy and address the very challenges raised by the hon. Member of Parliament for the constituency.

Madam Speaker, given the importance that the Government places on communication, the following are the initiatives that are being taken:

eighty-four fourth generation (4G) communication towers are being constructed, out of which fifty-seven are already on air;

twenty-four communication towers have been upgraded from second generation (2G) and third generation (3G) to 4G; and

eighty 4G communication towers will be deployed, starting this year.

Madam Speaker, in addition to the Government interventions mentioned above, an enabling environment has been created for the private sector to invest in networks to improve the quality and availability of service, as follows:

Airtel Zambia is constructing 352 communication towers and upgrading a further 173 sites to 4G;

MTN Zambia has pledged to construct 110 communication towers and improve backup power at 835 sites countrywide; and

Zamtel is upgrading 1,200 communication towers from 2G to 4G in a phased approach, with 600 sites currently being upgraded to 4G.

Madam Speaker, let me assure the House that the Government considers communication services an essential public utility akin to electricity and water. Such services are not a luxury, but critical enablers of economic and social development. In this regard, the Government is committed to:

holding operators accountable;

strengthening the regulatory framework;

expanding communication infrastructure to all corners of Zambia; and

ensuring inclusive access to reliable digital services.

Madam Speaker, the Government invites members of the public to use ZICTA’s consumer complaints platform to report persistent poor service.

Madam Speaker, in conclusion, I wish to state that the ministry will continue working around the clock to address concerns with urgency and accountability. The Government will continue engaging mobile network operators to ensure that the quality of service is enhanced and, where necessary, impose sanctions on operators who fail to meet the set standards.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Madam Speaker: Hon. Members, you are now free to ask questions on points of clarification on the Ministerial Statement presented by the hon. Minister of Technology and Science.

Mr Chewe (Lubansenshi): Thank you, Madam Speaker, for the opportunity given to the people of Lubansenshi to ask a follow-up question. Before I go further, allow me, on behalf of the good people of Lubansenshi, to convey my condolences to the families of our Sixth Republican President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, and the former Clerk of the National Assembly of Zambia on the demise of the two men. May the souls of the deceased rest in eternal peace.

Madam Speaker, network connectivity is very important because it supports life and business. My question is: What practical interventions has the ministry put in place to counter the further loss of business as soon as possible? There has been poor network connectivity for some time, especially on Airtel Zambia, and people are now fed up. Is there anything the hon. Minister can tell the people in Lubansenshi and in other constituencies to assure them that, maybe, next month or in three months’ time, the issue will be a thing of the past?

Mr Mutati: Madam Speaker, indeed, the Government is concerned about the quality and availability of services provided to people for them to undertake critical activities, including mobile transfer of money, making of calls and receiving of Government services. In the specific case that we are referring to, we have instructed ZICTA to carry out an assessment of the quality of service. If the operator is found to be at fault, there are specific sanctions outlined in the law that will be imposed, including a review of the licence.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Mr J. Chibuye (Roan): Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Minister for his statement. More so, allow me to thank the person who brought the matter under discussion to the Floor of this House, Hon. Chaatila.

Madam Speaker, in his statement, the hon. Minister has clearly indicated that Airtel Zambia failed on key requirements, hence the disruptions. Believe you me when I say that even as I am speaking, the disruptions are still prevalent. There are situations in which an Airtel prompt tells a client that the balance in the account is insufficient to make a call, yet the balance is adequate. After trying six or seven times, the call goes through. This is not the first time that Airtel Zambia has found itself in such a predicament. Last time, the company published a screaming headline to the effect that it was going to compensate the clients who had been affected by a disruption in its services.

Madam Speaker, among the forms of punishment that the hon. Minister has outlined in the statement are financial penalties. He went further to say that customers will be compensated financially. I want him to tell this House and the nation the criteria Airtel Zambia is going to use to compensate the affected clients. The operator should publish the names or numbers of the customers to be compensated rather than just end with mentioning the amount, like K4 million or K6 million, that will be paid as compensation.

Mr Mutati: Madam Speaker, the criteria for compensation will not be set by Airtel Zambia; it will be set by the regulator in terms of the law. After undertaking an assessment and receiving the report on what occurred, the regulator has will be able to determine the penalty that will be imposed on the operator. So, the regulator, ZICTA, will decide the compensation.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Chaatila (Moomba): Madam Speaker, for the hon. Minister’s information, first of all, I have been one of the customers who have had an Airtel Zambia Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card the longest and, secondly, since he talked about towers, I want to report to him that in my constituency, Moomba, in Chief Choona’s area, the ministry delivered equipment almost a year ago for construction of a tower but, to date, no contractor has been on site. So, I want to know what the lead time is for the ministry in addressing an issue such as the one on the Floor after identifying the problem. I am asking this question because the problem has been there for two to three months, but there has not been any report from the Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA) or the ministry.

Mr Mutati: Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Member for Moomba for raising the Urgent Matter without Notice.

Madam Speaker, on the lead time, I wish to state that we have a regulator to ensure that the parameters set in the law are followed by operators. The set parameters include the lead time and notifying customers when a fault has occurred. Once the operators breach the parameters, including those relating to the lead time and notifying the customers when a fault has occurred, when determining the penalties, the regulator will include in its assessment how the operator responded to the fault and whether the response was in line with the lead time as set in the regulations. That informs the determination of compensation.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Dr Andeleki (Katombola): Thank you very much, Madam Speaker, for according the people of Katombola, who are in a similar situation as those in Moomba, this opportunity to pose a follow-up question to the hon. Minister of Technology and Science.

Madam Speaker, communication is no longer a luxury, as people survive on it. Is the Government considering giving us a proper network provider that can service the people of Zambia? It is very clear that Airtel Zambia has failed the people. Is the Government considering a provider that can cater for rural areas like Katombola and Moomba, and provide an effective service? For the hon. Minister’s information, Airtel Zambia erected a tower in Simango Ward in Katombola but, to date, the area has no network because the tower has not been switched on. Further, even when clients report to the operator, nothing is done. One can call the operator and do whatever else, but it is clear that it cannot provide the services that the people of Zambia need. We need a proper network provider to cover urban and rural areas to the satisfaction of the people of Zambia.

Interruptions

Madam Speaker: Order!

Please, hon. Members, let us tone down.

Mr Mutati: Madam Speaker, the hon. Member started by saying that communication is not a luxury. I think that it is a necessity, just like power and water. It is, indeed, a necessity of life.

Madam Speaker, the hon. Member asked a question about whether we will bring in another operator. I think, the first thing that we need to do is deal with the situation and operators who are failing to operate. Thereafter, we can do whatever we need to do. So, our first call of action is to cure the challenges that the people of Katombola are facing.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Charles Mulenga (Kwacha): Madam Speaker, my question has just been overtaken by Hon. Dr Andeleki’s.

Interruptions

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Members!

Please, let us tone down. There is too much talking.

Mr Chisanga (Lukashya): Madam Speaker, recently, the Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA) updated the press and assured customers that the service providers were directed to improve their services. However, the services have continued to be poor. Are there any other sanctions that can be imposed now to ensure that we do not only give the service providers a slap on the wrist, but also call them to order so that they improve their services?

Mr Mutati: Madam Speaker, in the statement that was issued by ZICTA, in the last paragraph, the authority states that it was carrying out an assessment in order to determine the appropriate sanctions to impose. So, the company is still carrying out that assessment, which will be the basis for imposing the appropriate sanctions.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Mutinta (Itezhi-Tezhi): Madam Speaker, while we appreciate the challenges we are going through, the hon. Minister has also elaborated some of the measures he has put in place to resolve the network challenges, including eighty-four towers that will be put up this year. Are those the towers that he assured hon. Members of Parliament on the Floor would be sent to the constituencies?

Mr Mutati: Madam Speaker, indeed, the eighty-four towers that I referred to have already been procured and are being assessed, and they are going to be deployed to the various constituencies in Zambia as soon as the evaluation is completed.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Mtayachalo (Chama North): Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Minister for this statement.

Madam Speaker, we can only develop this country if we support our local industries. Since the Zambia Telecommunications Company (ZAMTEL) Limited is a State-owned enterprise (SOE), I want to know from the hon. Minister what measures the ministry is taking to help the company to become the number one mobile service provider in this country, taking advantage of the poor services being provided by the foreign mobile service providers.

Mr Mutati: Madam Speaker, indeed, the hon. Member is right. A number of measures have been taken around ZAMTEL. The following are some of the measures that have been taken in order to strengthen the balance sheet, operational capability and customer base of ZAMTEL:

ZAMTEL was lumbered with unprofitable rural towers. Those towers have now been transferred to ZICTA;

ZAMTEL and the Government did what we called a debt swap. ZAMTEL’s losses incurred from operating unprofitable towers was swapped for its tax obligations owed as at the end of last year;

the Government supported ZAMTEL in securing a contract to upgrade 1,200 towers from Second-Generation (2G) network to Fourth-Generation (4G) wireless; and

in order to meet its obligations to INFRATEL Corporation Limited, ZAMTEL gave the old ZAMTEL Building to INFRATEL Zambia.

Madam Speaker, as of the end of December, last year, ZAMTEL had met all its tax obligations. So, it did not owe the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) anything. Further, it was able to return a profit and no longer walked in the corridors of the Ministry of Finance and National Planning to secure interventions for operations. It was also the fastest growing network operator, ahead of Airtel Zambia and Mobile Telephone Network (MTN). If that is not enough, what else is? We can only say, ZAMTEL, wow!

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Laughter

Madam Speaker: What do you mean by “wow’’? Even with the towers, it was, “Wow!”

Laughter

Mr Mwila (Mufulira): Madam Speaker, I must say that the statement by the hon. Minister has given very little hope to us and many Zambians who have continued to suffer as a result the poor network. Today, we are discussing Airtel Zambia, but this problem affects even Mobile Telephone Network (MTN) and Zambia Telecommunications Company (ZAMTEL) Limited. So, it requires a paradigm shift in terms of identifying the causes of the poor network and the solutions. As things stand, the Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA), which is the regulator, has exhausted all the punitive measures in the law that it can mete out to address this problem. So, I was expecting to hear something outside the box, so to say, as to what else can be done. This is because the measures the hon. Minister has mentioned will still be applied within the existing law, which has not deterred the providers from providing poor network. We have not seen the solution. Is there anything outside the box that will address this problem?

Mr Mutati: Madam Speaker, the hon. Member’s question is on anything outside the box. Obviously, there are laws and regulations; the things that we can do. However, before one gets to the level of involving the law, one has to determine whether there is a technical solution that needs to be employed in order to address the challenge. The hon. Member wants to know the measures we have put in place, after thinking outside the box, to alleviate the network challenge. Firstly, we have permitted mobile network operators to collocate. Instead of each operator erecting a tower, all of them will collocate on existing towers to expand network coverage. Secondly, we have also experimented with local roaming, and it is beginning to work. This means that one would be able to call using the ZAMTEL, for instance, even if it has no tower in a particular area. So, one can roam the same way one does when abroad. That is what is being done in order to increase coverage; we are operating outside the box.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Twasa (Kasenengwa): Madam Speaker, thank you very much for the opportunity given to the people of Kasenengwa to ask a question. As a matter of fact, the people of Kasenengwa are thanking you for allowing the hon. Minister to come and answer to the question on why the network has been bad.

Madam Speaker, there have been assertions out there that, generally, network is very bad because as a result of the cyber laws, the Government is configuring –

Hon. UPND Members: Question!

Mr Twasa: I am talking to the hon. Madam Speaker. I do not want to say ‘icimutwe’ here.

Interruptions

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Member!

Let us be factual and not make suppositions.

Interruptions

Mr Twasa: Madam Speaker, I want the hon. Minister to clear the air. Firstly, there have been assertions that the network is bad because the Government is trying to reconfigure the network so that it can tap people’s phones. Secondly, it is alleged that the Government is trying to sabotage Airtel, since the company is privately owned, and advantage Cell Z. This far, I have not heard a concrete answer from the hon. Minister as to why the network has been bad. The people of Kasenengwa would like him to tell the nation why the network has been bad of late. As far as we are, in Kasenengwa, are concerned, we have not heard a concrete answer from the hon. Minister. Can he tell the nation why the network has been bad of late.

Mr Mutati: Madam Speaker, let me start by responding to the assertions on the Cyber Security and the Cyber Crime laws.

Madam Speaker, the two laws were passed here, and in none of them are the words ‘surveillance’ or ‘unlawful interception’. In fact, the law says that one can only intercept a call if one gets a court order. So, to intercept calls, one needs to provide appropriate grounds to a competent Judge. That is what the law says.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutati: Madam Speaker, the Cyber Security Law has defined critical information infrastructure as including mobile payment platforms, power lines and hospital equipment. What the law is saying is that we need to protect that critical public infrastructure.

Madam Speaker, we need to consider the growth of mobile money transactions. In the first quarter of this year, transactions exceeded K500 billion. That is growth, and it is why we need to protect the infrastructure by an appropriate law so that a person who is supposed to receive K100 actually receives it. So, the Cyber Law there for our protection; to ensure that we are able to receive Social Cash Transfer (SCT) funds, for example. That is what it is all about. So, let us not make insinuations and presumptions. What we need to do is simply acquaint ourselves with the critical provisions of the law. We should be able to state which section is not appropriate and discuss it thoroughly instead is one saying, “I have heard.” You cannot say that. The law is not about what you hear, but what you read.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Madam Speaker: Thank you very much. I do not know if the hon. Minister has tackled the second aspect of the question, which is about what is causing the problem. What are the causes?

Mr Mutati: Madam Speaker, that was tackled in an answer, which is that ZICTA is carrying out an assessment and that a report will be rendered. I thought, the hon. Member of Parliament, who is always attentive, had actually paid attention. I did not want to repeat the answer to a man is that attentive.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Laughter

Mr B. Mpundu: On a point of order, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: A point of order is raised

Mr B. Mpundu: Madam Speaker, I raise this point of order on the hon. Minister. I always like factual submissions so that in future, we are not misled but, rather, guided appropriately.

Madam Speaker, in his response, the hon. Minister has alluded to the new cyber laws dictating that to intercept our communications, the law enforcement agencies will need to go to competent Judges and get court orders. That is what he has stated here. However, he has failed to tell this House that according to the interpretation of that law we passed here, and following the submissions of the police spokesperson, the law enforcement agencies will now be able to simply make a phone call to a Judge to get a court order orally, and there will be nowhere for anybody to actually attest.

Mr Anakoka interjected.

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Members!

Please, let us not debate while seated. Let the hon. Member raise his point of order and then he will be guided. You do not need to guide and usurp my powers from where you are seated.

Mr B. Mpundu: Madam Speaker, the hon. Minister has forgotten to inform the nation that the Government has actually interpreted the law through the spokesperson, who has now indicated to the nation that the law enforcement agencies will now be making oral requests to Judges to get consents. This means that the consent will now be obtained orally, and you know how difficult it is for one to get an oral court order to intercept communication.

Madam Speaker, is the hon. Minister in order, therefore, to mislead this country into believing that in the current law, the cyber law, which was just passed, the law enforcement agencies will be getting orders from competent Judges when in the actual interpretation, they can simply make a phone call, pretending to be getting an order, and intercepting our communications?

Madam Speaker, I seek your ruling on whether the hon. Minister is not misleading this House.

Interruptions

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Members!

First and foremost, we are discussing the reason the network is very poor in Zambia. The issue of cyber laws came in by the way. In any event, it is the courts that are supposed to interpret the law, not the Police Spokesperson that the hon. Member is referring to. Also, I urge you to read the Act and understand it properly. If you want it interpreted, go to court and find out what the correct interpretation is. Let us not make assumptions, because we are misleading the people. So, the hon. Minister is not out of order. He is in order in providing that explanation because he understands the law, as he has read it.

Let us make progress.

Mr Sampa (Matero): Madam Speaker, the problem concerning Airtel Zambia’s network is huge. The majority of our citizens depend on the network for a living. The medical industry depends on it as well. When sending money to our constituents, we also mostly use Airtel Zambia. However, we have a challenge now because we cannot send money using the network. There is so much money in our phones, but we cannot transact.

Mr Amutike: Former president!

Mr Sampa: Madam Speaker, I have heard the answers that the hon. Minister has given, but I still have a question. When one receives a call on a phone, such as an iPhone 19, iPhone 20 or the iPhone 21, there is a delayed echo and sometimes silence. Some phones even tell you that somebody is recording your call. Is the Government snooping, recording our calls or listening to our conversations? Is that one of the reasons Airtel Zambia has a network problem? Is that the reason even –

Interruptions

Mr Sampa: He is saying, “Ja”.

Madam Speaker, half the time, people do not use ordinary calls; they use WhatsApp, because they know that there is no call recording on WhatsApp. Are our calls recorded? Further, is that partly causing the network problem on Airtel Zambia?

Mr Mutati: Madam Speaker, the answer is no. The Government is not recording calls or listening in to anyone because that is against the law, and the Government will not be the first to break the law.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Kasandwe (Bangweulu): Madam Speaker, I know that the network failure we are experiencing in this country might not be solely blamed on a network provider like Airtel Zambia. Communication towers, transmitters and other technologies use energy and most of them are connected to the ZESCO Grid and are hybrid; they either use ZESCO power or solar energy. When power supplied by ZESCO Limited fails, the system switches to solar power. However, when sunlight is scarce, batteries do not charge, and that could be one of the reasons we are facing this problem. So, instead of blaming the problem entirely on the network provider, what is the hon. Minister doing to ensure twenty-four hours and seven-days-a-week supply of electricity to communication towers so that the network can be restored?

Mr Mutati: Madam Speaker, last year, we experienced, perhaps, the worst drought in living memory. Power availability was below 50 per cent across the country, and that, obviously, impacted communication. However, we were able to make communication available at above 90 per cent. The reason that happened is that mobile phone service operators contributed funds on a monthly basis to INFRATEL, which runs the towers, the passive system, and to IHS Towers, which operates the towers, for procuring diesel to run the engines. That is why 90 per cent of communication was possible even when electricity supply was below 50 per cent; the mobile phone service operators made substantial contributions during that difficult time, and they continue to do so.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Kang’ombe (Kamfinsa): Madam Speaker, the hon. Minister of Technology and Science is aware – I think, the reports are with him – that the mobile phone subscriber base for Airtel Zambia has been increasing. The number of subscribers that Airtel Zambia had five or ten years ago is totally different from what it is today. So, there is overwhelming demand for people to communicate, not only on the Airtel Zambia network, but also on the Mobile Telephone Network (MTN) Zambia and Zambia Telecommunications Company Limited (ZAMTEL) networks. People want to communicate using all the networks, and I want to borrow the words of the hon. Member for Katombola in saying that communication is a necessity for the people.

Madam Speaker, given the increased number of subscribers, has the ministry established whether Airtel Zambia is investing the correct amount of money in providing the technical support for its network so that it can work well for our people? This is a software and hardware issue. Does Airtel Zambia have the capacity to cope with the subscriber volume that it has? The Government is allowing the company to have so many subscribers, yet the network cannot cope with any more subscribers. Maybe, we need some guidance on this particular aspect.

Mr Mutati: Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Member for Kamfinsa for this question.

Madam Speaker, in any business environment, as a business expands, one must invest in it. There is no other formula. As I said in the statement, firstly, this year, Airtel Zambia is planting 352 additional towers to cater for the expansion taking place. That is called investment. Secondly, I said that we have tested local roaming so that if the Airtel Zambia network is not present in a particular area, subscribers can receive mobile phone services through other networks. That way, we are able to minimise investment requirements. Thirdly, we have instituted implemented what is called co-location. Instead of every mobile phone service operator planting a tower, any operator can hang its equipment on a tower erected, for example, by ZAMTEL. So, Airtel Zambia and MTN Zambia will be able to hang their active equipment on existing towers belonging to ZAMTEL, thereby minimising the cost of investment so that we can continue to keep the price of communication down. So, there is an active path to dealing with the challenge of the expanding customer base vis-a-vis investment.

Madam Speaker, to digress, this year, ZAMTEL will upgrade 600 towers from 2G to 4G network so that it can compete in the mobile money space, and that is investment. So, investment is driven, firstly, by an increase in customers and transactions and, secondly, by strategic direction. I can tell the hon. Member that, that is happening.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: Thank you very much, hon. Minister.

We make progress.

WATER SUPPLY INTERVENTIONS IN LUSAKA PROVINCE

The Minister of Water Development and Sanitation (Eng. Nzovu): Thank you, Madam Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to provide an update on the Government's on-going efforts to enhance water supply and sanitation services in Lusaka Province. The interventions being made are aligned with the Vision 2030, the Eighth National Development Plan (8NDP), and Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) No. 6, which is on clean water and sanitation for all.

Madam Speaker, Lusaka currently produces an average of 350,000 m³of water per day, against a daily demand of 480,000 m³, resulting in a deficit of approximately 130,000 m³. Worse still, due to the recent climate-induced drought, actual production has dropped further to 265,000 m³ per day, resulting in a deficit of 215,000 m³. The growing shortfall highlights the urgent need for sustainable and climate-resilient water solutions.

Madam Speaker, to secure Lusaka’s long-term water supply, the Government is undertaking a K4.3 million feasibility study on the construction of a dam in Chongwe District. The study, which is at 70 per cent, is on the development of a system capable of serving over 313,000 residents. The dam is designed to store 10,000,000 m³ of water and with a projected daily abstraction of 45,000 m³. Additionally, the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Council has approved two major water projects. One is the Kafue Bulky Water Supply Project, Phase II, which includes the installation of pumps with a daily capacity of 100,000 m³ at Iolanda II and construction of a new treatment plant, booster station, transmission pipelines, a distribution centre and a dedicated power substation. The other is the Lusaka West Water Supply Project (LWWSP), which will be implemented under the Lusaka Water Security Initiative (LUWSI). The project will address water shortages and groundwater contamination in high-density areas, such as Garden House, George, Lilanda and Kanyama.

Madam Speaker, for infrastructure expansion in peri-urban areas, the Government has allocated K34 million to the Lusaka Water Supply and Sanitation Company (LWSC) to improve water access for over 50,000 peri-urban residents. This will contribute to cholera prevention and public health enhancement efforts. The key achievements under the programme include:

installation of a 5 km water distribution pipeline, with 4,000 households connected in Garden Park and Makeni Villa in Kanyama Constituency;

construction of elevated reservoir tanks in Chunga, Matero and Garden Park; and

development of commercial boreholes and supporting infrastructure in Kanyama Constituency.

Drought Response and Climate Resilience Activities

Madam Speaker, to mitigate climate-related shortages, twenty-four commercial boreholes will be drilled at a cost of K10.16 million. Eleven have already been completed and are benefiting over 80,000 residents in areas such as Linda, Bauleni, George and Silverest. Twenty additional boreholes are under construction in George Compound and parts of Kanyama Compound at a cost of K22 million. So far, nineteen have been drilled, with four of them having been equipped. The project is expected to be completed by July 2025.

Madam Speaker, in Chongwe, a 260 kW solar power system has been installed to run the booster station and boreholes at Margaret Mwachiyeya Wellfield, which will be commissioned by July 2025. Diesel generators worth K2.5 million have also been deployed to maintain water supply during power outages resulting from energy challenges, which have caused water stress in many areas.

Rural Water and Sanitation Service Delivery

Madam Speaker, we are addressing rural water and sanitation service delivery. Following a 2018 policy revision that assigned rural water service provision to commercial utilities, feasibility studies are underway in Rufunsa and Kafue on sustainable options for underserved rural communities. The two towns are expected to have piped water in 2027.

Water Quality and Monitoring

Madam Speaker, in order to improve water treatment efficiency, a US$430,000 onsite chlorine generation plant is being constructed at Stuart Park with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Construction is nearing completion. The plant will help to reduce dependence on imported and expensive chlorine.

Sanitation Infrastructure

Madam Speaker, as the House may be aware, currently, sanitation coverage in Lusaka stands at only 80 per cent. Under the Lusaka Sanitation Programme, which is aimed at achieving 100 per cent sanitation coverage by 2035, the following achievements have been made:

construction of almost 6,000 household toilets in George, Kanyama and Kuomboka;

emptying of over 18,000 existing toilets;

construction of two faecal sludge treatment plants at the Manchinchi Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) and in Matero;

installation of 100 public toilets in twenty-one schools, four health centres and five markets; and

On-going construction of over 300 km of sewer networks and completed twenty sewer pump stations, which is benefiting over 900,000 people.

Madam Speaker, looking ahead, two energy-autonomous wastewater treatment plants will be constructed in Chunga and Ngwerere.

Improvement of Metering System

Madam Speaker, to improve the metering system for efficiency and accountability, and reduced water loss, the LWSC has launched a large-scale metering programme targeting 64,000 properties. This initiative aims to improve billing accuracy, reduce non-revenue water supply and promote water conservation.

Constituency Development Fund Community Projects

Madam Speaker, in line with the decentralisation agenda, the ministry is collaborating with local authorities to deliver community water supply projects through the Constituency Development Fund (CDF). Examples include a K5 million upgrade of a 2.6 km network in Bauleni, Lusaka Central Constituency. In Chinika Ward, six communal water kiosks have been constructed at a cost of K600,000, and they are now serving over 8,000 people. In Kabanana, a K3 million pipeline connecting groundwater and surface systems, expected to benefit in excess of 40,000 people, is almost complete. We encourage other hon. Members of Parliament to partner with the ministry to find solutions to water stress in their constituencies.

Madam Speaker, in partnership with Fresh Life Zambia, the ministry is also piloting container-based sanitation (CBS) systems to protect groundwater in Kafue. Up to 200 CBS units will be installed by December 2025, with plans for a national scale-up. Additional innovations include:

mapping well fields;

groundwater recharge zone delineation;

hydro-census surveys; and

pollution risk assessments.

Madam Speaker, Shaft 5 Wellfield in Lilayi, Chilanga District, which supplies approximately 22 per cent of Lusaka’s municipal groundwater, is also being looked at. The shaft has been divided into three groundwater protection zones (GWPZs) and will soon be declared a water resource protected area (WRPA). I must add that many areas that hold groundwater for supplying to many people across the length and breadth of this country are being encroached on. Therefore, it is the ministry’s intention to declare them GWPZs so that they are protected.

Madam Speaker, the interventions outlined above reflect the Government’s unwavering commitment to climate resilience, inclusive development and sustainable service delivery in the water and sanitation sector. They are not mere infrastructure projects, but essential steps towards enhancing public health, productivity and human dignity. Allow me to express my profound gratitude to our Republican President, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, who serves as an African Union (AU) Champion on Sanitation and Hygiene, and a Southern African Development Community (SADC) champion in the fight against cholera, for placing the water supply and sanitation agenda at the centre of Zambia’s national development plan.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Madam Speaker: Hon. Members, you are now free to ask questions on points of clarification on the Ministerial Statement presented by the hon. Minister of Water Development and Sanitation.

Mr E. Banda (Muchinga): Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Minister for the good statement.

Madam Speaker, I want to start by saying that most of the areas that the hon. Minister mentioned are urban, and that is where the ministry is investing to provide water. When will the hon. Minister invest in rural areas, putting aside the Constituency Development Find (CDF)? We have chiefs in rural areas. So, part of the CDF is used to build palaces for them. On the other hand, there are no chiefs in urban areas where the hon. Minister is putting so much emphasis. So, there are no palaces being built there. By the way, the hon. Minister’s officers have already been on the ground to conduct feasibility studies. So, we are now waiting for him.

Eng. Nzovu: Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Member for Muchinga for this very important question.

Madam Speaker, indeed, we will be going to the rural areas. However, the hon. Member should note that the statement I issued concerns Lusaka Province, and I mentioned Kafue, Rufunsa and Chongwe, which are rural areas under Lusaka Province. Suffice to for me to say that, I think, the hon. Member was right in saying that our officers were on the ground in Muchinga. When we make a statement on Central Province, we will discuss further details.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Katakwe (Solwezi East): Madam Speaker, the hon. Minister has talked about water development in rural areas. The District Water Resource Departments and the departments that are in charge of water supply in our councils seem to be disjointed in terms of how they are supposed to develop water resources like boreholes. The two need to co-ordinate on who does what. So, in relation to what the hon. Minister has just stated, I seek clarification regarding that.

Eng. Nzovu: Madam Speaker, I completely agree with the hon. Member for Solwezi East that, initially, there was a lot of confusion on who was responsible between our District Water Officers and officers from the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development. However, I am glad to tell him that we have had many meetings with the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development and have since streamlined the operations. We are working as one now, not only with the council, but also with the commercial utilities.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Tayengwa (Kabwata): Madam Speaker, I would have loved the hon. Minister to mention the number of dams to be constructed in Chongwe. However, my question is on the construction of new sewer lines, which I heard him talk about. We have places in Kabwata Constituency, such as Kamwala, Libala, Chilenje and New Kabwata, where sewer lines were constructed fifty years ago or so and they are giving up. They also get blocked every rainy season. So, I want to know whether there are any plans to invest in new sewer lines in the areas that I have mentioned.

Eng. Nzovu: Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Member for this very important question. My take on the first part of the question, regarding the number of dams in Chongwe, is that giving any details might be a bit premature because we are still conducting feasibility studies. After the feasibility studies, we should be able to know the quanta.

Madam Speaker, yes, we have plans for the area mentioned by the hon. Member. However, in Lusaka, working in collaboration with the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, and the Ministry of Health, we drew up a priority list, and what was weighing heavily in terms of which place to start with was the cholera-proneness of the areas. That is why Kanyama and the other cholera-prone areas are on top of the list. We are definitely going to Kabwata, Kamwala and all the other areas.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Rev. Katuta (Chienge): Madam Speaker, I know, the question being considered is about Lusaka, and I have been wondering whether Lusaka equals Zambia. The reason is that Chienge was promised a water reticulation system some years back. Even when this Government came into power, we were told that contractors were on site to start working on the water project. As I speak, however, there is nothing on the ground.

Madam Speaker, in his statement, the hon. Minister indicated that he would be going to rural areas. I want to know from him when the people of Chienge will have water. Also, since the question is about Lusaka, people in Chamba Valley area, just near here, draw water from the Zambia Air Force (ZAF) Mess in Chamba Valley. When will the hon. Minister fix that problem?

Eng. Nzovu: Madam Speaker, I will start with Chamba Valley.

Madam Speaker, as I said already, we have a deficit of about 215,000m³ a day, and I have outlined measures for closing the gap. The people of Chamba Valley will have water supply very soon.

I will also take the liberty, Madam Speaker, to answer the hon. Member of Parliament because I am aware of what is happening in Chienge. I think, she should be one of the proud hon. Members of Parliament because we have since signed a contract to take the first water supply system to the constituency. The project should start next month. For the complete details, however, I would love to provide them when we discuss her province. Since she asked, maybe, let me invite her for the specific details of the project. Suffice it for me to say that I am aware that we have very advanced plans for Chienge and that the area will have water supply for the first time very soon.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Madam Speaker: Hon. Member for Chienge, you have been invited to go and get more details over a cup of tea.

Mr Michelo (Bweengwa): Madam Speaker, the population here, in Lusaka, is growing on a daily basis and we have had only one line of water supply to the district, which is from the Kafue River, whose water levels are dwindling. We no longer have adequate water in the Kafue River and we, the cattle keepers in Bweengwa, are struggling to provide drinking water to our animals. Knowing well that the underground water in Lusaka is contaminated, is there any permanent solution? If the water in the Kafue River dries up, will we have a permanent reservoir that will supply water to Kafue and Lusaka in the future?

Eng. Nzovu: Madam Speaker, let me thank my hon. Colleague, the Member of Parliament for Bweengwa, for this very important question. I agree with him that the population is growing and that as the population grows, the demand for water and sanitation services also increases. However, let me also quickly correct him by stating that the blanket statement that the groundwater in Lusaka is contaminated is not true. Indeed, there are some areas where groundwater might be contaminated, but most of the water we are extracting for provision to our people is safe.

Madam Speaker, indeed, the water resource is depleting and depleting quickly, particularly the groundwater. In my statement, I mentioned one of our very important wellfields called Shaft 5 Wellfield in Lilayi, Chilanga District, which supplies approximately 22 per cent of Lusaka's municipal groundwater, but is under pressure from encroachments by the councils and our people. That is one of the areas on which we want to move in quickly and protect. Under the Water Resources Management Act, 2011, the Minister has the power to declare those areas WRPZs, and we want to be bold enough to protect those areas because this resource is vital to the livelihoods of our people.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Malambo (Magoye): Madam Speaker, we do have areas, like Kanyama, that are densely populated and have sanitation challenges, such as Kaleya in Magoye Constituency. What plans does the ministry have in terms of helping such communities to not drink contaminated water because of a huge number of pit latrines?

Eng. Nzovu: Madam Speaker, let me take advantage of this question from the hon. Member for Magoye to call upon all hon. Members of Parliament to work very closely with us. Our audit revealed that one would not get maximum benefits by working alone on water and sanitation projects. So, the hon. Member should approach the ministry or the commercial utility in his area, which will undertake an assessment and design a cost-effective system that will resolve the issues in his area comprehensively. Indeed, there have been low investment in the water and sanitation sector over the years. So, the need is huge. I can imagine how big it is in Kaleya area of Magoye Constituency because I am aware that the population there is very big. Let me, therefore, invite the hon. Member of Parliament to come to the office so that we discuss the issue. We can put in a bit of money from the CDF and the ministry so that we can come up with an effective solution.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Chala (Chipili): Madam Speaker, my question is similar to the one asked by the hon. Member who is just from asking.

Madam Speaker, when responding to the hon. Member for Magoye, the hon. Minister said that there are some areas where his ministry has drilled boreholes. Since in most compounds, there are pit latrines everywhere, how is the ministry taking care of that to ensure that people drink safe water?

Eng. Nzovu: Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Member of Parliament for the question.

Madam Speaker, as my hon. Colleague from Bweengwa stated, obviously, there are areas that are contaminated, and we are trying to avoid them. Remember, the ministry tests underground water not just for quantity, but also for quality. I will give the hon. Member an example of Bauleni Compound, where most of the underground water is contaminated. So, working with the hon. Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, we are providing surface water. We are pumping water to a reservoir rather than drilling boreholes. In most areas where there are many pit latrines and tests have made us believe that the underground water is contaminated, including Kanyama, we are doing the same. We are not drilling boreholes in those areas. Instead, we are channelling surface water into storage systems and, thereafter, into the distribution systems. As to the pit latrines on the sanitation side, in my statement, I indicated clearly that we are now trying to transition to waterborne facilities, even though it is a long process. The immediate plans are to empty the toilets.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Mr E. Tembo (Feira): Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Minister for his statement on water supply in Lusaka Province.

Madam Speaker, in 2023, I asked a question to the hon. Minister’s predecessor concerning piped water supply. Currently, in Feira, only the Boma, which is 10 per cent of the households, receives piped water while the rest use boreholes. The answer from the hon. Minister was that there was an assessment, which I can confirm was done by December 2023. The then hon. Minister has said that when the report was out, the Government would move in to provide piped water in view of the availability of water across the country and within Feira. Is the current hon. Minister aware of that report? If he is, when is the project going to start in Feira Constituency? I take note that he has mentioned Chongwe and Rufunsa, but he has not said anything about Feira.

Eng. Nzovu: Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Member for Feira for this important question.

Madam Speaker, yes, the hon. Member had approached my predecessor, and I can tell him that my predecessor prepared comprehensive handover notes. So, I am aware that an assessment was done, and this Government is moving quickly to ensure that Feira also has water. Maybe, let me also mention, without giving a very firm commitment, that we will be able to hold discussions with each hon. Member of Parliament very soon. The good news is that we are looking at providing a water supply scheme in each constituency. Currently, the arrangements are very advanced, and I would urge every hon. Member of Parliament to look at his/her area in terms of the level of need of particular areas, and before the end of this year, there will be piped water in that area. This Government is working.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Chisanga (Lukashya): I am grateful to you, Madam Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to ask the hon. Minister a question, and I thank him for the comprehensive statement he has given on the Floor of the House.

Madam Speaker, there is a major water supply pipeline from Kafue to Lusaka that was recently constructed. Unfortunately, it is being interfered with by some people who are constructing illegal structures right on top of it. I want to know what the Government is doing to prevent the illegal constructions from resulting in a catastrophe. On the left side of the Kafue Road after Mapepe, as one is driving towards Shimabala, there are people constructing right on top of the pipe.

Eng. Nzovu: Madam Speaker, I thank Counsel for this very important question. The pipeline in question is the biggest conveyance line for water from the Kafue River to Lusaka under the first phase of the project. Remember, I mentioned that we are looking at the second phase, with a 100,000 m³ a day capacity. The area being encroached on is the one where the second line is expected to be constructed. Some people allegedly have some documents for land in that area. However, we have written to all the people in the area to warn them that their structures will be brought down.

Madam Speaker, maybe, let me take advantage of this space to warn all encroachers on land around water and sanitation facilities that the full force of the law will be applied. Where structures are directly on the land earmarked for our construction activities, we will bring them down. This is a very serious matter. When you see blockages in areas like Munali and around the University of Zambia (UNZA), it is because of people who constructed in the wrong places, thereby blocking the water and sanitation system. We should, as a country, come together, agree that water is life and be able, without any apologies, to bring down the infrastructure for the good of the majority of residents, not the few who have encroached on those places.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Chinkuli (Kanyama): Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Minister for his responses. I also want to thank the hon. Members who have asked questions on behalf of my constituency.

Madam Speaker, there has been collaboration between the ministry and I in relation to the use of the Constituency Development Fund (CDF). Further, we have been advised that the ministry is coming up with a borehole drilling programme. However, given the very well-known fact that the underground water in Kanyama is contaminated, it is like we have been going back and forth on the issue. We know very well that even if we drill boreholes in Kanyama, given the water contamination, there is nothing we are going to achieve, especially looking at the cholera issues that come into play. So, my question is: What is the way forward to avoiding this irony of the water in Kanyama being contaminated and the Government urging us to drill boreholes? Why is the ministry not connecting us to the main water grid that supplies Lusaka?

Eng. Nzovu: Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Member for this important question, but let me also correct him.

Madam Speaker, the hon. Member and I have drilled and equipped over twenty boreholes in Kanyama, and the boreholes are being utilised. So, I think, he is wrong in stating that the groundwater is contaminated. I dare say that because of the provision of water, emptying of latrines as well as improvement of sanitation facilities, we prevented cholera in that area, by and large, working with the hon. Member of Parliament.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mrs Sabao (Chikankata): Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Minister for this good statement in which he shared with us the long-term interventions for water supply in Lusaka Province. However, we still have a challenge of water in the province, especially where I live, as we go without water supply for three days. What short-term intervention is the Government going to make in Lusaka Province?

Eng. Nzovu: Madam Speaker, as I said already, we recognise that there is a huge deficit of over 200,000 m³ a day. That is the deficit we are working on. Further, maybe, let me bring another perspective to the matter. In most areas where our colleagues here are able to afford water, we are inviting the private sector to invest in water infrastructure. The water to be provided might attract a slightly higher tariff, but one that many of us here are able to pay. That is one of the ways we think that we could meet the deficit. To further encourage more people to invest in construction of new infrastructure and provision of higher quality services, and to maintain the old infrastructure, soon, we will be looking at increasing the tariffs in the sector.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Munsanje (Mbabala): Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Minister for his statement.

Madam Speaker, I want to ask a follow-up question on the Millennium Challenge Compact Programme, a mega programme that developed another water line from Kafue to Lusaka and transmission lines to many compounds, such as Mtendere. The second phase of the programme was agreed upon and was supposed to support other compounds, including Kanyama, so that we continue to improve the water situation in those areas. What has happened to the second phase of the programme? Could the hon. Minister also shed some light on the way forward?

Eng. Nzovu: Madam Speaker, I thank my hon. Colleague from Mbabala for this question.

Madam Speaker, I think, in my statement, I clearly stated that the Public-Private Partnership Council, on which I think Hon. Eng. Milupi and Hon. Mutati must be, recently approved two major projects. So, we are looking at private sector investment alongside other types of financial investment. In terms of where we are, the council has approved most of the designs. By the way, the project is a very good one because the intake was constructed in Phase I. So, much of the cost will relate to works on the line booster station and, maybe, expansion of the treatment plant.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Mabeta (Kankoyo): Madam Speaker, every time I cross the Kafue River, I see that the water levels are getting very low despite the rainfall we received, which shows that we are going into a time in which we are going to see low water levels in the main rivers that we use for water supply. What plans does the ministry have for addressing that challenge ahead of us?

Eng. Nzovu: Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Member of Parliament for Kankoyo. However, I thought that he would also say that we have done quite well in Kankoyo, working with him. Most of the mining towns have bad sanitation situations, and we are trying to improve them, particularly in the densely populated areas.

Madam Speaker, let me also agree with the hon. Member completely that the water levels are very low. I think, this was also mentioned by our colleague, the hon. Minister of Energy, Mr Chikote, yesterday. There is energy stress as a result of water stress. In this regard, we have advanced in revising our water master plan to see where we can engage in water harvesting. I will soon report on the many dams that we have worked on across the length and breadth of the country. We are also looking at installing piped water schemes, which I mentioned that we will soon do. Further, we are protecting the groundwater resource to ensure that it is not contaminated or unsustainably utilised. These are the measures we are taking to ensure that the little water resource is not depleted.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Mapani (Namwala): Madam Speaker, is it possible for the hon. Minister to provide a schedule of the projects that he intends to implement across the country or throughout the constituencies to with the Provincial Administrations so that either we, the hon. Members of Parliament, or the local authorities can have access to the information, rather than asking all of us to queue up for a cup of coffee at his ministry?

Eng. Nzovu: Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Member for this submission. I welcome it wholeheartedly.

Madam Speaker, I talked about a master plan and, the last time I was on the Floor of the House, I talked about an information system. We are updating our database to ensure that we know the number of boreholes we have drilled, where we have drilled them and our future plans. So, I agree with the hon. Member that there are Provincial Water Officers in all areas, and we are working very closely with them. We have mitigated the inefficiencies of our officers, if any, with the commercial utilities. In each area of represented by an hon. Member, there is a commercial utility which, working very closely with the provincial and local government officers, is ensuring that the information flows in a better manner.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Madam Speaker: That concludes the Ministerial Statement.

We make progress.

________

QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER

FOREIGN INVESTOR EVICTING PEOPLE IN MULOBEZI

324. Eng. Mabenga (Mulobezi) asked the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources:

whether the Government is aware that about 10,000 people are currently being evicted from a 402,000-ha piece of traditional land in Mulobezi Ward in Mulobezi Parliamentary Constituency by a foreign investor trading in timber;

whether the consent of the Barotse Royal Establishment was obtained before the title deed was issued to the investor;

if not, whether the Government will cancel the title deed;

whether the Government will compensate the people once they are evicted;

whether there is land available to resettle the people who may be evicted from the said land; and

what will happen to the infrastructure in the area, such as Government schools, hospital, police post, railway line, market and churches.

The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources (Mrs Masebo): Madam Speaker, the Government was made aware of issues relating to the possible eviction of people in Mulobezi Ward in Mulobezi Constituency. However, a social survey has to be conducted to substantiate the claim that 10,000 people are affected, for purposes of decision making.

Madam Speaker, the Government is not aware of 402,000 ha of land having been allocated in Mulobezi District. However, our records show that a Certificate of Title for Sub-Division A of Farm/946 was issued in favour of Zambezi Sawmills Limited on a ninety-nine-year lease from 1^st January, 1999.

Madam Speaker, according to the law, when land is being converted from customary to statutory tenure, there is a requirement for consent to be obtained from the chief in whose jurisdiction the land in question falls. We are yet to establish whether consent was sought from the Barotse Royal Establishment (BRE) in respect of the said property.

Madam Speaker, should the Certificate of Title in question be found to have been irregularly issued, the Government will recommend its cancellation. We will investigate and, depending on the outcome, make a decision.

Madam Speaker, as noted above, there is a need for more investigations to be conducted before a decision is made regarding cancellation of the title and compensation.

Madam Speaker, discussions regarding resettlement can only be held once the legality of the Certificate of Title is established. At that point, the Government will engage the BRE to secure land.

Madam Speaker, Government infrastructure will remain as such. However, we need further and better details relating to the said infrastructure.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Eng. Mabenga: Madam Speaker, how soon is the investigation going to be conducted? The investor is pressuring the people to move away from that land.

Mrs Masebo: Madam Speaker, we have, as a ministry, written to the person who holds the title to help us to ascertain the legality of that title. In addition, we are trying to understand whether the chief of the area todays is the same one who was there in 1999 and whether consent was granted or not. These are matters that we need to investigate before any firm decision can be made. Also, the ministry will bring legislation here for dealing with some of these issues so that the Government can have adequate teeth to bite when faced with such difficult situations.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Chala: Madam Speaker, the hon. Member for Mulobezi wanted to know so that he could give the information to his people. Further, I am sure, the ministry received this question beforehand. Why did the hon. Minister not just say that the ministry was not ready to answer the question?

Mrs Masebo: Madam Speaker, the question that was asked refers to land that exceeds 400,000 ha, and that kind of land is as big as a small country in some regions of the world. The title that the ministry is for 4,072 ha, and that tells one that it is different –

Interruptions

Mrs Masebo: Madam Speaker, I could have easily said that the Government was not aware and not given any further information. However, I have tried to come with something, knowing that we are aware that there are issues in Mulobezi. Also, if one looks at the time in question, 1999, one wonders what could have happened in all those years. So, hon. Members must appreciate and give us time so that we do not mislead this House.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Madam Speaker: Maybe, by way of providing further information, the hon. Member for Mulobezi wanted to raise this issue as an Urgent Matter without Notice, but he was advised to file in an Urgent Question. The worry is that there are 10,000 people who are going to be evicted. I am sure, what the hon. Member for Mulobezi wants to hear is what the Government is doing in order to avert that situation. I think, that is the issue. So, maybe, as the hon. Minister answers the questions, she can address that aspect as well.

Eng. Mabenga: Madam Speaker, it is true that the people of Mulobezi want to know exactly what the Government is doing about the issue because the investor is busy pushing them out of their traditional land. Is there any protection for them? The area chief wrote letters to the hon. Minister’s office, which I took in person, but he has not got a response to date. Can we have an assurance that those people are not going to be removed from their traditional land?

Mrs Masebo: Madam Speaker, it is very important to note that when one is issued a title, the assumption is, firstly, that a social survey was done and, secondly, that the area chief has consented, especially, in this case, looking at the length of the time the company has been in the area. We are all aware that when a title is issued to a person after a social survey is conducted and there are people on the piece of land, the investor, working with the Government at that time, would have resettled the people either on the same land under an agreement or to another piece of land. That is why it is important for the Government to ascertain how that title was issued.

Madam Speaker, on the issue of the 10,000 people, I have indicated that we need to undertake a social survey and investigate. If I have a farm with a title deed and there are people squatting on it, it is not the job of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources to evict them. The job of the ministry is to ascertain whether the title is genuine, in the first place. If it is not genuine, then, we can recommend its cancellation. If it is genuine, we will advise the people who are affected to go to court. These are some of the issues we have been facing over decisions that were made in the past. Of course, they are our responsibility, in a way.

Madam Speaker, I think that, first of all, if, indeed, the land belongs to the traditional authorities and it was taken erroneously, or whatever the case might be, they have the right to take the matter to court and challenge that title. The court is going to make a decision as to whether the title was erroneously or fraudulently issued. For now, the various arms of the Government in Mulobezi District should help the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources under the One-Government Policy. The Police, the District Commissioner's (DC) office and the traditional authority can help.

Madam Speaker, I have a letter, yes, which shows that Zambezi Sawmills sold the land to a new investor. The investor might be the one who is trying to evict the people. The resolution of these issues, sometimes, requires legal processes. This is why I have said that at the moment, the Government is trying to change legislation so that when issues like these arise, we do not tell people to go to court. Within the ministry, we should only have to look at the process and say, ‘We are cancelling this because there is no chief’s consent.’ In some instances, a chief would have given consent somehow and somewhere but, years later, deny the fact. All these issues must be fully considered before I can come to the House and say what we are going to do.

Madam Speaker, if people are being evicted, I am not sure whether it is my business, as Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, to stop the eviction. From what I am reading in the ministry, it seems that a title deed was issued in 1999. I know, this issue is emotive and, yes, we should all work together and do something about it, but I would also like to appeal that the various Government departments in the district help us. The matter can be reported to the police, and the police can advise whoever is doing the eviction to hold on until the ministry comes back to validate the licence or title.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Ms Nyirenda (Lundazi): Madam Speaker, allow me to pass my condolences to you, being the Head of Parliament, and the family of the former Clerk, Mr Roy Ngulube, whom you had travelled with. I am passing my condolences now because this is the first time I am speaking after the losses the country has suffered. Allow me to also pass my condolences to the family of our Former Head of State, the late Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu. I pray that the family finds closure in whatever is happening to them at the moment.

Madam Speaker, the question asked by the hon. Member for Mulobezi brings in a question of who comes first. Is it an investor or Zambians? Here we are, talking about 10,000 Zambians against, maybe, just one investor. In this case, when the hon. Minister speaks, she gives policy direction on what can be done by the hon. Member of Parliament. I am sure, the reason the hon. Member for Mulobezi filed in this question was for him to seek tentative solutions whilst other solutions are being sought. Is the hon. Minister in a position to give a statement that will help the people in Mulobezi to put ice on the investor and make him or her hold on to his appetite for developing the area? There is a rail line, a hospital, clinics and schools in the area. So, what the hon. Minister will say will help our brother with what to say when he goes back.

Mrs Masebo: Madam Speaker, it is exactly for that reason that I have to ensure, first of all, that I do not mislead this House. What the Minister says becomes policy and a Government assurance. Secondly, I do not wish to commit the Government to something that I have not fully understood, as to what is on the ground. The hon. Member must remember that people have lived on the said piece of land since 1999 and Zambezi Sawmills has been operating with them around. I have been told that there are also Government structures on the same piece of land. That point, alone, tells me that I need to understand exactly what is on the ground.

Madam Speaker, as regards the 10,000 people who are being evicted, they have rights. When one feels that somebody is tampering with one’s rights, the matter can be reported to the police. A Minister cannot just come to this House and say ‘Stop!’ Suppose the company has a court order. Let us assume that, because I do not know the facts. That is why I said that the matter is under investigation. We will interview the original owner and the new owner. I am also told that there is a receiver who is now coming up with new rules. I can tell that there might have been a court process. We have heard that a receiver was appointed and that there is some money in the bank associated with the same piece of land. So, we should be helped to not make a mistake that will be used against the Government or the people of Mulobezi.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: Thank you very much.

From my assessment, the question has not been sufficiently answered because the hon. Minister needs some time to look for more details. So, we can defer the question so that she is given sufficient time to research. Looking at the 402,000 ha mentioned in this question, I do not know whether the land would be the subject of the title deed mentioned, as 402,000 ha can only be sold with the authority of the President. So, can we just go and find out on the full details so that the hon. Member for Mulobezi is assisted.

Hon. Minister, how much time would you require?

Mrs Masebo: Maybe, a month?

Madam Speaker: Okay, I hope we will not have adjourned by then.

Mrs Masebo: Before we adjourn, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: Will a month not be sufficient? Today is 18^thJune. So, 18^th July? Would that not be sufficient time?

Mrs Masebo: Is that one month, Madam Speaker?

Madam Speaker: That is one month. I do not know whether it falls on a Saturday.

Mrs Masebo: Yes, Madam Speaker, it is one month.

Madam Speaker: On what day? We can give you a day and then it falls on a Sunday.

An hon. Member interjected.

Madam Speaker: Oh, it will be a Friday, which is fine. So, let us try. If the hon. Minister is not ready by that time –

Mrs Masebo: A month is okay, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: Thank you very much. I appreciate that.

So, let us leave this question. We can go to the next one.

CONSTRUCTION OF SCIENCE LABORATORIES AND HOME ECONOMICS UNITS IN CHADIZA SCHOOLS

325. Eng. Daka (Chadiza) asked the Minister of Education:

whether the Government has any plans to construct the following infrastructure in schools in Chadiza District:

science laboratories; and

home economics units;

if so, when the plans will be implemented; and

if there are no such plans, why.

The Minister of Education (Mr Syakalima): Madam Speaker, I wish to inform the House that the Government has plans to construct science laboratories and home economics units in schools in Chadiza District.

Madam Speaker, the implementation of the plans has already commenced, with Kalemba and Chanida Day Secondary schools having been equipped with science the facilities.

Madam Speaker, in light of the response to part (a), part (c) is not applicable. The Government has already taken steps to construct the infrastructure in question.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Eng. Daka: Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Minster for the response that he has given to the question. However, in case he is not aware, the situation on the ground is that of the twenty-two secondary schools in Chadiza, only one has the facilities in question. Kalemba and Chanida are just an addition, and he knows very well that they are under a new World Bank programme.

Madam Speaker, the hon. Minister knows very well how important science laboratories are to students who are preparing for their careers, especially those who aspire to become scientists. He also knows very well that science is the backbone of our community, as everything relies on it. Looking at the situation at hand, is he trying to tell me that pupils from my constituency are going to be excluded from being scientists? I ask this question because as things stand, the situation is pathetic, and this takes me back to the question. What short-term interventions has the ministry put in place to ensure that the pupils in Chadiza District are not disadvantaged with regard to science examinations?

Mr Syakalima: Madam Speaker, I thank my hon. Colleague, Eng. Daka.

Madam Speaker, yes, I sympathise with the hon. Member and with myself because these, again, are legacy problems. That is why we have to start. Indeed, we do not have laboratories in many schools, and this is when we want to begin, with the help of the World Bank. That is where funds for the laboratories are coming from. So, really, I feel what the hon. Member is feeling.

Madam Speaker, yesterday, I was at the University of Zambia (UNZA) and saw dilapidated laboratories, and I was asking myself how the students even performed their experiments in such a situation. So, it is really something very hard to explain. We went to sleep as a country, that I can tell you, but we cannot be crying every day. We just have to start from somewhere. Unfortunately, that is still not good enough, I can admit.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: Thank you very much. With that gloomy picture painted by the hon. Minister, does the hon. Member for Chadiza have any further question?

Eng. Daka: Madam Speaker, it is quite difficult to proceed given the hon. Minister’s response. Our pupils in Chadiza have to sit for examinations in science subjects, but there are no laboratory facilities. What sort of performance would we expect from them? This is unfair. This status has persisted since I do not know when. Therefore, I just want to hear from the Government what sort of intervention it has made so that our pupils can have where to start from. The way it is now, I do not think that we should expect anything from them with regard to science examinations, and this is quite disappointing.

Madam Speaker: Thank you very much.

The Eastern Province is even better. What about the Western Province?

Mr Syakalima: Madam Speaker, for now, I will need to go to the National Science Centre to find out what can be done in the short term. For the long term, we have just begun to work on that issue. I mean, if we have children who are taking science when they do not have laboratories, how will they become doctors? As a country, we went to sleep, I must admit. So, I hope that I can find a solution after consulting the National Science Centre. Maybe, there are laboratory kits that are taken to schools.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: Thank you very much. We need to do something more, really.

RECRUITMENT OF FOREST RANGE GUARDS

326. Mr Miyutu (Kalabo Central) asked the Minister of Green Economy and Environment:

whether the Government has any plans to recruit Forest Range Guards in order to enhance the conservation of forests countrywide;

if so, when the plans will be implemented;

how many officers are earmarked for recruitment; and

if there are no such plans, why.

Madam Speaker: Order!

Business was suspended from 1640 hours until 1700 hours

[MR SECOND DEPUTY SPEAKER in the Chair]

The Minister of Youth, Sport and Arts (Mr Nkandu) (on behalf of the Minister of Green Economy and Environment (Mr Mposha)): Mr Speaker, before business was suspended, I was about to answer the question.

Mr Speaker, yes, the Government has plans to recruit Forest Range Guards, which is envisaged to enhance the conservation of forests countrywide.

Mr Speaker, the deployment of Forest Range Guards is dependent on Treasury authority being granted for the 117 positions in the approved staff establishment.

Mr Speaker, 117 Forest Range Guards are earmarked for recruitment in 2025. However, the Government, through the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment, is actively engaging the National Treasury to increase the number to 2,300. This is premised on the realisation that the demarcation of districts into zones that the Government, through the ministry, has embarked on will call for more Forest Range Guards to oversee the conservation of forests in the envisioned zones.

Sir, as I have already indicated in part (b) of the question, in the approved organisational structure, 117 Forest Range Guards will be employed once Treasury authority is granted.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

REFURBISHMENT OF OLD CHADIZA DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION OFFICE BLOCK

327. Eng. Daka (Chadiza) asked the Minister of Tourism:

whether the Government has any plans to refurbish the Old Chadiza District Administration Office Block, which is a National Heritage Site;

if so, when the plans will be implemented;

what the estimated cost of the project is; and

if there are no such plans, why.

The Minister of Tourism (Mr Sikumba): Mr Speaker, the Government has plans to refurbish historic buildings across the country that have contributed to the preservation of heritage, including the Old Chadiza District Administration Office Block. However, the House may wish to note that the Old Chadiza District Administration Office Block is owned by the district. As such, the role of the ministry, through the National Heritage Conservation Commission (NHCC), is to guide on best practices or interventions that can be made to effectively preserve the building for generations to come.

Mr Speaker, as stated above, the building is owned by the district. Currently, efforts are being made to engage the local authority, under the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, and the Ministry of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development to put it under a Preservation Order, as prescribed under General Conservation Mandate (Section 8). I would like to indicate that Section 8(1) empowers the NHCC to conserve the historical, natural and cultural heritage of Zambia –

“… by preservation, restoration, rehabilitation, reconstruction, adaptive use, good management and any other means.”

Sir, Section 8(2)(f) further specifies that the commission may –

“… preserve, repair, or restore any heritage as prescribed under Section 48 of the National Heritage Conservation Commission Act, 1989).

Mr Speaker, the order will be issued in July 2025.

Mr Speaker, parts (c) and (d) of the question fall off.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Eng. Daka: Mr Speaker, I thank the hon. Minister for the response to the question. However, in case he is not aware, the building has completely lost its structural integrity. Basically, there is nothing to write home about it and it has been converted into a public nuisance. That is why I have brought the matter to his attention.

Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister has stated that there is a provision under a Preservation Order for the restoration and reconstruction of such structures. The people of Chadiza want to know when the order will be effected to preserve the building.

Mr Sikumba: Mr Speaker, indeed, we have a number of such buildings, some of which were built before 1948, on which the commission places Preservation Orders. The first step is to issue a Preservation Order and ascertain the ownership of the building. The owners then advise on the next use of the building. As you may be aware, some of the properties dotted across the country are vested in the Ministry of Finance and National Planning as the absolute owner on the titles. Once that is ascertained, we should be able to engage the rightful owner. The building, if it is for a local authority, can belong to the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development.

Sir, as I indicated in my earlier response, we should be able to place a Preservation Order on the building before the end of July.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Eng. Daka: Mr Speaker, I would like to know the rightful owner of the piece of property in Chadiza. Is it the district council or the Ministry of Finance and National Planning?

Mr Second Deputy Speaker: The hon. Minister did not get your question.

Eng. Daka: Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister alluded to the fact that there should be a rightful owner of that particular property. Out of interest, the people of Chadiza would like to know whether the owner is the district council or the Ministry of Finance and National Planning so that we can make the right decision.

Mr Sikumba: Mr Speaker, I thought that I was clear when I answered the first follow-up question. Let me use this opportunity to state that a number of Government-owned buildings dotted across the country do not sit on title for one reason or another. As such, if a property, such as the Old Chadiza District Administration Office Block, comes to the ministry’s attention, the first order of business is to ascertain its owner, whether the local authority or the Ministry of Finance and National Planning. Then, the Ministry of Tourism, through the NHCC, applies the Preservation Order. So, my jurisdiction starts upon being served with the information on who the rightful owner is, which is indicated by the title. Before that, I would not know who the rightful owner is. That is the reason I indicated that the ministry is in talks with the local authority as well as the Ministry of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development.

Mr Speaker, you may agree with me that some of the structures are still under the defunct Ministry of Works and Supply under the Public Works Department. So, there is a lot of work that needs to be done. I would just like to encourage most hon. Members and others to ascertain the real owners of properties before suggesting any possible re-development or any issues pertaining to placement of Restoration Orders.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

_______

MOTIONS

REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT ASSURANCES

Ms Kasanda (Chisamba): Mr Speaker, I beg to move that the House adopts the Report of the Committee on Government Assurances for the Fourth Session of the Thirteenth National Assembly, laid on the Table of the House on 16^th June, 2025.

Mr Second Deputy Speaker: Is the Motion seconded?

Mr E. Tembo (Feira): Mr Speaker, I beg to second the Motion.

Ms Kasanda: Mr Speaker, during the Fourth Session of the Thirteenth National Assembly, your Committee considered fifty-seven new assurances and 131 outstanding assurances from the previous Session. That took the total to 188.

Mr Speaker, from the outset, let me state that your Committee’s observations and recommendations on various assurances are contained in the report. Therefore, I will only highlight a few salient ones.

Mr Speaker, I wish to inform this august House that the Government successfully implemented the following assurances –

Interruptions

Ms Kasanda: Mr Speaker, I am here to present the report. Can the people behind me listen to the presentation.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Kasanda did not speak for a moment.

Mr Second Deputy Speaker: You may proceed, hon. Member.

Ms Kasanda: Mr Speaker, the Government successfully implemented the following assurances:

construction of a dam at Kafue Gorge Lower Power Station;

installation of a state-of-the-art bone scanner at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH);

electrification of Nyawa Grid Extension; and

rehabilitation of the Chingola/Kasumbalesa Road.

Mr Speaker, at this juncture, let me briefly comment on some of the projects visited by your Committee during its local tours.

Sir, during the 2024 Budget presentation on Friday, 29^th September, 2023, the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning informed the nation that in 2024, the Government would commence the construction of specialised cancer diseases hospitals in Livingstone and Ndola to decongest the Cancer Diseases Hospital (CDH) in Lusaka as well as reduce the money spent on sending cancer patients abroad. Your Committee learnt with displeasure during its tour to the Livingstone construction site of the Livingstone Cancer Diseases Hospital that nothing had been done from the time the assurance was made on the Floor of the House. Your Committee, therefore, strongly urges the Executive to immediately mobilise resources to start the construction of that important facility, as assured to the nation, and the timeframe should be given for the project’s completion.

Mr Speaker, on Tuesday, 18^th February, 2024, the hon. Minister of Energy informed the nation that the Government planned to implement the Simaubi Grid Extension Project under the 2023 work plan at a cost of K14,288,598.24. The project involved the electrification of Simaubi Primary School, Simaubi Secondary School, the market in the area, Simaubi Rural Health Centre and the surrounding areas. The implementation of the project commenced in August 2023 and was expected to be completed in April 2024. Your Committee was, however, concerned to learn that nothing much had been done on the project from the time the assurance was made on the Floor of the House. The Committee further learnt with sadness the failure by the Rural Electrification Authority (REA) to closely supervise the works, which has delayed the implementation of the project. In addition, your Committee was informed that the contract for the project was terminated because the contractor failed to complete the project within the given timeframe despite being given an extended period to do so. In light of the above, the Committee strongly urges the Executive, through REA, to immediately re-tender the project so that a contract to complete the remaining works can be awarded to a new contractor without any further delay. The Committee further directs REA to closely supervise the works once a new contract is awarded. Furthermore, the Committee urges the Executive to ensure that the project is completed as assured in order to connect the people of Simaubi area to the national grid.

Mr Speaker, as I conclude, let me express my sincere gratitude to you and the Office of the Clerk of the National Assembly for the guidance and support rendered to the Committee during its deliberations. The Committee is also indebted to all the stakeholders who appeared before it for their co-operation in providing the necessary information, which formed part of the Committee’s report.

Mr Speaker, I beg to move.

Mr Second Deputy Speaker: Does the seconder wish to speak now or later?

Mr E. Tembo: Now, Mr Speaker.

Mr E. Tembo: Mr Speaker, I wish to thank you for according me this opportunity to second the progressive Motion before this august House. Allow me to also thank the mover of the Motion and able chairperson of our Committee, Hon. Chushi Kasanda, for the able manner in which she has moved this Motion.

Mr Speaker, I will restrict myself to a few issues, as a number of the other issues have already been raised by the mover of the Motion. At the same time, the report is before this House. So, I believe that hon. Members have been able to look through it and analyse it.

Mr Speaker, we also looked at the Cash-for-Work programme, which was another assurance to this House. Indeed, I believe that there are a number of districts where the Government is implementing the programme. For purposes of a physical check, during our local tour, we went to the Livingstone local authority to check on how the programme was being implemented. Unfortunately, we were disappointed, and I regret to say that despite being informed about our visit, the council officers did not prepare themselves for us; as all of them were out of office and, therefore, the council had failed to avail the list of beneficiaries and the kind of work that was being done, which indicated that the programme might not have been going as well everywhere as the Executive might have wished. We, therefore, recommend that the Executive takes keen interest in what has been happening at the Livingstone City Council, as this is the second time the council has failed to offer a report to a Parliamentary Committee. Another Committee had gone there and faced a similar situation.

Mr Speaker, we also looked at the rehabilitation of Senanga General Hospital and procurement of an ambulance for it. The Committee notes with displeasure that the Executive has not carried out any rehabilitation works on the infrastructure at Senanga General Hospital, contrary to the promise that the hospital would be rehabilitated in 2023. The Committee observes that the hospital is still using the infrastructure it had when it was a district hospital. The hospital was upgraded to a general hospital because it offers health services to three or four other districts. The Committee was briefed that the hospital had such a shortage of wards that the maternity ward was shared by postnatal, antenatal and acute bay patients, contrary to the requirement of a general hospital. The Committee, therefore, urges the Executive to immediately secure funding for the rehabilitation of the hospital. In addition, the Committee recommends the expansion of the infrastructure at the facility, funds permitting, for it to meet the requirements of a general hospital. This appears to be an urgent matter, especially given that the hospital also serves other districts, such as Sioma, Shangombo and Lukulu.

Mr Speaker, we also looked at the electrification of villages in Sikuka in Sioma District, and the Committee noted with displeasure that nothing had been implemented despite an assurance having been given on the Floor of the House. The Committee was informed during the site visit to Sikuka Village that the Rural Electrification Authority (REA) was yet to conduct a detailed feasibility study, which would determine how much money would be required for the full implementation of the project by the Fourth Quarter of 2025. The Committee, therefore, strongly urges the Executive to immediately secure funds for REA to conduct the detailed feasibility study without any further delay, as promised to the Committee, so that the people of Sikuka Village, who are in dire need of electricity, can be connected to the national grid.

Mr Speaker, before I conclude, let me submit that the Committee on Government Assurances deals with a number of assurances made by the Executive, through hon. Ministers, on the Floor of the House. These commitments must be fulfilled. The Committee notes that a number of assurances, as said by the mover of the Motion, have been made, but not fulfilled. That includes commitments that were made as far back as before 2021.

Sir, this is one of the oversight Committees, and its work is very important. Therefore, it is important that it is given ample time and resources to ensure that most of the projects that are being implemented are physically checked. This is because what is contained in some of the reports that the Committee receives is contrary to the situation on the ground. Therefore, in order for the Government to implement these programmes, the Committee needs to be well-resourced.

Mr Speaker, finally, I would like to thank your office and all the members of the Committee for the work well done and commitment shown to the work.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Kang’ombe (Kamfinsa): I thank you, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity to make a few comments on the document that is before the august House, a report on Government assurances. I would also like to thank the chairperson and vice-chairperson of the Committee for the report.

Mr Speaker, unfortunately, the report has not dealt with the key issues affecting the people of Kamfinsa Constituency. Due to the limitation of time, I will refer you to Assurance No. 67/22. I am on record, standing where I am right now, requesting the Government to provide money so that we could provide water to our people in Kamfinsa Constituency, and the Government assurance was made on this Floor by the hon. Minister of Water Development and Sanitation that a water distribution tank would be built in the Showgrounds to provide water to our people. Unfortunately, we are now going into the third year, but the progress made, in terms of the works, is at only 12 per cent. As I stand here, there is still no water supplied to our people in Kamfinsa Constituency, and our people are asking what the purpose of making this assurance was when water will not be provided to them. The resolution of the Committee on this matter is that the Committee awaits a progress report, which sounds very academic because it does not provide a timeline or state what the Ministry of Water Development and Sanitation will do to ensure that water is provided to our people.

Mr Speaker, the 12 per cent progress on establishing a water tank that is supposed to service Ndeke, Miseshi, Ndeke Village, Mulenga Compound and part of Wusakile Constituency is unacceptable to the people of Kamfinsa. My appeal to the chairperson is that next time, when key issues such as these are brought to the Committee's attention, the Committee should demand more from the Government because when the Government makes an assurance, we expect something to be done.

Mr Speaker, on Assurance No. 07/23, again, I am on record requesting the Ministry of Health to provide the logistical support needed to complete the construction of Ndeke Village Mini Hospital, which is being referred to as Ndeke Village Clinic in the report. According to your report, the ministry is waiting for the provision of the bill of quantities (BoQ). Basically, a BoQ indicates how much material is needed to finish an infrastructure or purchase a particular piece of equipment. Therefore, it is unacceptable to indicate in the report that the ministry was waiting for a BoQ. I was expecting that there would be other challenges, not the issue of a BoQ when there are qualified people who can estimate how much is required. I find this to be unacceptable.

Sir, let me put it on record that from the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), we allocated K805,000 towards the Ndeke Village Clinic project in 2022, K500,000 towards the completion of the same works in 2024 and K1 million in 2025, but we have failed to use the allocated resources because there is no BoQ. Is that acceptable? Is that what we should be reporting to the people of Zambia; that a health facility that is supposed to serve our people cannot be completed because there is no BoQ? Should we be reporting that there are challenges with the contractor? I expected a better response that would give an assurance to our people in Kamfinsa Constituency, in particular, Ndeke Village, that the Government would resolve that problem.

Mr Speaker, my appeal to the hon. Minister of Health is that the ministry constructs the remaining facilities to the health facility. The resources are there. What the Ministry of Health should do is to give us the extra money we need based on the BoQ.

Mr Speaker, Assurance No. 19/24 is on equitable distribution of the CDF. However, according to the report, the response is that no data has been provided to the Ministry of Finance and National Planning, and the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development for them to decide how the CDF can be distributed equitably. Again, I wonder. We have experts in the two ministries. I do not think that there are people who are not qualified in those ministries. Are we saying that from 2024 to date, one year down the line, there is no data to inform the Government’s decisions on which formula we can use to give more resources to those lacking development? Clearly, some constituencies need more resources than the others. The level of opportunities for funding, for instance, in an urban-based constituency, such as one in Lusaka, are more. For example, the chances of Kabwata Constituency getting funding from different donor-supported institutions are higher compared with those of a constituency in a rural area.

Mr Speaker, are we saying that we still do not have a formula for bridging the gap between urban constituencies and rural ones? This response is not sufficient, and I hope that when your Committee sits, it does not only focus on presenting a report to this august House. Sometimes, it should ask itself whether an answer provided by the experts satisfactory. The answer that no data has been availed for the Government to decide on how funding should be given to different constituencies is unsatisfactory. So, I would like to inform the chairperson of this Committee that we demand to see, in the next report, answers from the people who respond to particular queries.

Lastly, Mr Speaker, on account of time, let me talk about Assurance No.18/24, which is on construction of industrial yards.

Mr Speaker, Chinsali, Choma and Kabwe are supposed to have new industrial yards, but the ministry is saying that it has not secured funding. What was the purpose of making this Government assurance if the Government did not have a source of funding for the three industrial yards? The people of Chinsali, Choma and Kabwe are waiting for an industrial yard because an assurance was made on this Floor. However, the response is that no funds have been made available. Such answers are not satisfactory, and I hope that for the next report, the chairperson will demand better answers.

Mr Speaker, on the people of Kamfinsa do submit.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Zulu (Nyimba): Mr Speaker, let me add a few words to your Committee’s report.

Sir, I have read your Committee’s report and would like to comment on Assurance No. 02/23, which under the Ministry of Justice.

Mr Speaker, it is now three years since we were assured by the Executive that the local court building at Chinyimba would be completed. It is now over two years, the project has stalled and there is no one on site. We were assured in June 2023 that by December 2023, the court would be up and running. So, our plea, as the people of Nyimba, is that the Government considers us part and parcel of Zambia. I say this because all the projects in our district and Nyimba Constituency have stalled. No ministry is working on any project, be it under the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Justice or the Ministry of Infrastructure and Urban Development –

Mr Second Deputy Speaker: Order, hon. Member!

You said something that you need to withdraw. You said that the Government should consider Nyimba part of Zambia. That does not sit well with me. You have to withdraw that statement because you have the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) that you can use to construct a local court building. So, I would blame you for not doing so. Withdraw that statement.

Mr Zulu: Mr Speaker, I withdraw the statement that the Government should consider us part and parcel of Zambia.

Mr Speaker, I know you are very much aware –

Mr Second Deputy Speaker: Order!

Withdraw the statement properly.

Laughter

Mr Zulu: Mr Speaker, I withdraw the statement that Nyimba is part of Zambia.

Mr Second Deputy Speaker: And you are enjoying the benefits of being in Zambia.

Laughter

Mr Zulu: Mr Speaker, just permit me to speak. It is just that you curtailed me. Had you given me a chance to finish, you would have understood the point I was making.

Mr Second Deputy Speaker: No!

You have –

Mr Zulu: So, for now, I withdraw the statement I made and replace it with ‘Nyimba is part of Zambia.’

Mr Second Deputy Speaker: ‘And we are enjoying the benefits of the CDF’.

Laughter

Mr Zulu: And we are enjoying the Constituency Development Fund benefits.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Second Deputy Speaker: You can proceed.

Mr Zulu: Mr Speaker, the construction of the local court building in Nyimba is supposed to be funded through the Ministry of Justice, and there was the Government Assurance that the project would be completed. Now, reading your report, I see that the problem was with the designs from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Urban Development. Meanwhile, we have been waiting for the Government to work on the local court because we do not have a court in the district. The Ministry of Justice is renting a private building, and that does not give comfort to the honourable people who preside on matters affecting the good people of Nyimba.

Mr Speaker, let me talk about the Ministry of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development.

Mr Zulu: Mr Speaker, the very able hon. Minister, Eng. Milupi, assured us in this House that Nyimba District Hospital would be rehabilitated. He said that the cracks at the Phase I Hospital would be worked on. Thank God, the cracks were worked on. However, Phase II of the hospital has not been worked on. You may agree with me that if you asked the Ministry of Health today, it would tell you that health facilities in Nyimba attend to over 167,000 people. So, the facilities that we have are not sufficient. Further, the district hospital has not been completed by the ministry. By the way, the CDF cannot be used on that project because the project is big.

Mr Speaker, my very able colleague, the hon. Minister of Technology and Science, assured the people of Nyimba that Katipa, Chinsimbwe and Luangwa wards, which are not covered by the mobile phone service networks, would be connected to the networks by December 2023, but nothing has happened. Even the best performing mobile phone network provider in my constituency, which is ZAMTEL, has not connected the wards. If you look at the population of the wards, you will see that there are over 40,000 people who are not connected, and that is not helping us.

Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister of Tourism assured us that the ministry was going to drill boreholes powered by solar to deter animals from invading our fields. However, the ministry has not done the needful for Nyimba. It has reported that the private sector, that is, the safari hunting outfits, have drilled thirty boreholes. I would have appreciated it had the ministry said that in addition to the boreholes that had been drilled by the safari hunting outfit, it had drilled a certain number of boreholes pursuant to the assurance it gave us on 29^th September, if I am not mistaken. That would have helped us.

Mr Speaker, Nyimba is one of the constituencies most disadvantaged by Chipata, the provincial centre, and Lusaka as the Capital or Central Administration. Why do I say so? The hon. Minister of Energy assured us, while seated there (pointed at the Frontbench), that St Joseph’s Hospital would be connected to the national electricity grid. You know, there is perpetual succession in governance. So, I am sorry to the hon. Minister of Energy. Hon. Kapala, the former Minister of Energy is here and, I am sure, he remembers assuring the good people of Nyimba that St Joseph’s Hospital in Kacholola would be connected to power. Today, it is two years down the line, but it is still not connected. If I complain, I will be told to withdraw by you, Mr Speaker, yet Kacholola, where you pass through, is dark. God forbid that one of the hon. Ministers gets involved in an accident between Nyimba and Luangwa because the hospital there, St Joseph’s, is not connected to power.

Sir, St Josephs is not for Nyimba residents alone; it is for everyone. So, the hon. Minister of Health and his team should see to it that the hospital is connected to power. The Roman Catholic Church bought equipment worth over US$400,000 for the facility, but the hospital cannot use the equipment because it is not connected to the national grid, despite being used by people from Feira, Rufunsa and Nyimba constituencies. The Government will not be serving the people of Nyimba or the Eastern Province; it is serving the entire country because the place where it is located is a black spot in our country called Renamo, the most dangerous part of the Great East Road. So, we are begging for that facility to be connected to electricity so that we can be safe as we travel using the Great East Road.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Mapani (Namwala): Thank you very much, Mr Speaker, for allowing me to add two or three sentences to the debate on the report on the Floor of the House now.

Mr Speaker, we have heard of a couple of assurances and, indeed, some of them have not been actualised purely because of a lack of the right attitude, ownership and responsibility on the part of some Government workers. I say this because there have been instances when money for projects was released by the Central Government, through the Ministry of Finance and National Planning, but nothing was done. There was confirmation of money having been in the accounts, but projects were not completed. Three or four projects were inspected by your Committee, and it was confirmed that money had been released, but the projects were not completed. The question was: Why is the work not done? The answer was that the contractor was still being awaited.

Sir, mind you, two ministries are involved in the work of this Committee, that is, the Ministry of Finance and National Planning, and the Ministry of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development. The Ministry of Finance and National Planning is the funder while the Ministry of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development is the supervisor. My appeal is that the people entrusted to superintend over projects must have the right attitude, take ownership and be responsible because if money is given for projects as promised on the Floor of this House, but the implementers go to sleep, the projects will not be implemented. One thing I have always advocated for is that we need to change our attitude towards Government work, because only then are we going to actualise the Government assurances made on the Floor.

Mr Speaker, it is very important to indicate that some projects from 2021 were not funded, but many of them have been funded. The delivery unit is where the problem is. Always, we will be asking what we need to do to improve, and that is the reason I have indicated the three necessary elements, namely attitude, ownership and responsibility. Once the people entrusted with implementing projects perform on behalf of the citizens of this country, things will move. Also, let me make an appeal to the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning that there should be an inspection unit that will ensure that the money released for projects is used within the period indicated. If we do not do that, the laissez-faire attitude will be at play and little will be achieved.

With those few words, Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Mr B. Mpundu (Nkana): Mr Speaker, thank you for this opportunity. As I make my submission, permit me to congratulate my elder brother, the hon. Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, because I have not done that yet. I call him the perfect gentleman and, to me, he is the only man who is qualified to play in the Champions League.

Rev. Katuta: Hear, hear!

Mr B. Mpundu: Sadly, he has joined the team when it has been relegated to a provincial league.

Laughter

Mr B. Mpundu: Mr Speaker, there are three issues that I want to speak to in the report.

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

Mr B. Mpundu: The first is the Cash for Work programme highlighted on page 14 and which, unfortunately, is under the supervision of my elder brother, the new hon. Minister.

Sir, you may wish to note that when the country faced one of the worst droughts, we got support in form of financial resources from co-operating partners to mitigate the impact of the drought. You may also wish to note that we had a Supplementary Budget to the tune of K2 billion to help our people with temporary jobs to mitigate the effects of climate change. One of the programmes that were implemented by the United Party for National Development (UPND) Government is Cash for Work, which literally entails allowing our people to work for food. In my language, what the UNPD has done, we can call ukuya mukufulamika abantu balebombela ifyakulya.

Hon. UPND Members: Awe!

Mr B. Mpundu: That means allowing people to work for food.

Mr Speaker, the money was provided to this country by co-operating partners to help our people to navigate the challenges of the drought. For political expediency, the UPND Government has subjected people to literally working for food. Now, challenges have emerged, as stated in the report. When your Committee went to Livingstone, it found that nothing was happening. That is the typical situation on the ground. The programme has become a cash cow for unscrupulous people, who are creating fake beneficiary lists. That is the report everywhere one goes. People are producing lists of relatives and purporting them to be the ones who worked. It is not by coincidence that when your Committee went on the ground, it could not be provided with lists or even be shown where work had been done under the programme. It is a scheme from which unscrupulous people have benefited.

Mr Speaker, let me speak on the second issue, which is that of the cancer diseases hospitals. Many people who cannot afford to access health facilities that support cancer patients have died. It might interest you to note that in this report, your Committee points out assurances made by the Government, voluntarily, on what it would do regarding the problems that had been highlighted. When the issue of the obsolete machines in the cancer diseases hospitals was brought to this House in October 2023, the hon. Minister made the assurance that the Government had already engaged a contractor to replace the machines in the two diseases hospitals in Lusaka and Ndola. Further, he said that another facility would be built in Livingstone. In the assurance, the Government indicated that the contractor was going to replace the machines in six months and that funds were available in the Budget and through support from the donor community. It was in 2023 when the assurance was made, yet people are dying because the machines have not been replaced.

Mr Speaker, this report was produced last month, and it is indicated herein that the hon. Minister also made the assurance that the machines would be replaced in the first quarter of 2025. Where are we today? We are in June. If you look at the report, you will see that the hon. Minister is assuring us that the machines would be replaced in the First Quarter of 2025, yet he had assured us that it would be done in six months from October 2023. What does this show? Inefficiency in the way we are managing the affairs of our people and speaks to how we are performing. That is why I said that our friends have, unfortunately, dropped into a provincial league, as opposed to being in the Champions League.

Laughter

Mr B. Mpundu: Mr Speaker, the Government made the assurance that it would undertake a high-resolution aerial geological survey to ascertain the extent of mineralisation around the country.

Hon. UPND Members: Yes!

Mr B. Mpundu: Those who came before us knew about the existence of certain minerals.

Hon. UPND Members: Where?

Mr B. Mpundu: The previous Governments, particularly the United National Independence Party (UNIP) Government, knew that minerals existed in areas where Game Management Areas (GMAs) are situated today. Certain areas were declared so as to preserve minerals for future use. At the moment, the UPND Government has engaged a Canadian company to undertake a countrywide aerial survey to see wherever our minerals are, yet it has not been able to manage the already known mineral resources.

Hon. UPND Members: Where?

Mr B. Mpundu: Mr Speaker, the hon. Member for Mufumbwe talked about the gold rush currently happening in his constituency and how people are dying because of the poor management of resources in that area. The country has abundant gold resources and people are scrambling for gold everywhere, yet this country is wallowing in poverty because we have failed to manage the resources that already exist in many parts of the country. The Government wants to use a foreign company to uncover all the minerals yet, where the minerals are going to go, nobody knows. How can one rush to uncover all the minerals when one has failed to manage the minerals that one already knows about? We had sugilite. Unfortunately, after singing songs about it, the report we have received is that it has been depleted. The Government deployed officers to protect the sugilite resources in Luapula Province, but our people in that province have not even walked away with a toilet from the discovery of that lucrative mineral.

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

Mr B. Mpundu: The Government wants to uncover the entire country so that we can lay bare all the minerals, yet we have failed to manage the other minerals that we already know of; where they exist and the extent of mineralisation. That is recklessness.

Mr Second Deputy Speaker: Order!

The hon. Member’s time expired.

Mr Second Deputy Speaker: The hon. Ministers are ready to respond. However, before they do so, there is an indication for a point of order.

Mr Miyutu: Mr Speaker, my point of order is pursuant to Standing Order No. 271.

Sir, the idea behind the Committee on Government Assurances is to indicate what was promised by the Government and whether it has been done or not. The hon. Member, who is my colleague, talked about a programme that is still in progress; it has not been completed. How, then, does that qualify to be raised under unfulfilled Government assurances? Is the hon. Member in order to mislead the listening public into believing that the aerial survey is fake?

Mr B. Mpundu interjected.

Mr Second Deputy Speaker: Order, hon. Member for Nkana!

Let me pass my verdict.

What the hon. Member for Kalabo Central has said is true. The Government is willing to embark on such a mission to ensure that we know where we stand in terms of mapping of minerals. That does not mean that the work has already been done. So, for you to project that the Government is trying to do this and that, I do not think –

Mr B. Mpundu: It is a project!

Mr Second Deputy Speaker: No, no, hon. Member for Nkana!

Do not mislead the public and yourself.

The hon. Member for Nkana is completely out of order for misleading himself.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Second Deputy Speaker: A number of hon. Ministers have indicated to debate. We will start with the hon. Minister of Education.

The Minister of Education (Mr Syakalima): Mr Speaker, I thank you most sincerely for according me this opportunity to respond to the Report of the Committee on Government Assurances presented during the Fourth Session of the Thirteenth National Assembly.

Mr Speaker, from the outset, allow me, on behalf of the Ministry of Education, to commend the Committee on Government Assurances for its diligent and objective scrutiny of the commitments made by the Government on the Floor of this House. Your Committee’s report provides invaluable insights into the performance of the Executive in fulfilling its obligations to the Zambian people.

Mr Speaker, the ministry welcomes the recommendations and observations contained in the report. We take note of the concerns raised regarding the pace of infrastructure development, teacher deployment and delivery of quality education services, especially in underserved areas. I wish to reassure the House that my ministry remains fully committed to fulfilling the assurances made. The construction of university and school infrastructure projects, such as student hostels and 115 and 2002 secondary schools across the country, are critical steps towards achieving equitable access to education. As highlighted in the report, substantial progress has been made, with most contracts already signed and contractors on site, while a few are at various stages of procurement, tendering and implementation.

Mr Speaker, we are also grateful to the Committee for highlighting challenges relating to funding constraints, community engagement, land encroachment and delays in the finalisation of legal processes. These are genuine concerns that we continue to address through inter-ministerial co-ordination and enhanced stakeholder engagement.

Mr Speaker, let me also take this opportunity to reaffirm the ministry’s unwavering commitment to teacher welfare and deployment. As the Committee observed, the issues of payroll alignment and replacement of transferred teachers, particularly in districts such as Mulobezi, remain a top priority. We are implementing strategic measures to ensure equitable staffing and efficient payroll management across the country. With regard to teacher accommodation, the ministry acknowledges the delayed works at sites such as Chibondo Primary School. To ensure the timely completion of these projects, we are actively exploring supplementary funding mechanisms, including public-private partnerships (PPPs) and collaborations with local authorities through the Constituency Development Fund (CDF).

Mr Speaker, the ministry further recognises the vital role of information and communication technology (ICT) in education. We are making steady progress in expanding the digital infrastructure in schools with the support of partners such as the Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA), The SMART Zambia Institute, the United Nations International Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the Giga Initiative. As recommended by the Committee, we remain committed to ensuring that rural schools are not left behind in the digital transformation of education.

In conclusion, Mr Speaker, I, once again, commend the Committee on Government Assurances for its thorough and balanced report. The Ministry of Education stands ready to work collaboratively with all stakeholders, including this august House, to ensure that the assurances made to the people of Zambia translate into meaningful and tangible outcomes. Let me assure the House that we will provide a comprehensive progress report in due course as we continue to deliver on our mandate of providing inclusive, quality and relevant education for all.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

The Minister of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development (Eng. Milupi): Mr Speaker, I thank you for according me an opportunity to respond to the action-taken report of the Committee on Government Assurances. In the same vein, I want to thank the Committee for producing this report.

Mr Speaker, we have taken note of the observations and recommendations of the Committee. It is important to note that many assurances have remained outstanding for a long time, as rightly observed by the Committee. Some of the assurances were inherited from the previous Administration but, of course, we take full responsibility, as the current Government, for their implementation.

Mr Speaker, I wish to report that the New Dawn Government has taken strides towards honouring some of the assurances despite the challenging fiscal position and debt burden inherited from the previous Administration. It is important that hon. Members appreciate this fact.

Mr Speaker, the Government assurances on infrastructure are many because of the desire of our people to improve their living standards through the Government’s provision of public infrastructure. We, as the Government, are eager to meet the expectations of our people. It is, indeed, the responsibility of the Government to provide the required infrastructure to support the provision of public services and economic activities.

Mr Speaker, it is important to note that when faced with a challenging fiscal environment, as we have been experiencing since assuming office, many of the Government assurances, including those made by previous Administrations, are likely to remain unfulfilled. The New Dawn Government is, however, remains committed to providing our people with quality and cost-effective infrastructure procured at the correct price and delivered timely. Despite the fiscal constraints, the Government is using innovative methods like public-private partnerships (PPPs) to undertake infrastructure projects. Examples include the Chingola/Kasumbalesa Road, the Luanshya/Fisenge/Masangano Road and the Lusaka/Ndola Dual Carriageway.

Mr Speaker, the Government has continued to complete many projects that had stalled, including civic centres in Manyinga and Nyimba districts, administration blocks in Mpongwe and Lufwanyama districts and a police station in Siavonga District. It has completed the upgrading of the Kasama Airport and is currently working on the Mansa, Nakonde and Mfuwe airports. Further, it has continued to liquidate the debt associated with the construction of the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport (KKIA) and the Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe International Airport (SMKIA).

Mr Speaker, the Government has commenced works on the Tateyoyo Gate to Katunda Road Turnoff, and is making progress on the Monze/Niko Road. Further, it has commenced work on the Chipata/Chanida Road as well as the Chipata/Chadiza Road, and continued with the installation of Acrow bridges across the country, thus connecting many communities to one other, and rehabilitating bridges. The New Dawn Government also completed the construction of the Kafue Hook Bridge, which had stalled for many years.

Mr Mabeta: Even Chibuluma Road.

Eng. Milupi: Yes, the Chibuluma Road.

Laughter

Eng. Milupi: Mr Speaker, before I conclude, I just want to comment on one issue raised by the hon. Member for Nkana, who he represents me because I am also a Nkana resident. I would like to urge the hon. Member to not underestimate the importance of the geological aerial mapping exercise that has been carried out. He states that the minerals we see all over the place have been known for many years. However, I can tell him that in those days, the minerals were not known. I was part of the very senior management in the mining sector that developed what we call the Third-Tier Outlook. Gold was only known to exist at the Matala and Dunrobin mines in Mumbwa. No other gold deposits were known. So, in order to know, we have to support the aerial mapping that the hon. Minister is carrying out, which will pinpoint where people can go and mine safely.

Mr Speaker, what is happening now is like what happened when copper was discovered in Luanshya in 1932. Someone shot an antelope and when skinning it, they found copper deposits. However, these days, we need a lot more accurate ways of determining where ore bodies are. We should support that, especially my hon. Member of Parliament, the Member for Nkana, which is a mining constituency.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

The Minister of Mines and Minerals Development (Mr Kabuswe): Mr Speaker, allow me to thank the Committee on Government Assurances for its report on topical issues for the Fourth Session of the Thirteenth National Assembly, laid before this House on Monday, 16^th June, 2025, by the chairperson of the Committee, Hon. Chushi Kasanda. From the outset, let me express my gratitude to the chairperson of the Committee, the seconder of the Motion, and all hon. Members who have debated and supported the report.

Mr Speaker, the Committee has presented important findings and made key recommendations, as highlighted in the report. Therefore, allow me to comment on the main concerns pertaining to my ministry raised by your Committee. The recommendation that the ministry ensures that a countrywide high-resolution aerial geophysical survey is conducted as scheduled is well noted.

Mr Speaker, when running a country, one should avoid emotions and rantings, and focus on what one wants to achieve. What we, as the New Dawn Government under stewardship of His Excellency the President, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, took over was a confused mining sector. Nothing was happening. There were no discoveries of minerals and no new mines were opening. The brownfield mines were all in confusion. Konkola Copper Mine (KCM), Mopani Copper Mine (MCM) and Lubambe Mine were all in confusion. As a methodical and systematic Government, we thought that the first thing that we needed to do was to look at the low-hanging fruits, which were the brownfield mines.

Mr E. Tembo: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Kabuswe: Mr Speaker, I have to speak to the report. Probably, that is where the point of order may be arising from. I want to give the foundation of what led to the mapping of this country.

Sir, we needed to look at the low-hanging fruits, which were the brownfield mines, and bring them on board. Following the decision to resuscitate the brownfield mines, you can see for yourself that the Kwacha has begun to appreciate. This is because the mining sector –

Mr Speaker, every economist who is commenting is saying that the appreciation of the Kwacha is a result of high productivity in the mining space.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kabuswe: Even those who were condemning what we were doing in the mines such as Mopani, Lubambe, Ming’omba and Kitumba in North-Western Province, have now come on board to say that President Hakainde Hichilema and his term knew what they were doing because of the appreciation of the Kwacha.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kabuswe: Mr Speaker, the mining sector was left to chance; it was like abana baya mukwimba kandolo elo ba sanga gold. That means children who went to dig kandolo discovered gold.

Mr Second Deputy Speaker: What is kandolo?

Mr Kabuswe: Mr Speaker, kandolo is sweet potatoes.

Mr Speaker, Zambia is 750,000 km². Right now, we do not even know what is happening in Shangombo or Kaputa, for example, because we have an incapacitated ministry responsible for mines. When His Excellency the President, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, and his term realised this, we brought in the Minerals Regulation Commission Bill, and the Geological and Minerals Development Bill to capacitate the ministry to check on what is happening everywhere. However, even before that, we needed to map the country for us to understand where the minerals are. That is why we are doing the mapping. This is a very brave decision by a brave leader called President HH (Mr Hakainde Hichilema).

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kabuswe: It is an expensive undertaking and the budget is constrained, but we have to do.

Mr Speaker, there are advantages to mapping, and that is why I am very happy that your Committee has urged the Government to do it in earnest; it will monetise the minerals that the country is endowed with. The first benefit is that the Government will be able to negotiate properly the licence tenements because, then, we will know which area is endowed with what minerals. When we know –

Mr Speaker, let me drink water.

Mr Nkandu: Water, water!

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kabuswe drank some water.

Laughter

Mr Kabuswe: Mr Speaker, one of the advantages for which your Committee is saying that mapping must be completed quickly is negotiating from a point of knowledge. If we know that we have forty tenements on which there is a particular mineral, it could be sugilite, gold or copper, we can sit with investors, local or international, and agree to monetise the resource. The kind of technology we are using might even tell us the economic value of particular tenements in terms of their endowments. We can tell that the deposits on the tenements are worth, for example, US$2 billion and request an investor to advance the Government resources to invest in the social sectors. As we partner with the investor to develop mines, the investor will begin to recoup his investments. That is the importance of mapping.

Mr Speaker, it is not about just condemning others and shouting that Zambia is endowed with wealth. Yes, that is true, but the wealth is underground and we need to mine it. We need to do the science and engineering of mining, which is mapping. We need to drill and explore for us to get the wealth of this country. Yes, Zambia is very rich, but it is sitting on its wealth. That is where President Hakainde Hichilema comes in and says that we need to map, explore, discover and mine the minerals. Even though it will take a bit of time, it will happen. That is why the economy is beginning to settle, breathe and bring out the wealth, and the Kwacha is picking up. The economy is on the rise, and we are not even shy to say that we will continue with the mapping. We will also pump in more resources and make sure that the whole Zambia is mapped.

Mr Speaker, the Xcalibur Smart Mapping is now working according to schedule. I want to assure the Committee that it is making progress in Zone (A), which is the north-western corner of Zambia. You may wish to note that, actually, out of the entire survey of 2,767,009 km, 462,579 km, which is 22.3 per cent, has been completed. Three sub-blocks, namely Blocks 1, 2 and 5, have been completed. What is exciting, as we are getting the preliminary reports, is that in places that we thought had no minerals because of the overburden of sand, such as in the Western Province, the results look promising.

Hon. Government: Hear, hear!

Mr Kabuswe: We are going to have mines spread across this country because of this very mapping that we are doing.

Mr Speaker, we are going spend in excess of US$90 million, but that can be recovered from one tenement. That is the way things work. Issues to do with gold miners dying will be there, but the Government will be in charge. Accidents in mines continue happening everywhere in the world, but what is important is to find out where the problems are and deal with them. This Government is in charge. Accidents may happen, but we are going to deal with them as they should be dealt with.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Interruptions

Ms Kasanda: Mr Speaker, thank you very much for the opportunity.

Mr Speaker, I would like to thank all the hon. Members who have debated. I thank the hon. Members of Parliament for …

Interruptions

Mr Second Deputy Speaker: Order!

Let us avoid debating while seated.

Ms Kasanda: … Kamfinsa, Nyimba, Namwala and Nkana. I would also like to thank the members of the Executive who have debated.

Mr Speaker, I would like to say that this Committee has a lot of work to do. As you may be aware, in the report, there are pending assurances going as far back as 2013. Your Committee would like to assure the hon. Members that it has been engaging the ministries on issues that are pending and how best we can work together with the ministries. That is why we have been calling upon the witness, the Permanent Secretaries (PSs), to make sure that the assurances are fulfilled at a particular time.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Question put and agreed to.

_______

ADJOURNMENT

The Vice-President (Mrs Nalumango): Madam Speaker, I beg to move that the House do now adjourn.

Question put and agreed to.

_______

The House adjourned at 1821 hours until 1430 hours on Thursday, 19^th June, 2025.

___________

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