Thursday, 2nd July, 2015

The House met at 1430 hours

[MR SPEAKER in the Chair]

NATIONAL ANTHEM

PRAYER

__________

ANNOUNCEMENT BY MR SPEAKER

DELEGATION FROM THE AFRICAN UNION COMMISSION

Mr Speaker: Hon. Members, I wish to acquaint the House with the presence, in the Speaker’s Gallery, of the following delegation from the African Union Commission:

1.    Professor V. O. Nmehielle, African Union Commission Legal Counsel, and Leader of the Delegation;

2.    His Excellency, Mr G. M. Keshimanga, Permanent Representative of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and President of the Ministerial Committee of the Central African Region;

3.    Ms C. Gaspar, Senior Legal Counsel;

4.    Ms C. Awazie, Legal Officer;

5.    Mr P. Diop, Documentalist; and

    6.    Mr S. Mujuda, Councillor.

On behalf of the National Assembly of Zambia, I would like to receive our distinguished guests, and warmly welcome them in our midst.

___________

OATH OF ALLEGIANCE

The following hon. Members took and subscribed the Oath of Allegiance:

Patricia Mambeya M. Mulasikwanda

Jacob Shuma

Dora Siliya

___________

MINISTERIAL STATEMENTS

25TH ORDINARY SESSION OF THE AFRICAN UNION SUMMIT

The Minister of Foreign Affairs (Mr Kalaba): Mr Speaker, before I present my ministerial statement, may I take this opportunity to congratulate the newly-elected Members of Parliament …

Mr Livune: Question!

Mr Kalaba: … on a well-deserved and unquestionable victory.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kalaba: Indeed, it is a sweet victory for the Patriotic Front (PF).

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kalaba: Mr Speaker, Zambia was among the fifty-four African Union (AU) member States that participated in the 25th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Governments of the AU that was held in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 14th to 15th June, 2015, under the theme “2015: Year of Women Empowerment and Development Towards Africa’s Agenda 2063”.

As per tradition, the summit was preceded by the 27th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the AU, comprising Ministers of Foreign Affairs of AU member States, and the 30th Ordinary Session of the Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC), composed of Permanent Representatives (ambassadors) accredited to the AU.

Furthermore, there was a ministerial retreat, whose objective was to discuss and input into the Agenda 2063 First Ten-Year Implementation Plan to discuss and make recommendations on improving the work of the AU and strategise and discuss key integration issues such as the movement of people and goods, from 9th to 10th June, 2015.

Mr Speaker, the Zambian delegation was led by His Excellency the President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, who was accompanied by:

(a)    the Mister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. H. Kalaba;
 
(b)    the Minister of Gender and Child Development, Hon. Prof. Nkandu Luo;
 
(c)    the Deputy Minister of Finance, Hon. Christopher Mvunga;
 
(d)    the Deputy Minister of Justice, Hon. Keith Mukata; and

(e)    the Minister for Northern Province, Hon. Freedom Sikazwe.

Also present were:

(a)    Zambia’s Ambassador to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the AU, Her Excellency Ms Susan Sikaneta;
 
(b)    Zambia’s High Commissioner to South Africa, His Excellency Mr Muyeba Chikonde;  and

(c)    senior Government officials.

Mr Speaker, His Excellency the President also attended the Summit of the Committee of 10 (C-10) on the United Nations (UN) Security Council Reforms and the Summit of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development Agency (NEPAD) Orientation Committee, which were both held on 13th June, 2015. It is worth mentioning that at the C-10 Summit, the Heads of State applauded Zambia for successfully hosting the C-10 Summit in Livingstone, and adopted all the decisions that were passed there, with special emphasis on maintaining the Ezulwini Consensus.

Sir, His Excellency the President also held bilateral meetings on the margins of the summit with His Excellency the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari; His Excellency the Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia,  Mr Hailemariam Desalegn; and the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Lesotho, Rt. Hon. Pakalitha Bethuel Mosisili.

His Excellency the President also held talks with the Executive Director of the UN Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) and the Executive Secretary of the UN Women. The bilateral meetings were fruitful as they culminated in, for instance, the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the establishment of the Joint Permanent Commission of Corporation with the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the strengthening of bilateral co-operation between Zambia and the respective countries. Zambia will also see increased co-operation by way of additional development programmes in the areas of women and youth empowerment.

Mr Speaker, the major highlight of the summit was His Excellency the President’s participation in a facilitated panel group discussion on the theme of the summit. In his address to the summit, President Lungu highlighted the scores Zambia had made in women empowerment, amongst other issues. He also referred to the fact that Zambia was among the few countries in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) with a female Vice-President, which is a clear demonstration of his Government’s commitment to the involvement of women in decision-making.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kalaba: Other highlights included the adoption of the First Ten-Year Plan on Agenda 2063 and the launch of the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) Negotiations.

Mr Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to inform this House that during the assembly, the Republic of Zambia was got the African Gender Scorecard Award for recognising women in various economic spheres and empowering them. In addition, the UN Women named His Excellency the President the Promoter of the HeForShe Campaign which advocates gender equality and is targeted at ensuring that men are gender sensitive. The HeForShe Campaign is a solidarity movement for gender equality that brings together one half of humanity in support of the other. This is a major achievement for Zambia and has put it on the world map as regards the promotion of gender empowerment.

Mr Speaker, I am also pleased to announce that a Zambian lawyer, Ms Maria Mapani Kawimbe, was among the six appointed candidates for membership to the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC) for a five-year term. Other appointees are from Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Botswana.

Mr Speaker, the assembly considered and adopted eight decisions, four declarations and one resolution.

The assembly adopted the objectives and principles of the CFTA Negotiations; the Indicative Roadmap for the Negotiation and establishment of the CFTA; the Terms of Reference for the CFTA Negotiating Forum; the Institutional Arrangements for the CFTA Negotiations; and the Draft Declaration on the Launch of Negotiations for the Establishment of the CFTA. The CFTA is aimed at integrating Africa’s markets in line with the objectives and principles enunciated in the Abuja Treaty establishing the African Economic Community

Mr Speaker, during discussions on the peace and security situation on the continent, the assembly considered the conflict situations in Libya, Mali, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Central African Republic, Somalia, Tunisia, Madagascar and Liberia. The assembly expressed satisfaction with the efforts that have been made at continental and regional level to address the scourge of conflicts and promote lasting peace and security. It noted, with concern, that despite its efforts, Africa has continued to face conflicts and crises with devastating humanitarian socio-economic consequences. In this regard, it urgently appealed for stronger action in the area of conflict prevention, management and resolution, and peace-building and post-conflict reconstruction.

Mr Speaker, during discussions on the 2016 Budget for the AU, the assembly approved US$416,867,326 for the AU for 2016. The assembly further committed itself to finding alternative sources of funding, as it currently relies heavily on donor funding for most of the organisation’s operations. Currently, donors contribute about 75 per cent of the budget, while member States contribute 25 per cent.

Sir, with regard to the streamlining of the AU summits and the working methods of the AU, the assembly approved the recommendation that decision-making by the Executive Council and the assembly be clearly alienated and that the assembly delegates its decision-making powers and mandate of the Executive Council except for key strategic decisions. The assembly committed to making the AU more effective in pursuit of social and economic sustainability for the African people through greater coordination of regional programmes with the continental agenda.

Mr Speaker, the summit was officially closed by the Chairperson of the AU, His Excellency President Robert Gabriel Mugabe on 15th June, 2015. The assembly decided to hold the 26th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Governments of the AU in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in January, 2016.

Sir, finally, Zambia needs to open as many diplomatic missions abroad as possible in order to fulfill its mandate of advancing economic diplomacy, maximise the benefits of its interaction with the international community, and to ultimately achieve the country’s development agenda.

Mr Livune: Question!

Mr Kalaba: However, this will be done prudently, taking into account the available resources.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker: Hon. Members are now free to ask questions on points of clarification on the ministerial statement given by the hon. Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Ms Namugala (Mafinga): Mr Speaker, the African Union (AU) Summit that was held in South Africa is one of the meetings that African leaders have been holding annually. What practical decisions were taken to better the lives of the majority of women in Africa who struggle everyday to make ends meet? What decisions were taken to empower them economically?

Mr Kalaba: Mr Speaker, the empowerment of women is a big issue in the AU as evidenced by the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Madam Zuma, who spoke at length about the issue of Agriculture. The assembly was also shown a picture of a woman with a child on her back while cultivating. Thereafter, the woman is expected to go home and tend to the family. The assembly agreed that there was a need to find better methodologies for farming.

Sir, all Heads of State were given a farming implement to take back to their respective countries. This shows that women should gravitate towards using modern farming implements to ameliorate the sufferings they go through in the agriculture sector. The assembly also appreciated that women do a lot of trading. That is why the free movement of people and goods was heavily debated at the summit. For instance, we want a woman living in Ivory Coast to easily trade with another woman in Zambia, for example.

Mr Speaker, once the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA), which I talked about earlier is in place, it will ease the movement of people and goods, and reduce the cost of doing business not only for women, but also the African people as a whole.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mucheleka (Lubansenshi): Mr Speaker, with your permission, allow me to also congratulate the hon. Members who have just been elected to Parliament, especially the women, …

Hon. Opposition Member: Bakula?

Mr Mucheleka: … although only to the extent that they have helped to increase the number of female representation in Parliament.

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order, on the right!

Mr Mucheleka: Mr Speaker, the summit which was held in South Africa was overshadowed by the issues surrounding President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan. To what extent does Zambia remain committed to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and do we share the views of certain countries that are considering pulling out of the International Criminal Court?

Mr Kalaba: Mr Speaker, this question has been brought to the House before, and I indicated that African Heads of State and are still looking at this matter. I am sure that it will continue attracting interrogation by all the leaders during the African Union (AU) Summit in 2016.

I thank you, Sir.

Ms Imenda (Luena): Mr Speaker, may I take this opportunity to congratulate the hon. Members who have made it to this House, especially the women. I was very sad when Hon. Dora Siliya had to leave this House, but I am thrilled that she is back.

Mr Mtolo: Hear, hear!

Ms Imenda: I would also like to welcome my sister-in-law, Hon. Patricia Mulasikwanda, to this House. The number of women in the House has increased.

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order!
Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Continue, hon. Member.

Ms Imenda: The Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Protocol on Gender Representation provides that SADC members States should gravitate towards the 50 per cent women representation. In the deliberations at the African Union (AU) Summit, what recommendations were made on the practical steps to be taken to ensure that we reach the 50 per cent women representation in our parliaments?

Interruptions

Ms Imenda: Sorry, Sir, I would also like to congratulate the gentleman, that is, …

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Laughter

Ms Imenda: … the hon. Member for Malambo. I apologise for that omission.

Mr Kalaba: Mr Speaker, the issue of women emancipation in politics is heavily dependent on us in the various political parties. The Patriotic Front (PF) has demonstrated that it is walking the talk in regard to the 50:50 Gender Parity. Two-thirds of the hon. Members of Parliament who have taken and subscribed the Oath of Allegiance today are female. This means that we are gravitating towards the gender parity that the SADC is advocating for. This is a clear message to the political parties that did not make an attempt to adopt women in the last by-elections that they will continue losing elections if they do not adopt women as parliamentary candidates.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mutati (Lunte): Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister indicated that the Heads of State pronounced a Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) for Africa as a mechanism not only for boosting trade but also job creation and poverty reduction. One of the enemies of a free trade area is the illicit financial flows. I would like to find out if the Heads of State also indicated how they are going to tackle the issue of illicit financial flows that are costing Africa approximately US$60 billion per annum?

Mr Kalaba: Mr Speaker, it is good to see Hon. Mutati in the House because he has been missing in action.

Laughter

Mr Kalaba: Mr Speaker, the issue of illicit financial flows in the context of the CFTA was one the issues that were heavily discussed by the Heads of State during the January AU Summit. Africa is endowed with a lot of resources. However, one of the areas in which it has been losing the resources is through illicit financial flows. Often, the major culprits are the African leaders themselves. These are leaders such as Hon. Mutati who might choose to open an account outside the African Continent. In that way, money keeps leaving the continent. Therefore, African leaders have been encouraged to take care of the resources that we have in Africa. We are also going to ensure that finances do not come to Africa and leave Africa illegally because, at the end of the day, it is the African people that are deprived.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Prof. Lungwangwa (Nalikwanda): Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister has informed House that 75 per cent of the Budget for the African Union (AU) Budget is funded by donors and only 25 per cent comes from resources generated on the African Continent. We are all aware that the lopsided way of funding the important goals of Africa’s development is a constraint. The hon. Minister also informed the House about the Inter-Ministerial Retreat that took place to look at ways of improving the performance of the AU. Can the hon. Minister enlighten the House on the various goals or strategies that the Inter-Ministerial Retreat came up with to address the financial constraints of the AU, in particular, how the member States can increase their contributions to the AU, and how they can pay their contributions on time?

Mr Kalaba: Mr Speaker, just before I answer that question, let me buttress y response to Hon. Mutati’s question, if I may be allowed. I would like to inform the hon. Member of Parliament that within the auspices of the AU, there is the Eastern and Southern African Anti-Money Laundering Group that has been established to deal with illicit financial flows. I hope that clarifies the matter further.

Sir, with regard to Hon. Prof. Lungwangwa’s question, I wish to state that the issue of funding to the AU was tabled during the Inter-Ministerial Retreat. It was discovered that it would be very difficult for Africa to own its projects if 75 per cent of them are being funded by the so-called co-operating partners. During the retreat, we proposed to the summit that African teams be put in tiers according to their gross domestic product (GDP). Zambia was put in the second tier. This means that our contribution to the Budget for the AU will based on the strength of our economy.

Sir, as I said in my statement, the AU has embarked on the implementation of the flagship programmes. However, the success of the programmes depends, to a large extent, on the resources that we shall mobilise. If we are going to use Inga Dam to produce more power for our continent, we need to look for the resources for this. If we are going to introduce continental airlines, we also need to look for the resources. We have understood the importance of the funding the flagship programmes that we have embarked upon. The various groups have been given targets to which they have to meet. If the tier system does not prove to be feasible, this is another issue that is going to be discussed at the next summits.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

ELECTRICITY SITUATION IN THE COUNTRY
The Minister of Mines, Energy and Water Development (Mr Yaluma): Mr Speaker, first and foremost, I would like to congratulate Hon. Dora Siliya, Hon. Mulasikwanda and Hon. Shuma on joining us in this august House. You are most welcome.

Mr Speaker, I wish to thank you for giving me the opportunity to issue a ministerial statement on the electricity situation in the country.

Mr Speaker, most of the electricity in Zambia is the generated from the three main hydropower stations, namely Kafue Gorge, Kariba North Bank and Victoria Falls which currently account for over 95 per cent of total supply. The Victoria Falls Power Station is a run-of-the-river water facility with no water storage capacity, whilst the other two have storage infrastructure. The main reservoirs for water for electricity generation are at the Itezhi-tezhi and Kariba dams. The reservoirs are dependent on rainfall to fill up which has been below average during the 2014/2015 rainy season. The catchment areas for the two reservoirs are located in the Kafue and Zambezi River basins.

Mr Speaker, due to poor rainfall during the 2014/2015 rainy season, there has been inadequate water inflow into the reservoirs to meet the national power requirements up to the end of 2015. In the 2015 Budget, the Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation (ZSECO) projected a production of 12,900 Gig Watts (GW) hour based on earlier indications from the Metrological Department of normal to above normal rains in the 2014/2015 rainy season.

Sir, in March, 2015, the Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) announced the reduction of water for power generation in the Kariba Dam. With a similar rain pattern in the Kafue Basin/Itezhi-tezhi Dam, ZESCO has had to reduce the supply of energy to 10,800 GW hour, giving a deficit of 2,100 GW hours. These figures translate into a reduction of 260 MW in power generation at Kafue Gorge Power Station, from 800 MW to 540 MW. At the Kariba North Bank Power Station there is a reduction in power generation of 300 MW, from 800 MW to 500 MW. The required reduction in electricity generation is estimated at 560 MW. With this deficit, each consumer of electricity has been given a maximum ration of ten hours of electricity supply every day.

Sir, I wish to state that the other contributing factor to the situation is the growing demand for electricity which stands at 150-200 GW annually. However, this is being addressed by the construction of a new generation power station which, unfortunately, will take some time to construct.

Mr Speaker, I also wish to clarify on the matter surrounding the export of power by ZESCO against the prevailing power deficit. ZESCO has been trading in power since the 1980s when the country had energy surplus for bilateral benefits. You may wish to know that the country has had energy surplus up to 2007 when the country started experiencing growth in economic activities. During that time, ZESCO had firm and non-firm export contracts. With the situation at hand, ZESCO has since done away with the non-firm exports. However, the firm contracts are currently under review as these are contracts that will have legal implications on ZESCO and the country at large if terminated abruptly. However, ZESCO is considering how best the contracts can be managed. Currently, 90 MW are exported under the firm contracts.

Sir, the Government is working tirelessly to ensure that the situation improves by undertaking the following short to medium-term measures among others:

(a)    arranging for power imports of between 150 and 200 MW;

(b)    accelerating the construction of the Maamba Coal Power Plant, in collaboration with the developers, which will yield 300 MW and is expected to be commissioned by November this year; and

(c)    promoting alternative renewable energy technologies that do not depend on water for electricity production.

All these measures are aimed at ensuring that there is enough power supply to sustain and support current and future economic activities in the country.

Mr Speaker, we anticipate that the rationing of power to all the consumers will be alleviated progressively as mitigation measures are implemented. Assuming that the rainfall pattern will be favourable in the next rainy season, the power supply situation should return to normal.

In the interim, I would like to inform the House that ZESCO has drawn up elaborate power-rationing schedules that have been communicated to the consumers through electronic and print media. The communication plan that has been put in place includes one-on-one engagements with various stakeholders nationwide to explain the current power supply situation.

Sir, every effort will be made to adhere to the power rationing schedules in order to reduce the negative socio-economic impact of power rationing. I would also like to put it on record that ZESCO is implementing other initiatives which have been ongoing for quite some time in order to meet the deficit. Considering the prevailing situation, I wish to urge this august House and the nation at large to help in addressing the problem by using alternative sources of energy and utilising electricity sparingly. Therefore, we should not leave the lights on when we leave the room. We are also encouraging the utilisation of liquid petroleum gas for cooking where possible so as to let people experience the use of other sources of energy.
 
With these few remarks, I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Mushanga: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker: Hon. Members are now free to ask questions on points of clarification on the statement given by the hon. Minister of Mines, Energy and Water Development.

Mrs Masebo (Chongwe): Mr Speaker, three days ago, the spokesperson for the Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation (ZESCO) indicated that the corporation had stopped exporting electricity to neighbouring countries. I expected to see an improvement after that statement, but the schedules of blackouts have continued. Do we expect to see an improvement in the power supply situation since the export of electricity has since been expunged?

Mr Yaluma: Mr Speaker, let me tackle the first part of the question on whether there will be an improvement in power supply due to the reduction in electricity exports of 90 MW. That is not even 50 per cent of the deficit. However, you shall notice an improvement. If, for instance, you were affected by the load shedding cycle last week and it is still going on, you might see an improvement when it returns to your area because, by that time, we would have started benefiting from the 150-200 MW which we intend to import. So, you might not see the improvement this week depending on the load-shedding cycle in your area.
 
I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Mutati: Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister indicated that the short or medium-term measures that will be put in place will include diversification of sources of power which includes the generation of solar power. Indeed, last year, there were tenders for the development of solar energy and many investors have expressed a keen interest in developing solar energy. One of the challenges with this has been the feed-in tariff for solar energy. What is the ministry doing to ensure that this is addressed in order to unlock the investments that still remain on the shelf?      

Mr Yaluma: Mr Speaker, the hon. Member of Parliament for Lunte is right when he says that the hurdle in the implementation of solar power is the feed-in tariff. However, we had engaged a consulting firm to come up with guidelines on tackling the feed-in tariff. To that effect, the consulting firm completed its work and submitted the documentation in February. Following this, a workshop for stakeholders was conducted to look at the guidelines and make further input. We are on the right path to implement the guidelines, and I do not think another issue will arise that will hinder the progress.

I thank you, Sir.             

Mr Mwiimbu (Monze Central): Mr Speaker, I would like the hon. Minister to comment on the assertions that are being made to the effect that the power outages are as a result of the substandard turbines that have been installed by a Chinese company that was contracted by the Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation (ZESCO), that the same company removed the turbines that were supposed to generate more electricity, and that ZESCO and the Ministry of Mines, Energy and Water Development are quiet over this matter. If that is the case, would the hon. Minister allow an independent investigation to verify this assertion?

 Mr Yaluma: Mr Speaker, in simple terms, we call that kind of language urban legend because I have not come across something like that anywhere.

Sir, the hon. Member may wish to know that no turbine has faulted because, if it was substandard, then, the power deficit would have arisen from the failure of the turbines to operate. However, all the turbines are operating except that we are controlling their operation due to the reduced inflow of water to the turbines. That is urban legend. So, let us not spread it.

 I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Ms Namugala: Mr Speaker, the impact of load shedding on small and micro enterprises is severe. Many of them are operating only half the time that they normally do. I would like to find out from the hon. Minister of Mines, Energy and Water Development whether he thinks that the Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation (ZESCO) has done enough to think of alternative ways to meet the deficit.

For instance, Mr Speaker, we have heard of power renting where generators can be hooked onto the National Grid. It goes without saying that when you neglect the small and micro enterprises, the economy cannot grow at all. Does the hon. Minister think that ZESCO is doing enough and that it is thinking outside the box to ensure that this deficit is being met?

Mr Yaluma: Mr Speaker, I sympathise with Hon. Namugala because most of the people who are affected are domestic and small, and micro enterprises.

Sir, if we have to make inroads, we must start impacting on big consumers of power. This will be a significant step in trying to cover the deficit. I do not support the ten hours of load shedding which is an awfully long period. Therefore, if things are done properly, we can reduce period of load shedding. ZESCO is looking into other means of trying to reduce the deficit in power supply.

Mr Speaker, we are in the process of renting power. However, we cannot rent power on locked land because it requires a huge ship that has to be anchored on the sea somewhere like Dar-es-Salaam and rent transmission lines that can be hooked onto our system. The House may wish to know that this is not something that we can do over night. However, the process is underway.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mucheleka (Lubansenshi): Mr Speaker, from the outset, I would like to say that I do not agree that the load shedding is as a result of reduced water levels on Lake Kariba because this is not the first time that we have had poor rainfall.

Sir, I would like to find out from the hon. Minister when his ministry is going to deal with the fundamental problem of the Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation (ZESCO). I am aware that ZESCO has borrowed money from the World Bank and also got some money from the Eurobond to try to enhance electricity-generation capacity. When is the ministry going to deal with the fundamental challenge of corruption and inefficiency in the power-utility company to allow for the re-investment of funds that should help increase electricity-generation so as to avoid or reduce load shedding? When is the ministry going to deal with this fundamental problem?

 Mr Yaluma: Mr Speaker, I am totally lost because the hon. Member has referred to various fundamental issues of corruption and the money borrowed from the Eurobond.

Sir, US$186 million from the Eurobond was allocated to ZESCO and committed to Kafue Gorge Lower. This is the new power station with a generation capacity of 750 MW. The House may wish to know that the project is under adjudication at the moment and we shall know who will continue with it by the end of July. So, we are on track and the money in question has not been used corruptly.

Mr Speaker, as much as Hon. Mucheleka is against corruption, the PF Government is equally committed to rooting out corruption.

 Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Hon. Opposing Members: Questions!

Mr Yaluma: Mr Speaker, let me put the record straight that the PF Government does not tolerate any skirmishes of backhanding. If you have seen this happen somewhere, point out where it is happening. The House may also wish to know that his Excellency Edgar Chagwa Lungu has taken the same stance as the late President Michael Chilufya Sata. If anything, there is no corruption, but zero tolerance to corruption.

 I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Brig-Gen. Dr Chituwo (Mumbwa): Mr Speaker, according to the hon. Minister’s statement, there has been an increase in demand for electricity of between 150 and 200 MW over the years. He also said that under firm contracts, the Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation (ZESCO) is still required to export 90 MW. My question is: When one compares the damage which is being inflicted on our productive capacity in the immediate and medium-term, one wonders what is really going on? I would like to know from the hon. Minister when the firm contracts can be dealt with so that we can free the obligatory exports for domestic use so that we can invest in the immediate, medium and long-term before we have an improvement in power generation.

 Mr Yaluma: Mr Speaker, the exporting is done during off pick times. In my statement, I said that we have already cancelled the non-firm contracts. Therefore, we are remaining with the 90 MW which are firm contracts. To terminate the contracts, we need to go through some legal proceedings in order to avoid litigation. However, we are trying as much as possible to have the firm contracts cancelled as well.

 I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Dr Musokotwane (Liuwa): Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister has blamed the load shedding on the drought and low levels of water. I would like him to either confirm or deny that part of the reason we have this problem is mismanagement. I have two specific examples of mismanagement in mind. Firstly, the dependency on water alone is dangerous. Almost five years ago, investors came to set up a power-generation plant at Maamba Collieries Limited, which should have produced 300 MW. Your Government ended up quarrelling with the investors. Eventually, they agreed that the investors could go ahead with the mining projects, and that was time lost. Further, we know that Kafue Gorge Lower Hydro Power Project should have been opened by 2016. Today, we are merely talking about tendering. With these two examples, would you not agree that part of our sufferings today are due to mismanagement by your Government?

Mr Yaluma: Mr Speaker, procurement tends to take long periods because if the contract is not well structured or the procurement process is not followed to the letter, there are usually a lot of repercussions. We are just trying to ensure that we do things the right way by following the law. By the time we finish doing whatever we are doing, we shall show commitment and will not be afraid to have our books audited because we would have done a clean job. Currently, we are on schedule and the Maamba project is almost complete. It is just a matter of closing the books. When we came into power, Maamba Collieries was not operating, but we have managed to complete the project in three-and-a-half years. Maamba Collieries did not have its debt approved or other participants in the equity. Now, we have managed to bring Maamba Collieries up to speed. All what is remaining for the power plant to be commissioned is the paper work.

Sir, the Kafue Gorge Lower Project had some issues which I would not want to talk about here but, being the honest Government that we are, we have managed to sort out the issues by doing the right thing so that in future we are not accused of not having done the right thing. So, the Kafue Gorge Lower Hydropower Station will also soon become operational. The project is not among those on the programme for 2016, but the hydropower station will be operational by 2020.

I thank you, Sir.

Prof. Lungwangwa: Mr Speaker, this time of the year, the water levels in our rivers are relatively high compared to the hot dry season. However, we have to contain the inconvenience of ten hours of load shedding. What assurance can the hon. Minister give the nation that during the hot dry season, when the water levels in our rivers are very low, the load shedding will not increase from ten hours to a longer period?

Mr Muntanga: To twenty-four hours.

Mr Yaluma: Mr Speaker, I sympathise with the ten hours of load shedding. Currently, we do not know the rate at which the water levels are dropping. However, if I go and check the data on the rate at which water levels have been dropping in the past, I can correlate that to the rate at which water levels are dropping. However, I do not have that data immediately. However, we are taking a worst case scenario so that if the water levels do not improve next year, we should find ways and means off addressing the problem. We are not saying that we shall have good rainfall next year, but that should the situation continue like, how far will the water level have dropped by the end of the year and how are we going to mitigate that. We are conducting some studies so that we can tell that if the water levels drop so much, we shall lose so much generation power. We can simulate that if we want to meet a deficit of 300 MW, we must load shed so many households. So, your concern, Hon. Prof. Mangwangwa, is equally mine.

Laughter

Mr Yaluma: Lungwangwa. My apologies, Sir.  

We are trying to make sure that we put in place all that we can put in place. We know that we can model this situation and project how much power generation we shall have by January next year. We are trying to mitigate the people’s suffering.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Speaker: Hon. Minister, mind your language.

Mr Nkombo (Mazabuka Central): Mr Speaker, the Member of Parliament for Mafinga, Hon. Namugala, asked a question relating to power rentals. I know that it takes ninety days, which is three months, for water to reach the Kafue Gorge Power Station from Itezhi-tezhi Dam. At what stage did the Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation (ZESCO) and you realise that there was going to be this power deficit as a result the low water levels in our water bodies? I ask because in responding to the question by Hon. Namugala, the hon. Minister said that the Government has begun to think about other interventions. I would like to know what plans the Government has for the month of October when the water levels will be lowest and we expect to have extensive damage to the already damaged electrical appliances in our homesteads. Could he confirm that ZESCO will not be rigid to compensate people like myself who have lost water pumps as a result of the power surge.

Finally, I would like to congratulate my sister, Hon. Dora Siliya, and the other two hon. Members of Parliament on being elected to Parliament during the country’s darkest hour due to load shedding.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Yaluma: Mr Speaker, as already stated, the water levels are being monitored. We are also extrapolating that should the water drop to this level, how much deficit are we ‘gonna’ experience – my apologies, Sir. I will try to monitor my, …

Mr Speaker: Your language.

Mr Yaluma: … language. Please, pardon me, Sir.

Sir, we are trying to monitor how much generation power we are going to lose at each stage so that we can come up with remedial measures to help us during the period of load-shedding and find long-term solutions to the problem. So, we are looking at the pattern and how the water levels are dropping and correlating to the generation capacity and other means of remedying the situation. I am sorry about the damaged pump for the hon. Member for Mazabuka Central. When ZESCO gives a notice of when there will be load shedding in your area, you must safeguard your appliances by switching them off before the power shedding takes place.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Hamudulu (Siavonga): Sir, the hon. Minister referred to the promotion of alternative renewable energy sources without elaborating what they are. Not many years ago, Zambia was faced with a shortage of public transport and an arrangement was made to suspend duty on the importation of public service vehicles. Has the hon. Minister been in talks with his counterpart at the Ministry of Finance to consider suspending or exempting duty on solar energy equipment in order to allow citizens to import this equipment cheaply?

Mr Yaluma: Mr Speaker, yes, I talk to my colleague at the Ministry of Finance. That is a very good suggestion which I will have to share with my colleague and see how we can put it in place. However, there are a lot of companies that have shown interest in entering into an arrangement such as the one the hon. Member has proposed. For the past three years, people have approached us with suggestions on putting up solar power stations. We have requested them to be a little patient so that we can come up with terms for the feed-in tariff which, like I said earlier, we are doing. We are evaluating a lot of would-be investors in the solar energy sub-sector at the moment. We are not doing this because of the low water levels that are affecting hydropower generation, but we decided to look into this matter way back when the private sector started expressing interest in putting up renewable energy projects.

Mr Speaker, for the information of our colleagues in the Opposition, we are constituting a team which should be operational by Monday, if not tomorrow. This team will comprise the shadow minister for energy from the United Party for National Development (UPND), if he is agreeable to my proposal, technocrats from universities and specialists from industries and the chambers of commerce and mines. We need to work together as a team and find solutions to this problem of power outages.

I will also be approaching some people in here to join those that I have mentioned will constitute a team that we shall call the Strategic Power Operations Team (SPOT). The team will transparently and strategically look at the problem we are faced with at the moment. I will come back to the House as soon as possible to report on the terms of reference for the team, most likely before the end of the Sitting.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Namulambe (Mpongwe): Mr Speaker, if electricity could be stored, people would have bought drums to keep store it in. I just want to make a follow up on the question by the hon. Member of Parliament for Siavonga. Considering that the low water levels are affecting power generation, I think the usage of gas stoves, generator sets and solar power will be a necessity in most houses. Can the Government not ensure that the prices of these items are reduced so as to encourage more people to import them? Further, will the Government keep the prices of fuel low since most people are using generator sets?

Mr Yaluma: Mr Speaker, that is a progressive suggestion. I do not think the prices of solar panels can be reduced because this equipment is manufactured outside the country. As regards the suggestion on waiving duty, I will put refer it to my colleague in the Ministry of Finance.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mbewe (Chadiza): Mr Speaker, how much money is the Zambia Electricity supply Corporation (ZESCO) losing per day as a result of the load shedding?

Mr Yaluma: Mr Speaker, the demand for electricity has always been increasing, and we have been trying to find means of meeting this demand since January. Since we cannot meet this demand at the moment, we have resorted to load shedding. ZESCO is losing revenue, but I cannot give the correct figures off the cuff. I can bring this information later and circulate among the hon. Members. For now, all I can say is that we are losing revenue.

Thank you, Sir.

Mr Simfukwe (Mbala): Mr Speaker, at the beginning of his statement, the hon. Minister indicated that the Zambia Electricity supply Corporation (ZESCO) foresaw the power deficit of 2,000 GW. However, he was not clear about the exact measures his ministry and ZESCO are taking to meet this deficit. All we know is that load shedding is persisting.

In Lusaka West where I live, power comes when we are asleep and goes off before we wake up. Since this is July, obviously, the situation will get worse by October. Given that the measures that have been taken in the past have not yielded results, what action will be taken against those who have proved to be incompetent in advising the hon. Minister since the deficit was identified?

Mr Yaluma: Mr Speaker, in my statement, I said that in March, 2015, the Zambezi River Authority brought up the issue of anticipated low water levels. Since that time, the Government has collectively been meeting with the relevant institutions to find ways and means of solving this problem. The water levels did not drop overnight to a level where they are constraining power generation. This took some time, but it was known from as far back as March, 2015. I want to repeat that we have been engaging ZESCO and the other hydropower stations to see how we can manage the crisis.

Mr Speaker, the main purpose of load shedding is to avoid damaging the equipment at the power station which is very expensive. When demand exceeds supply, the only way to can save the equipment is by load shedding. So, we cannot avoid load shedding at the moment. If we lose the equipment, Zambia will experience a total blackout. If this happened, I do not even know how long it would take to reinstall the equipment.

We want to secure the turbines and other equipment at the power stations. The load shedding is well planned because there is a schedule of supply to different areas so that everybody benefits from the little power that there is. We may not have come up with the best schedules, but we are letting everyone enjoy the electricity that we can generate at the moment. The ten hours f electricity supply per area may not be good enough. We need to try to reduce the time for blackouts and the power deficit so that the Zambian people get back to their normal lives. So, please bear with us. The load shedding will continue but the situation will improve as we implement the initiatives we are coming up with soon.

Sir, the commissioning of new renewable energy projects and the revamping of Maamba Collieries will be such a big boost to the country’s energy supply that the people will stop seeing what they are seeing at the moment.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Konga (Chavuma): Mr Speaker, in his statement, the hon. Minister said that the country is expecting to produce extra energy from Maamba, but I have not heard him talk about the other sites like Mambilima, Mombotuta, Kalungwishi and Lusiwasi in the northern part of the country. Why is the Government not concluding the agreement with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to get private investors to develop those power stations so that the country is not reliant on the power from the southern part of the country? Why can we not get private investors to develop the resources in the northern part of the country to mitigate the power deficit because the demand for power in the country will always increase? Why are we not increasing power generation in the north as well?

Mr Yaluma: Mr Speaker, the power projects in the north are going on. At Kalungwishi, there is a company that has been licensed to that project for quite some time now. Lunzuwa Power Station has had a licence for Kalungwishi for about five years, but has not done anything. We are trying to repossess the licence if nothing is done to implement to implement the project this year. The project at Lusiwasi is going at the moment. The licence was issued sometime back before we came into power. However, the contractor has started mobilising. Lunzuwa Hydropower Station that has been completed is in Mbala.

We are working on a proposal at the moment to bring gas-fired turbines into the Northern Province from Tanzania to inject a reasonable amount of power onto the national electricity grid. So, we are looking at reinforcing the northern side of the country with new power-generation projects.

Mr Speaker, I was also asked how much revenue we have lost so far due the load shedding. We have lost about US$116 million due to the problems we are experiencing at the moment.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Lufuma (Kabompo West): Mr Speaker, my question has been literally taken out of my mouth by Hon. Hamududu. Nevertheless, I am ‘gonna’ try …
Laughter

Mr Lufuma: Oh!

Sorry, Sir.

Interruptions

Mr Lufuma: The hon. Minister has mentioned that the power outages have been caused by low water levels, but we all know that we had low water levels sometime in the past, but this load shedding of ten hours is unprecedented.

Mr Speaker, given that fact, could I know whether or not the ministry and the Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation (ZESCO) have been monitoring the rainfall to see how many millimetres of rain we received for us not to have enough water levels to drive the turbines?

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Yaluma: Mr Speaker, in my statement, I said that our budget was 12,900 GW hours based on the information we got from the Meteorological Department that we rely on for regular information on water and how the rainfall pattern will be. When we realised that the forecast was not accurate, we reduced from 12,900 GW hours to about 10,000 GW hours. That deficit arose from the water shortage. We might be reducing further as the water levels drop. We tried by all means to make a projection and budgeted for a higher figure based on the data we had received from the Meteorological Department.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Mumba (Mambilima): Mr Speaker, may I find out from the hon. Minister what the ministry is doing to attract investment in power generation using coal and fuel oil which, I suppose, is in excess at the Indeni Oil Refinery so that if it means importing, we can import more oil.

Mr Yaluma: Mr Speaker, as a Government, we have liberalised power producing so that investors can come into the country and invest in power generation. I must be open enough to say that what has been hindering us from getting many investors to come in is the non-cost reflective tariff which does not seem to be making the potential investment at the moment. Nonetheless, we are trying to migrate to cost-reflective tariffs. Currently, Itezhi-tezhi is not solely owned by the Government, but is a joint venture. Kalungwishi is also in private hands. We are trying to entice investors with cost effective tariffs so that their investment be economically viable.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Kapyanga (Kabwe Central): Mr Speaker, I would like to find out from the hon. Minister why Kabwe should be subjected to load shedding when it receives power from two suppliers. There is Lunsenfwa Hydropower Station and Kariba. There are few economic activities in Kabwe and minimal mining activities. Why, therefore, should it be subjected to load shedding? If the Government is trying to revive Kabwe, then, it should be given more electricity supply.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mucheleka: Kapyanga, wakula!

Mr Yaluma: Mr Speaker, I would apply the same analogy to Kafue. Why should Kafue Town be subjected to load shedding when it is very close to the power station at Kafue Gorge. I would say the same for Kabwe which has got Lunsenfwa and Mulungushi Hydropower Stations, but that power is connected to the national grid. So, it is not a dedicated power supply.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

____________

QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER

RURAL ROADS UNIT

586. Mr Mucheleka (Lubansenshi) asked the Minister of Transport, Works, Supply and Communication:

(a)    why funding to the Rural Roads Unit  (RRU) for 2015 had delayed; and

(b)    when the funds would be released.

The Deputy Minister of Transport, Works, Supply and Communication (Dr Mwali): Mr Speaker, according to the Ministry of Finance, the disbursement of funds to the RRU has not delayed. Funds will be released this quarter of the year as planned.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Mucheleka: Mr Speaker, I am very disappointed with this answer. Is the hon. Minister aware of the serious implications of releasing money in the third quarter, particularly in relation to the transportation of agricultural commodities by smallholder farmers in areas like the Northern Province where it would have started raining, rendering the release of funds totally irrelevant? Is he aware of the implications of the failure to release money on time on the poverty levels of our people?

The Minister of Transport, Works, Supply and Communication (Mr Mukanga): Mr Speaker, we are aware of the implications. That is why we have been planning. The preparatory works have been done and the works will be executed once the money is released.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Mbewe (Chadiza): Mr Speaker, I would like to state that Hon. Mukanga is a good hon. Minister and the people of Chadiza  are happy with his performance.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mbewe: Hon. Minister, you started working on the roads using the Rural Road Unit (RRU), but ran out of fuel after three weeks. Why do you release money to the RRU piecemeal, thereby delaying the works and your due compliments?

Mr Mukanga: Mr Speaker, when money is allocated, it has to be collected on a monthly basis for the execution of works. That is why we also have to give it out on a monthly basis.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Simfukwe (Mbala): Mr Speaker, I also commend the hon. Minister on the works that are going on, on the Mwambwa/Kaka Road in Mbala.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Simfukwe: However, there is a need to keep an eye on the officials so that the work does not seem to be stalling. The equipment is on site and we should not lose the momentum.

Sir, I would like to find out from the hon. Minister whether his ministry could seriously consider decentralising the Rural Road Unit (RRU) to councils because most of them now have road maintenance equipment and can monitor the funds even better than it is done at the provincial centres?

Mr Mukanga: Mr Speaker, I would like to commend the hon. Members of Parliament for noticing the work that is being done on the ground. We do not intend to decentralise the RRU to councils because they lack capacity. We have, however, collaborated with the Zambia National Service (ZNS) because this may enable us to execute the works better.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Speaker: I will take the last two questions from the hon. Member for Ikeleng’i and the hon. Member for Gwembe.

Mr Ntundu (Gwembe): Mr Speaker, …

Mr Speaker: It is the hon. Member for Ikeleng’i and then the hon. Member for Gwembe.

Laughter

Mr Muchima (Ikeleng’i): Mr Speaker, when the hon. Minister heard that President Lungu was visiting the North-Western Province and Ikeleng’i in particular, he mobilised equipment and took it there for some works. However, the moment the President left, the equipment was taken away, and yet the road is in a horrible state. Your hon. Deputy Minister can attest to the state of this road. When are you going to work on the road using the equipment?

Mr Mukanga: Mr Speaker, the works on the road will continue as soon as funds are made available. However, the question on the Floor is on the upgrading of this road using the Rural Roads Unit (RRU).

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Ntundu: Mr Speaker, it is interesting to hear my colleagues commend the hon. Minister. I wish I could also commend him for the road works in Gwembe. When is he sending the Rural Roads Unit (RRU) to work on the roads in Gwembe so that I can also commend him?

Laughter

Mr Mukanga: Mr Speaker, the people of Gwembe need to commend the Patriotic Front (PF) Government for the Bottom Road.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mukanga: We will try to do everything possible to make money available for the completion of the Bottom Road. This is what the people of Gwembe need the most.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

COMMUNICATION TOWERS IN KABOMPO

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

(a)    what radius the communication towers erected at the following places in Kabompo District would cover:

(i)    Chief Kalunga’s Palace at Chikenge;
(ii)    Chief Chiyengele’s Palace at Kayombo; and
(iii)    Dikolonga;

(b)    whether the Government had any plans to facilitate the extension of the radius; and

(c)    if so, when the extension works would commence.

The Deputy Minister of Transport, Works, Supply and Communication (Mr Siamunene): Mr Speaker, the Global System for Mobile (GSM) Communication Towers erected at Chief Kalunga’s Palace at Chikenge, Chief Kayengele’s Palace at Kayombo and Dikolonga covers a radius of about 5 km.

Mr Speaker, the Government has no plans to facilitate the extension of the communication towers that were constructed under Phase I of the project. However, the areas that were not covered under Phase I will be considered under Phase II.

Sir, since the Government has no plans to facilitate the extension of the radius of the existing towers, part (c) of the Question falls away.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Lufuma: Mr Speaker, we know that much of Zambia is not covered in terms of communication. So, why we came up with a design that only covers a radius of 5 km seriously beats my thinking.

Sir, when is the second phase of the project commencing? Are the towers also going to cover short radiuses like the ones that you have already erected?

Mr Siamunene: Mr Speaker, Phase II of the project has already commenced. The survey has already been conducted in most areas except the Western Province. Let me state clearly that Phase II will cover areas that were not covered under Phase I. Therefore, all areas will be covered. This Government is committed to making sure that people access this facility.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Speaker: The height?

Mr Siamunene: Mr Speaker, it is not only the height, but also the areas where these towers are situated that affects coverage. If they are in low areas, the towers cover shorter radius. However, if they are erected on a hill, they cover a wider radius. The coverage is likely to improve because all the hon. Members of Parliament and civic leaders have been consulted to make sure that the sites that will be chosen in the second phase are those which will enable the towers to cover a wider radius.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mwiimbu (Monze Central): Mr Speaker, I would like to find out why the Government is still utilising old-fashioned technology instead of satellites.

Mr Siamunene: Mr Speaker, certain technologies go with certain costs. If the Government cannot afford that technology, we will rely on the technology that we can afford.

I thank you, Sir.

Prof. Lungwangwa (Nalikwanda): Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister has just revealed that the survey for Phase II for erecting towers for GSM communication has been completed in nine provinces, leaving the Western Province. Can he inform the people of the Western Province when the survey for Phase II will commence?

Mr Siamunene: Mr Speaker, the survey has already commenced in the Western Province, and it will be completed in the next two weeks.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Namulambe (Mpongwe): Mr Speaker, the tower covering a 5-km radius would be very convenient for Kalingalinga, Mandevu and, maybe, Kantolonga. However, it is very difficult for the same tower to cover areas such as Chikeng, where most of the villages for the Luchazi people are scattered. Where feasibility studies conducted in order to ascertain the population that was going to be covered in the 5-km radius?

Mr Siamunene: Mr Speaker, I am unable to respond to that question at the moment. However, I can state that under Phase II, it is envisaged that all the areas will be covered. Even the villages for the Luchazi people will be covered in the next phase.

I thank you, Sir.

Dr Kalila (Lukulu East): Mr Speaker, in the previous statements on this issue of communication towers, hon. Members expressed disquiet over the radius they cover. They were too short, and most of them were underperforming. I would like to find out whether the ministry intends to continue installing the same technology in Phase II of the project.

Mr Siamunene: Mr Speaker, some shortcomings were experienced in the first phase of the project. However, they have been taken care of and will not be in the second phase.

I thank you, Sir.

SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN MPONGWE

588. Mr Namulambe asked the Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education:

(a)    how much money, in grants, on average, was given to the following secondary schools in Mpongwe District annually;

(i)    Ibenga Girls;
(ii)    Mpongwe; and
    (iii)    Mpongwe South; and

(b)    why the boarding fees were high in relation to the income levels of the local communities; and

(c)    what deliberate measures had been taken to ensure that pupils from surrounding communities access the schools.

Mr Speaker: Order!

Business was suspended from 1615 hours until 1630 hours.

[THE DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF COMMITTEES in the Chair]

The Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education (Mr Mabumba): Mr Speaker, Ibenga Girls’, Mpongwe, and Mpongwe South secondary schools in Mpongwe District each receive an average grant of K62,400 per annum.

Mr Speaker, the fees are high in boarding schools because the larger part of those fees goes towards the feeding of the pupils.

Mr Speaker, the Government constructed Mpongwe Day Secondary School to increase access to secondary education for the local population surrounding Mpongwe Boarding Secondary School. Additionally, the following schools are being upgraded to secondary schools:

(i)    St Theresa;
(ii)    Kanyenda; and
(iii)    Chintinfu.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Namulambe: Mr Speaker, the three boarding schools charge different boarding fees. Even worse, the school, which is supposed to be for the poor since it is owned by the Church, is the most expensive. Why is it that the people of Mpongwe do not have access to recently-built boarding school? The day school that you have mentioned is about 100 km away, and some people in Mpongwe cannot access it. Why can the grants for Mpongwe South Secondary School not be increased so as to enable pupils from poor families to access the boarding school, instead of them sending going and rent houses in order to access the day schools, ending up with early pregnancies?

The Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education (Dr Kaingu): Mr Speaker, as an hon. Member of Parliament from the Opposition serving in this inclusive Government of President Lungu, …

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Kaingu: … allow me to congratulate the Patriotic Front (PF), and the newly-elected hon. Members of Parliament on winning the just-ended by-elections.

Sir, the hon. Member of Parliament for Mpongwe has been asking progressive questions in the House, and I want to thank him for that. We wonder why we have different fees and Parents/Teachers Association (PTA) funds for boarding schools. I am sure that the hon. Member of Parliament has heard me say outside this House that we are looking at establishing a policy that will monitor the fees and PTA funds for boarding schools.

Mr Speaker, I agree with the hon. Member that there are high PTA funds and boarding fees, especially in schools that are in areas where the majority of the people are poor. So, we are working on it.

Hon. Member for Mpongwe, we cannot interfere with the administration of Mpongwe South, for instance, because although we give this school grants, as you rightly pointed out, it is run by the Church. However, I want you to know that there is no education for the Church or for the poor because education is for all. So, the school is providing education within their means and, according to our investigation, it is quality education.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Mbulakulima (Chembe): Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Hon. Minister, as National Secretary for the Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD), …

Laughter

Mr Mbulakulima: … I acknowledge your congratulatory message to our colleagues who have just won the elections.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mbulakulima: Hon. Minister, …

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mbulakulima: … getting back to the issue of the boarding schools in Mpongwe, you will recall that although Ibenga Girls’ Secondary School, is in Mpongwe, it is actually a national school, and yet there are very few locals who benefit from it. The three secondary schools in discussion, whose boarding fees are quite high, are far from Ibenga. What plans do you have to open a day secondary school near Ibenga to benefit the locals of Chieftainess Malembeka?

Dr Kaingu: Mr Speaker, I am grateful that the National Secretary for the MMD …

Laughter

Dr Kaingu: … has given me and my colleague, Hon. Mwale, an opportunity to serve in the Government freely.

Laughter

Dr Kaingu: Mr Speaker, other than Mpongwe Day Secondary School that is being constructed, there is an allowance for those who live within the area to attend class as day scholars at the existing boarding schools.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Ndalamei (Sikongo): Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister informed the House that the schools receive grants of about K62,000  per year. Is he in a position to tell us how much the schools have received so far?

Dr Kaingu: Mr Speaker, I am unable to give an answer, but I think it is very easy to calculate. All the hon. Member needs to do is engage the hon. Member of Parliament for Mpongwe to know how long these schools have been existence. Then, multiply the years by K62,000.

I thank you, Sir.

Laughter

Mr Shakafuswa (Katuba): Thank you very much, Mr Speaker (forgot to turn on the microphone).

Hon. Members: Microphone!

Mr Shakafuswa: Oh yes! Va chizungu.

Mr Shakafuswa switched on the microphone.

Mr Speaker, Ibenga Girls’ Secondary School has earned itself a good name. However, many pupils who attend this school come from outside Mpongwe. Why are the locals not given preference in areas where communities come together to build a secondary school because there is a need for a school in that area? I will give an example of Momba High School where the community built nine classrooms before the Government stepped in. When this school was opened, the locals were not given preference. Even the Parents/Teachers’ Association (PTA) comprises parents from Lusaka when the local women sweated to carry water on their heads to the site to build this school because there was no water. Today, when you go to Momba High School, you will find that the population of local pupils at the school is less than 10 percent.

Hon. Minister, what are we doing to ensure that the locals who toil to build these schools are given preference over outsiders, most of whom are children of permanent secretaries, which is not right?

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Shakafuswa: What are we doing to make sure that the children of the locals who give up land and toiled to build the schools have access to the schools?

Dr Kaingu: Mr Speaker, allow me to declare interest. Hon. Shakafuswa is my nephew and I know that he is a very well-informed young man with a good education from the University of Zambia (UNZA), to whose construction some of us contributed so much when he was still young. He enjoyed the facilities of an institution of education to which he did not contribute.

Laughter

Mr Shakafuswa interjected.

The Deputy Chairperson: Order!

Allow the hon. Minister to answer the question. Continue hon. Minister.

Mr Musukwa: But he is your uncle.

Laughter

Dr Kaingu: Mr Speaker, from what we have been told by Hon. Shakafuswa, this school must be a community school which is a product of a community-based project. We have been told that the PTA members are from within the community.

Interruptions

Dr Kaingu: The members can only be from the community because it is a community-based project. It is unfortunate if this project has been highjacked by people from outside.

Mr Speaker, allow us to investigate because from what I know, community-based schools are run by the communities themselves.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Muchima: Mr Speaker, does my brother, the hon. Minister, who is so passionate about education, not think that the cry of Hon. Namulambe is common and that the boarding fees scare away most pupils in the rural areas some of whom are brilliant? Knowing the hon. Minister and the speed at which he used to move from this side of the House to the other, could he not come up with a policy,  …

Laughter

Mr Muchima: … to exempt the poor people from paying boarding school fees? Every rule should have an exception. I say this because I come from a typical rural area where a parent cannot afford even K10. Can we not exempt a certain class of people from paying boarding school fees?

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

The Deputy Chairperson: The hon. Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education, I hope that gesticulation and finger pointing does not intimidate you.

Laughter

Dr Kaingu: Mr Speaker, my brother must know that the General-Sectary of the Patriotic Front (PF) has said that my party has been swallowed …

Laughter

Dr Kaingu: … and that I am in the stomach.

Laughter

Dr Kaingu: However, I want him to know that …

The Deputy Chairperson: May you clarify whose stomach you are in.

Dr Kaingu: … it is warm in this stomach.

Laughter

Dr Kaingu: Sir, we are worried about the boarding school fees being charged and the Parent Teachers’ Association (PTA) fund. However, even as we are working on a policy to regulate this, we should be cognisant of the fact that education is not the responsibility of the Government alone. We want the people to participate in the provision of education. These children are not the responsibility of the Government, but that of the parents. I am asking the parents to complement the Government’s effort by paying the fees.

Mr Speaker, we are working on a policy that will ensure that pupils pay reasonable fees.
I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mbewe: Mr Speaker, schools in Mpongwe, Chasefu and Chadiza have similar problems. Headteachers of most schools do the work that is supposed to be done by accounts and purchasing officers. Poor farmers pay schools to ensure that their children go to school, but the headteachers can use the money, which is sometimes called the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) fund, in any way they want.

Sir, does the Government have plans to audit the books of accounts for the money both the money that is paid by parents and that from the Central Government so as to ensure prudency in the use of the money?

Dr Kaingu: Mr Speaker, the question by the hon. Member of Parliament for Chadiza gives me an opportunity to talk about management as a subject. It is not enough to have a qualification in education without the necessary qualification to manage the institutions that provide the education. What the hon. Member is saying is true. Some of the problems we experience are because headteachers, principals and vice-chancellors do not have the knowhow in running institutions of education.

   Sir, Chalimbana University, which was a teachers’ training college, now offers courses in management. One of the reasons those of us in the Opposition are going to support this Government to continue beyond 2016 …

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Kaingu: … so that we can teach managerial skills to managers of schools and universities. I would like to appeal to the Teaching Service Commission to recommend only those with managerial qualifications for promotion to the position of headteacher and principal. Appointment to the position of Vice-Chancellor of a university should be left to the university councils and me.

Mr Speaker, we will not allow anyone to be promoter to the position of headteacher just because he/she has a qualification in geography or any other subject and has been teaching for a long time. This is why we have been having problems.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Chipungu (Rufunsa): Mr Speaker, the question by Hon. Namulambe is very important.

Mr Mbewe: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Chipungu: There is a school in Rufunsa called Rufunsa Girls’ Technical School. When I addressed the community where the school is, …

Mr Mbewe: On a point of order, Sir!

Mr Chipungu: … I found that there was only one child from the local community and the rest were from Lusaka.

Sir, can the hon. Minister help me understand what this means. Does this have something to do with the cutoff point? Does this mean that the cutoff point for rural schools is lower than that for schools in urban areas that is why the school managers enrol pupils from Lusaka? What is the problem?

The Deputy Chairperson: Hon. Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education, as you respond to that question, try and address the issue of auditing the books of accounts for schools.

Mr Mbewe: Hear, hear!

Dr Kaingu: Mr Speaker, we are already doing that. Maybe, what we need to do is increase the capacity so that we cover more schools.

Sir, when answering the question by the hon. Member of Parliament for Katuba, I said that we were going to find out why community-based schools are filled with pupils from urban areas. However, from the time this Government came into power, it has come up with many policies to try to assist pupils. For example, there is a policy that allows pupils who cannot afford uniforms to go to class without uniforms.

Mr Speaker, there are many other policies that we have come up with to try to accommodate the poor and peasant farmers, especially around Rufunsa. However, you could also be right that the cut-off points may be a hindrance. For example, the technical school in Rufunsa is highly rated in terms of provision of quality education and we want the pupils at that school to prove themselves in terms of performance. So, not everyone can go to that school. However, there are other technical schools for girls where the cut-off point may be lower than the school that you are talking about.

I thank you, Sir.

MOTOR-VEHICLE PARKING AT POLICE STATIONS

589. Mr Phiri (Mkaika) asked the Minister of Home Affairs what measures the Government had taken to remove private motor vehicles which were permanently parked at police stations countrywide.

The Deputy Minister of Home Affairs (Col. Kaunda): Mr Speaker, may I also join my colleagues in welcoming the new hon. Members of Parliament.

Mr Sichone: Dr Kenneth Kaunda!
Col. Kaunda: Sir, this is a clear indication that the people of Zambia are happy with President Lungu and hon. Ministers. However, it is not only the people that are happy, but also the elephants of Malambo.  I am told they are voting for us.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Col. Kaunda: Mr Speaker, the Government has come up with the following measurers in order to remove private motor vehicles that are permanently parked at police stations:

(a)    issuing a notice in the media on 13th April, 2015, advising the members of the public on the need to move away motor vehicles that have been parked at police stations for thirty days and above. The notice also advised members of the public whose vehicles were either involved in road traffic accidents or under investigations, but have since been cleared, to collect them;

(a)    not issuing police reports to owners of vehicles that were involved in road traffic accidents until the vehicles are moved away from police stations;

(b)    commencing legal procedures aimed at forfeiting to the State any vehicles that are left at the police stations for a long time;  and

(c)    disposing of unclaimed vehicles.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Phiri: Mr Speaker, vehicles that are parked at police stations which are along the roads are making our cities and towns look dirty and are an inconvenience to road users. Do you have plans to find a place away from town where these vehicles can be parked?

Col. Kaunda: Mr Speaker, the Government is planning to acquire land where the motor vehicles will be kept as investigations are underway.
I thank you, Sir.

Mrs Masebo (Chongwe): Mr Speaker, vehicles are parked at the police stations due to lack of police patrols and the high crime rate in most parts of the city. Whilst I appreciate the hon. Minister’s directive, what measurers has the Government put in place to ensure that it is safe enough for citizens to park the vehicles at their homes?

Col. Kaunda: Mr Speaker, the number of police officers is increasing. So, as we recruit more officers in the Police Force, we shall be able to increase the patrols in the suburbs and compounds.

I thank you, Sir.
Mr Sing’ombe (Dundumwezi): Mr Speaker, in answering the question by the hon. Member for Mkaika, in one breath, the hon. Minister stated that a notice was issued in the media, informing the general public that those who will not collect their vehicles in thirty days would forfeit them to the State. In another breath, he said that the State was acquiring land where the vehicles would be kept. Can he clarify that.

Col. Kaunda: Mr Speaker, I think the hon. Member was not paying attention. I said that the vehicles that are parked at police stations must be moved away within thirty days. Thereafter, no vehicle will be allowed to park at any police station. We are acquiring land where accidents vehicles will be parked while investigations are being carried out.

I thank you, Sir.

Prof. Lungwangwa: Mr Speaker, the police are the law enforcers. So, the parking of vehicles at police stations is clearly not in accordance with the law. Has the ministry conducted any investigation at all to find out why and how that illegal activity emerged?

Col. Kaunda: Mr Speaker, parking vehicles at the police stations is not illegal. There is a law that allows the Inspector-General of Police to let people park vehicles at police stations.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Namulambe: Mr Speaker, when I lost my children in a road accident last year, I was asked to immediately remove the vehicle from the police station and take it home. Each time I pass by Manda Hill Police Post, the sight of those badly-damaged vehicles, which are parked there when there is not enough parking space, reminds me of that nasty accident. May I know when the hon. Minister will order the removal of the wrecked vehicles that are making Manda Hill, which is beauty of Lusaka, look ugly?

The Minister of Home Affairs (Mr Mwila): Mr Speaker, I wish to invite the hon. Member of Parliament for Mpongwe to pass through Manda Hill Police Post and see if there are any vehicles that are parked there. We have also started removing the damaged vehicles from Longacres Police Post.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Antonio (Kaoma Central): Mr Speaker, was it the Government’s policy for police officers to charge people for parking their cars at police stations?

Mr Mwila: Mr Speaker, there is a law to that effect. The Police Act, No. 14 of 1999 states that the Inspector-General of Police has the power to authorise the parking of vehicles at police stations and police posts.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mbulakulima: Mr Speaker, my question has been answered partially. From the flow of questions on the Floor, I can tell that people are in support of the move that you made to visit the police stations and order people to remove their wrecked vehicles from the police stations. This is not happening for the first time. When Hon. Mangani was Minister of Home Affairs, he conducted a similar operation. You have told us that vehicles have been removed from Manda Hill Police Post and that the same is happening at Longacres Police Post. Are the police stations countrywide following your instructions which have the support of this House?

Mr Mwila: Mr Speaker, we are monitoring the situation countrywide. If you go to Kamuchanga Police Station, you will find that there are no vehicles parked there. There are a lot of vehicles parked at police stations, especially in Lusaka and Copperbelt provinces. So, this is an on-going exercise.

I thank you, Sir.

Dr Musokotwane (Liuwa): Mr Speaker, the House is in support of the move. However, I am puzzled that an instruction was given, and yet the ministry has to go station by station to ensure that it is being followed. One would have expected the instruction to be obeyed from the moment it was issued. The hon. Minister should also take into account that he gave an instruction in relation to the unnecessary roadblocks on our roads but, we still find three to four roadblocks on our way to Parliament everyday. Can he assure us that he is really in charge and people are taking his instructions seriously?

Mr Mwila: Mr Speaker, we are definitely in charge. That is the more reason, if you pass through most of the police posts, you will see that wrecked vehicles have been removed.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Miyanda (Mapatizya): Mr Speaker, in your quest to keep police stations clean, the hon. Minister of Home Affairs issued the directive and he is now in the process of acquiring land across the country for parking damaged vehicles. Is this not transferring dirt from police stations to wherever land will be acquired?

Mr Mwila: Mr Speaker, for instance, in Lusaka, we have land in Lilayi and we intend to clear that piece of land so that all the accident vehicles are taken to that yard that will be guarded by police officers.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

ROAD WORKS ON GREAT EAST ROAD

590. Mr Katuka (Mwinilunga) asked the Minister of Transport, Works, Supply and Communication:
(a)    whether the Government was satisfied with the quality of road works on the Great East Road, from Arcades Shopping Mall to the Airport Roundabout;
(b)    when rehabilitation works would be completed; and

(c)    what measures the Government had taken to ensure that there was flow of traffic at the entrance and exit points of East Park Shopping Mall.

Dr Mwali: Mr Speaker, the quality of the works that have been done so far is satisfactory. However, works are not yet completed. A final pavement layer of asphalt is yet to be put, including some safety features. The works are scheduled to be completed by 29th September, 2015.

Sir, the Road Development Agency (RDA) is carrying out a traffic analysis of the section in question in order to come up with an engineering solution to the problem.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Katuka: Mr Speaker, the works on the Great East Road seem to have stalled for some time. I would like to know what has led to this.

Dr Mwali: Mr Speaker, the works have slowed down due to the non-payment of some of the interim payment certificates.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Namulambe: Mr Speaker, by 29th September this year, the surface of that road will be very nice. Will the ministry consider putting up street lights up to the Airport Roundabout in order to enhance the beauty of the city and image of the country?

Dr Mwali: Mr Speaker, I am not able to confirm that. I think it can be confirmed by the hon. Minister of Local Government and Housing.

I thank you, Sir.

__________

MOTION

REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON YOUTH AND SPORT

Mr Muchima (Ikeleng’i): Mr Speaker, I beg to move that the House do adopt the Report of the Committee on Youth and Sport for the Fourth Session of the Eleventh National Assembly laid on the Table of the House on 17th June, 2015.

The Deputy Chairperson: Is the Motion seconded?

Mrs Masebo (Chongwe): Mr Speaker, I beg to second the Motion.

Mr Muchima: Mr Speaker, in line with its terms of reference, as set out under Standing Order No. 157, Sub-Section (2), your Committee considered three topical issues during its session that include:

(a)    the financing mechanisms for youth development projects;
 
(b)    an update on Zambia’s performance at the 2014 Commonwealth Games; and

(c)    an update on the performance of the Zambia National Football Team at the 2015 African Cup of Nations Football  (AFCON) Tournament.

In order to get deeper insight into the topics under consideration, your Committee invited written memoranda and oral submissions from various stakeholders. Your Committee also undertook a local tour.

Sir, your Committee’s findings are set out in your Committee’s report. It is my sincere hope that hon. Members of Parliament have taken time to read the report. I will, therefore, only highlight some of the salient issues arising from the study of the three topics.

Mr Speaker, as this august House is aware, one of the major challenges that Zambia is faced with is the high level of youth unemployment. Your Committee was informed that in a bid to curb the high unemployment level, the Government, through its various ministries and agencies, has created a number of youth spread across various Government ministries and agencies funds that are aimed at empowering youth entrepreneurs. The most notable of these are the Youth Development Fund (YDF) that is administered by the Ministry of Youth and Sport and Citizens Economic Empowerment Fund (CEEF) administered by the Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission (CEEC). However, I will restrict my address to the YDF.

Sir, the Ministry of Youth and Sport disburses the YDF as a catalyst to employment and wealth creation for youths who wish to conduct entrepreneurial activities in order to create empowerment for themselves and others. Based on both the oral submissions received from beneficiaries of the fund and the information gathered during your Committee’s tour, I can confidently state that the fund has changed the lives of a number of youths in the country. Your committee was pleased to see how young men and women are able to earn a living and employ other youths as a result of the support from the Youth Development Fund.

Mr Speaker, one of the complaints your Committee received relates to the poor and, in some cases, non-existent follow up of the recipients of the fund. Your Committee was informed that most youths had not had any monitoring visits from officials from the Ministry of Youth and Sport. Your Committee subsequently learnt that one of the major reasons for this is that provincial and district youth officers are unable to conduct monitoring visits due to inadequate and late funding from the Central Government. At times the officers resort to using personal resources to carry out their work.
Sir, your Committee finds this highly unacceptable and urges the Government to quickly address the situation. The YDF is a revolving fund and, if recipients are up to date with repayments, more youths can benefit. However, if they are not closely monitored, they may default. As a result, this will disadvantage other youths.

Mr Speaker, allow me to address the issue of the National Youth Development Council (NYDC). This is a statutory body under the Ministry of Youth and Sport. However, your Committee observes that there is a rift in the relationship between the council and the ministry. Your Committee also notes that the management of the council leaves much to be desired and needs to be sorted out urgently. Your Committee, therefore, urges the Government to review the position of the council in order to determine its relevance and find an urgent solution to address the management challenges at the institution.

Mr Speaker, your Committee received submissions on Zambia’s performance at the 20th Commonwealth Games that were held in Glasgow, Scotland, in July, 2014. I wish to state that while your Committee was informed that the country performed better in these games than it had done in past competitions, the performance was still not good enough. It is regrettable that more than fifty years after Independence, Zambia is not able to attain a high level of excellence in sports. The country has continued to spend a lot of resources on developing football while the other sporting disciplines are sidelined.

Sir, it is high time we begun to realise that all sporting disciplines are equally important. Sport is not a part-time activity. It is a source of employment, promotes good health and is a unifying factor in society.

Sir, your Committee toured the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola and was informed that the stadium is managed by an ad hoc task force that was put in place in June, 2012. The task force is composed of fifteen officers who have been seconded from different Government ministries and parastatal bodies. Although the officers have been on the task force for three years, there is no mention of when a permanent management team will be put in place. Your Committee is dismayed by this apparent lack of seriousness on the part of the Government.

 Sir, since the task force is ad hoc, it is constrained in the decisions it can make in regard to the management of the stadium. Your Committee recommends that the management of the stadium is addressed urgently. It is your Committee’s considered view that if the Government has failed to run the facility, it should consider bringing on board the private sector.

Let me conclude by expressing your Committee gratitude to you, Mr Speaker, for the guidance rendered during the session. Your Committee is also grateful to the witnesses who appeared before it for their co-operation and input.

Sir, lastly, I also extend your Committee’s appreciation to the Clerk of the National Assembly and her staff for the services rendered during the session.

Mr Speaker, I beg to move.
The Deputy Chairperson: Does the seconder wish to speak now or later.

 Mrs Masebo:  Now, Sir.

Mr Speaker, I beg to second the Motion urging the House to adopt the Report of the Committee on Youth and Sport for the Fourth Session of the Eleventh National Assembly laid on the Table of the House on Wednesday, 17th June, 2015.

Sir, in seconding the Motion, allow me to start by thanking the Chairperson of your Committee, Hon. Muchima, for ably moving the Motion and for the leadership and guidance he provided to your Committee throughout its deliberations.

Mr Speaker, as part of its tour programme, your Committee visited a number of youth resource centres and leant that these centres are important tools for equipping the youths of this country with entrepreneurial skills and for harnessing the potential of the youth of this country. It was, therefore, gratifying to learn that the Government has a plan of upgrading all the youth resource centres in the country. The upgrading programme has already begun with Chiyota Youth Resource Centre in Rufunsa District where the construction of a centre was nearing completion at the time of your Committee’s visit. It is your Committee’s sincere hope that the programme of upgrading youth resource centres is rolled out to all the districts in the country, starting with Chongwe. Zambian youths are in dire need of employment opportunities and one way of addressing this is by encouraging youths to become entrepreneurs who will work for themselves and employ others. It is your Committee’s hope that the facilities at Chiyota will be properly managed and used for the intended purpose.

Mr Speaker, your Committee also toured Kalingalinga Youth Resource Centre in Lusaka. While the management team at the centre is doing a commendable job of managing the centre, it was, however, disappointing to note that the centre is constrained in terms of transport and land for expansion. The other hindrance is the name under which the centre operates.

Mr Speaker, your Committee learnt that the centre has problems tapping into the catering market because potential clients tend to shy away when they hear the name Kalingalinga. The Ministry of Youth and Sport should, therefore, seriously consider rebranding the centre and give it a name that will give it a competitive advantage.

Sir, allow me to turn to the second issue, which is sports and, specifically, football. It is quite disconcerting that in spite of the fact that the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) has enough resources at its disposal, the Zambia National Soccer Team has continued to perform below expectation in major competitions such as the Africa Cup of Nations and the World Cup qualifiers. I wish to remind FAZ that the Government has put football a privileged position as compared to other sports disciplines. Therefore, the Zambia National Soccer Team’s continued poor performance is unacceptable. Zambian taxpayers contribute towards the development of football in the country and, therefore, expect to see the national team winning medals.

Mr Speaker, your Committee strongly urges the Government to ensure that FAZ puts more concerted effort in guaranteeing the success of the Zambia National Soccer Team in future competitions, failure to which financial support to the team should be reconsidered until FAZ puts its house in order. Lastly, let me mention that your Committee has no doubt that the Government is committed to improving the status of lives of young people in the country and to develop the sports sector. It will, therefore, address the concerns that have been highlighted in your Committee’s report.

Sir, allow me, on behalf of your Committee, to conclude by expressing my gratitude to you for the guidance rendered during the session. Your Committee is also grateful to the witnesses who appeared before it for their co-operation and input in the deliberations. I also extend your Committee’s appreciation to the Clerk of the National Assembly and her staff for the services rendered to the Committee during the session.

Sir, I beg to second.

Mr Katambo (Masaiti): Mr Speaker, my voice is very bad because I have flu. I stand here humbly, but with the strength and grace that God has given me after the just-ended parliamentary by-election. Once again, the people have echoed their confidence in me by entrusting me with the responsibility of being their representative.

Mr Speaker, allow me to congratulate my fellow newly-elected hon. Members of Parliament. These are Hon. Simbao and Hon. Sichalwe, Hon. Mulasikwanda, Hon. Jack Shuma and Hon. Dora Siliya. Let me also pass my sincere condolences to the Matafwali family on the demise of our dear brother and Member of Parliament, Hon. Chifita Matafwali, may his soul rest in peace.

Sir, I would like to wholeheartedly thank His Excellency the Republican President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, for adopting me as a parliamentary candidate, coming to campaign for me and giving me a formulae on how to win the elections, his love for every Zambian, and his passion to develop this great nation. I would also like to thank Her Honour the Vice-President, our dearest mother, Mrs Inonge Wina, for coming to Masaiti. She has a heart to unite all, is loving heart, and has demonstrated a spirit of hard work, peace and harmony.

Mr Speaker, I would also like to thank my campaign manager, Hon. Jean Kapata, for being brave, sincere, honest and hardworking. She was supported by Dr George Welo Mpombo, who humbled himself to campaign for me. I also thank leaders the leadership of the Patriotic Front (PF), that is, the Members of the Central Committee (MCCs), the Secretary-General of the Party, the chairperson of elections, hon. Ministers and Deputy Ministers, and Minister for the Copperbelt Province, Hon. Mwenya Musenge. I also wish to thank the leadership in the province, districts and constituencies. Indeed, we worked as a team. I further wish to thank Hon. Dr Kaingu, Hon. Mushili Malama and Hon. Davies Mwila for being true brothers. I also thank the Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) officials, and the United Party for National Development (UPND) members who joined us in the campaign. Indeed, God is mighty. When he says yes, no one can say no. Further, I would like to thank my dear wife, Grace, and our children for accommodating the church leaders, village headmen, the women, and various leaders in the constituency.

Sir, I have combined my maiden speech with the Report of the Committee on Youth and Sport. This is an elaborate report. I wish to start by saying the ministry should get back to the drawing board. I am aware that the Government always pumps money into the various sports disciplines but, sadly, we have been getting negative results, especially in football. As stated in your Committee’s report, the Zambia National Soccer Team played three group matches and ended up finishing bottom of Group D. The results are highlighted on Page 13 of your Committee’s report. The question is: What has really gone wrong? There is a need to find solutions so that this trend of performance can be brought to an end.

Mr Speaker, I am reminded of how football was structured in the past. There were competitive armature leagues at district, provincial and national levels. Those who were there will agree with me that quite a number of young players in the national team were drawn from various secondary schools. These are Richard Stevenson, Robertson Zulu, Peter Muhango, Clement Banda, Gibbie Zulu and George Mungwa. The list is endless. If we drew players from secondary schools, why can we not do the same now?

Mr Muchima: Hear, hear!

Mr Katambo: Mr Speaker, I know that I am privileged to be a Member of Parliament. So, I should not take things for granted. I will speak for the people of Masaiti and represent them effectively without fear because I am their servant. There are many challenges that the people of Masaiti are faced with. However, the resounding victory echoes their confidence in me and the PF Government to continue delivering progress.

Sir, the PF Government has embarked on major projects such as the construction of schools, hospitals, clinics, roads, bridges, among others. In Masaiti, Kaloko High School is being constructed, a district hospital at Chankute is in its third phase of construction and also almost completed. This is the first of its kind in the district. Construction works at Masangano High School should be speeded. Therefore, my duty as Member of Parliament for the area is to liaise with the respective ministers to expedite the works.

Mr Speaker, there is a need to review the erection of speed humps on the Ndola/Kabwe Road, in particular at Masangano, Mishikishi and Nyenyezi as these are market places where lives have been lost due to over-speeding vehicles. Safety should not be left to chance, neither should politics. The lives of people should be protected so that they continue to contribute to national development.

Sir, let me take this opportunity to express my concern over the high turnover of coaches for the National Soccer Team. It is in the public domain that FAZ has repeatedly changed coaches for the team at short intervals. Perhaps, this is one of the reasons we are getting negative results. So, this practice of changing coaches every now and then should come to an end. I believe that consistency of the coaching staff can enable he team to perform better.
Sir, another major issue that I would like to talk about is the identification of talent, especially in rural areas. It is a well-known fact that there is abundant talent the rural areas, especially in Masaiti Constituency. Those who are charged with the responsibility of organising and managing sports in the country should leave their posh offices and go to the rural areas to identify talent. Let them come to Masaiti and they will find nurseries for the national team.

Mr Speaker, as agriculture is the mainstay for the people of Masaiti, the Government should help us erect concrete slabs at most satellite depots for the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) to store maize. There is also a need to increase the number of beneficiaries of the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP).

Mr Speaker, as regards rural water supply and sanitation, the sinking of more boreholes facilitates income generation among the locals. It has been prioritised in infrastructure development using local-based labour techniques, thereby guaranteeing employment opportunities for local people. This has resulted in people having more money in their pockets.

Mr Speaker, the Government should urgently construct bridges in Katuba, Saka and Chilulu across the Kafubu River that are washed away during the rainy season. This affects school-going children.

Mr Speaker, various communities in both rural and urban areas and traditional leaders should be sensitised about the importance of the Children’s Code Bill that has been elaborated on page 27 of your Committee’s report. All the cases related to abuse of children should be reported to the Victim Support Unit (VSU).

The Government should also provide electricity in Masaiti Constituency using the Rural Electrification Authority (REA). Let us light Zambia.

Mr Speaker, my resolve is to continue from where I left and lobby for more projects. I am here, once again, at the behest of the people of Masaiti to drive their agenda as the link them and the Government. I will rely on your continued leadership and guidance to ensure that our people’s needs are met. This is paramount to me and I will always appreciate any help. May the Good Lord bless us all.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mbulakulima (Chembe): Mr Speaker, my first responsibility is to thank you for giving me this rare opportunity to make some remarks on this important report. Secondly, I wish to thank the mover and seconder of the Motion, particularly that it touches on the youth who are the backbone of this country and, sport, which cuts across the country.

Mr Speaker, lest I am accused of being biased, my third responsibility is to congratulate the hon. Members of Parliament who have entered this House today. Hon. Mulasikwanda, for the information of the National Chairperson of the Patriotic Front (PF), who is seated across from me in this House, was a very close associate. When I was the constituency chairperson for Munali, she was the vice-chairperson for the women. I worked well with her.

Laughter

Mr Mbulakulima: The PF National Chairperson would be interested to know that until a few weeks ago, Hon. Siliya was the spokesperson for the mighty Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD).

Laughter

Mr Mbulakulima: To the two new hon. Members, I would like say that as they propound and articulate issues across the board, they must be mindful of the fact that the National Secretary for their former party is in this House.

Laughter

Mr Mbulakulima: I would also like to welcome Hon. Shuma. I have shared some game meat with him which, of course, was legally obtained.

Laughter

Mr Mbulakulima: I have been to his beautiful area of Malambo.

Mr Speaker, this is a very important topic. I might not be able to comment on every issue that has been raised in the report. However, in concomitance with the language of all the chairpersons of your Committees who always say that they will pick the salient points only, I will also do the same.

Mr Speaker, I will start with the issue of the Youth Development Fund (YDF) which I like most. This is an important fund which, if properly handled, can enhance development and help the youths of Zambia who normally depend on white-collar jobs. On page 4 of your Committee’s report, it is stated that your Committee was informed that there are a number of constraints in the administration of the YDF. Among them is the high concentration of successful applicants being in provincial centres. This could be attributed to lack of sensitisation in rural districts.

Mr Speaker, in view of this, I would like to propose that there be a new arrangement or approach towards the administration of the YDF. If this fund is not properly managed, it will end up being managed the same way as the Constituency Development Fund (CDF). How I wish, this fund, like the CDF, could have a two-tier system. This would help address issue of lack of sensitisation and information in rural areas, as indicated in your Committee’s report. It seems information just ends at the provincial centres.
Sir, the people of Milenge, Kabompo, Ikeleng’i, Chasefu and other far-flung areas do not have access to this fund. So, it is important that the Ministry of Youth and Sport comes up with a two-tier system of managing this fund. It is not the wish of the people of Milenge not to have access to information on the YDF. It is the Government’s responsibility to inform the people. That is why this important ministry must have a two-tier system of reaching out to the rural areas.

Mr Speaker, page 5 of your Committee’s report also talks about the poor repayment of loans by the beneficiaries. This is attributed to the poor credit culture in the country which should be changed. At one stage, K12 million which was allocated to this fund was not recovered. It was only later that little money started trickling in. If this fund is properly managed and people are paying back, we will be able to reach out to many youths. I think the repayment culture is not the only contributing factor. There is also the stigmatisation of certain groupings of people. This fund has been politicised. There is no fear of default among the youths because of the manner in which the funds are disbursed. So, there is a need for us to de-politicise the management of the fund. I also think that this culture of defaulting which, has been cited here, should e brought to an end.

Further, Mr Speaker, there is poor monitoring or follow up of projects of beneficiaries by officials from the Ministry of Youth and Sport. In their submissions to your Committee, officials from the ministry said that they were very impressed with the projects embarked on by the beneficiaries of the fund. They further said that the projects had created jobs among many youths. However, I think there are very few projects that survive beyond two or three years. Most of them are short term. They do not take long to die, so to say. There is a need for us to have a long-term approach towards the implementations of these important projects.

Further, Mr Speaker, page 6 of your Committee’s report says that one of the responsibilities of the National Youth Development Council (NYDC) is to administer the Youth Development Fund but, today, this institution is riddled with scandals. How do you expect the youth to benefit from the fund?

Sir, Bob Marley said, “This big man you see was once a baby.” All of us were once youths. So, it is important that we take care of the youths.

Mr Speaker, there is a need for us to sort out the problems at the NYDC so that the youth programmes can run smoothly.

Mr Speaker, I have been following the performance of the national soccer team. I think the problem started immediately after we won the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Tournament. From the time we won the trophy, we have never conducted ourselves like champions. We have also not gained recognition because of the poor performances.

Mr Speaker, in 2005, we had a national indaba which we called the Needs Assessment. So, there is a need for the Ministry of Youth and Sport, together with the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ), to have another national indaba to look at the management of football in the country. At that 2005 Needs Assessment, we looked at all the aspects of football and we developed a five-year programme. The team that played in the 2006 AFCON Tournament in Egypt was not very strong, but the view was that it would be strong after a few years. It is from the 2006 team that we drew players like Rainford Kalaba, Felix and Christopher Katongo, and Kennedy Mweene. There is a need to reorganise football.

Mr Speaker, one of the contributing factors to the poor performance of the national football team is the abrupt change players. We cannot run away from bringing in new players, but should not be done abruptly because it affects the stability of the team. You recall even at the Copa America Games that are going on in Chile, Brazil is now trying to bring back some of the veteran players because the performance of the team is no longer what it used to be. Like, Zambia, this could have been due to changes in the team. There is a need for us to make some changes so that we maintain some of the old players as we bring new players to the team.

Further, Mr Speaker, the coaching bench also has an effect on the performance of the team. I support the recommendation of your Committee to have an expatriate coach. Many Zambians have argued that we need a local coach but, my take is that we need an expatriate coach. The success of football, like any other profession, depends on performance. Today, we have lawyers in this country who can work anywhere across the globe because they have good credentials. We have got doctors who can work in any country because they are qualified and have the expertise, and not because they are blacks. There are accountants who can work in America, Europe and even here in Africa. So, football should not be an exception. At the moment, we do not have coaches who can analyse the game at high level. We can play against teams like Malawi and Mozambique and beat them. However, when we play against strong teams like Egypt, Senegal and Ivory Coast, it is the ability of the coach to read the game that counts. That is where qualifications and experience comes in. This is not to say that we have no confidence in our local coaches, but they have not yet acquired the necessary skills to take the national team a higher level of performance level.

Mr Speaker, we need not be ashamed to have expatriate coaches. European clubs like Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal and …

Lt-Gen. Rev. Shikapwasha: Liverpool.

Mr Mbulakulima: … Liverpool are not coached by British coaches. All the coaches are foreigners, including some of the players. The time will come when we shall have a local coach. If anything, the level of football in Zambia is quite high that is why some local coaches are able to work in other countries. Botswana, for instance, has employed coaches from Zambia. Namibia sometimes gets coaches from Zambia because the quality of football is higher than theirs. For our national team to move to a higher level of performance, we need to go by the recommendation of the Committee. We can have four or so Zambian coaches to understudy an expatriate coach. The coaches can be attached to other teams in Europe or America. In that way, they will acquire the necessary skills. If well tutored for two to three years, they will be ready to take over from the expatriate coach.

Mr Speaker, football has been given preferential treatment. However, that is the nature of the sport. So, for us to do well in football, there is a need to invest more in it. It is expensive to manage football. We also need to have international friendly games of a high standard in order to give the national team the necessary exposure. The current arrangement of having Copperbelt teams playing against the Midlands or the Midlands playing against the national team is not helpful. The national team should play against strong teams. So, we need more funding for football.

Further, Mr Speaker, currently, FAZ is charged K150,000 for the national team to use Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola when it does not have the capacity to source this amount of money. Understandably, we need to maintain the stadium, but to charge FAZ this much when it is the Government that is funding the national team is shooting ourselves in the foot.

Of course, there is a need to have a body to manage football and for football to be commercialised, but the Government should take up the responsibility of paying the bills instead of passing it onto FAZ. We should take a leaf from the African Union (AU) that has been asking the United Nations (UN) to reform the Security Council in order for Africa to have bigger voice. In the same vein, there is a need for Africa to ask the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA) to review the concept of governments not being allowed to interfere with the management of football because in Africa, governments have a role to play in the management of football. So, we should adopt a new approach that allows the Government to have a constructive say in the management of football because it contributes significantly towards the running of football.

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

Dr Lungu (Chama South): Mr Speaker, I thank you for giving me this chance to contribute to the debate to adopt the report on Youth and Sport on behalf of  the people of Chama South in Muchinga Province.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Lungu: Sir, as per tradition, I would like to congratulate the newly-elected hon. Members of Parliament from Petauke, Malambo and Mulobezi. To them, I say well done. Our Patriotic Front (PF) family has grown in numbers.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Lungu: Mr Speaker, I also wish to thank the mover and seconder of this Motion. I have read through this report using two reading skills, namely scheming and scanning.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Lungu: When I schemed, I looked at the main points and jotted them down. However, when I scanned, I saw some details of the report that contain a lot of knowledge that many of us do not have.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Lungu: Mr Speaker, the PF Government has come up with well-meaning initiatives such as the Youth Development Fund (YDF) and grants to combat poverty. However, the challenge is the accessibility of the fund especially for youths in rural areas.

Mr Speaker, 90 per cent of the rural population is illiterate. Therefore, they have difficulty filling in the forms to apply for funds. In my constituency, for instance, no one has benefited from this fund. So, they keep asking me about the YDF.

Sir, the procedure for the application of funds should be simplified so that all the districts have easy access to the fund. We have not done well in this area. Further, if we have to combat poverty among the youths in the rural areas, we should use the YDF to build trades training institutes in every constituency that will teach them income-generating skills.

Mr Speaker, I wish to commend your Committee team for this report. Your Committee conducted a local tour of the trades trading institutes. What are the areas of concern that your Committee identified at the institutions?

Mr Speaker, the first one it is the lack of adequate preparation by the teaching staff at the institutions. How can one achieve the goals of a lesson if his/her preparation is poor? At one institution, your Committee found only two lecturers teaching more than sixty students. This is not feasible I hope that we can allocate more funds to human resource development because in most of the institutions, students are taught by people who do not possess the requisite qualifications. So, how do we expect the students to perform well?

Sir, I can see that hon. Members are not sitting inn the right places. This is an indication that they are tired. So, we need to move faster. I will, therefore, move to the subject they like best, and this is sport, and the national football team, in particular.

Sir, pages 12, 20, and 24 of your Committee’s report has highlighted the poor quality of preparation for tournaments. How can you win the World Cup if you only spend two days in camp? It is not possible. The level of commitment matches the level of achievement. Our team is poorly prepared for matches. I agree with Hon. Mbulakulima that we need coaches who can read the game. I have been a coach in the village and …

Laughter

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Lungu: … we used to win games. In fact, I am surprised that the National Assembly Football Club is losing some games when I can be consulted.

Laughter

Dr Lungu: I can actually coach the national team.

Laughter

Dr Lungu: When you are using the 4-4-2 Soccer Formation, …

Laughter

Dr Lungu: Ask Hon. Mwiimba M. Malama.

Mr Mwiimba M. Malama: Yes!

Dr Lungu: When you use the 4-4-2 Soccer Formation, it means that your numbers six and eight must be very strong players.

Hon. Member: Yes!

Dr Lungu: They must be able to run over ninety minutes. What does that mean? Let me explain a little.

Laughter

Dr Lungu: When the ball is in front, there have to be six, and not four players because you have to beef up the striking power.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Hon. Members: Ema coaches aya!

Dr Lungu: Do you understand what I am saying? When the ball is in the middle, they must be in a line. When it is at the back, they must be able to defend. This is what we call the 4-4-2 Soccer Formation.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Lungu: Now, listen to what I am saying. Are you with me?

Laughter

Dr Lungu: These players must be taught the skills. It is not just a question of kicking the ball for 120 minutes. Are they able to trap or head the ball; are they able to pass the ball; is it a direct or indirect pass; are they able to slide; and are they able to chest the ball?

Laughter

Dr Lungu: the game of football is not just about sliding tackles where the player goes in front of another player and creates a penalty. The player must calculate the speed at which the other player is coming and see when he/she is able to slide. You see, a game is won by using one’s head and not the leg. As the player approach the ball, he/she would have already made calculations. So, this is how you can tell that a coach is skilled.

Sir, break time is not the time to drink water, but the time for players to point out each others mistakes. When you have a goalless game, and you get a penalty in the 89th minute, it is time for you to celebrate your victory. However, what does Zambia do with this arises? We give the goalkeeper to take the penalty.

Laughter

Dr Lungu: What type of a coach would make such a decision? It goes to show that he lacks seriousness.

Hon. Member: Yes!

Dr Lungu: So, as a coach, one has to make sure that …

Mr Muntanga: On a point of order, Sir.

The Deputy Chairperson: A point of order is raised.

Hon. Members: Ah!

Mr Muntanga: Mr Speaker, is the hon. Member in order to talk about basic coaching techniques, and doubt the ability of the Zambian coaches who are coaching the national team? Is he in order to belittle the Zambian coaches?

The Deputy Chairperson: Order!

The serious ruling is that the national team for parliamentarians needs a coach. Therefore, he is just selling himself for that position.

Laughter

The Deputy Chairperson: Order!

Please, continue.

Laughter

Dr Lungu: Mr Speaker, in fact, I forgot one technique. That is, that of scoring using the head. When you want to score using this technique, you do not face the goalkeeper. Instead, you face the other direction so that the ball goes into the corner. That is what we call triangular head kicking.

Laughter

Dr Lungu: Mr Speaker, on a serious note, I want to thank your Committee for making an effort to visit trade schools, and for looking at the action-taken reports. Many a time, we forget that decisions are based on action-taken reports. If we can implement the contents of the action-taken reports, then, we would make a lot of progress. I am quite sure that the composition of your Committee was done in good faith because I can see a lot of brains when I look at the names. I can see that there are high-fliers or high-profile people who have added knowledge to the already existing knowledge in your Committee by conducting research. This is report well- researched.

Mr Speaker, normally, I do not talk for long, but I talk sense.

Laughter

Dr Lungu: Mr Speaker, I would like to adopt the Report of your Committee on Youth and Sport.

Thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Prof. Lungwangwa (Nalikwanda): Mr Speaker, I am speaking after my former student has excited the House with his debate. However, I would like to say that I never contributed to his skill in football.

Laughter

Prof. Lungwangwa: Mr Speaker, I may have contributed to his skills in scheming and scanning, which are very important intellectual skills when you are looking at documentation.

Mr Speaker, this is an important report which, as a nation, we should take seriously because it raises issues which are depressing to those who have take time to read it. Firstly, the report says that 35 per cent of our population consists of the youth. The youth, in this case, are those members of the population who are between eighteen and thirty-five years of age. Currently, the population of this country is about 14 million. Thirty-five per cent of 14 million is about 4.5 million. Five million of our population are youths. Further, eighteen to thirty-five years of age is the most productive segment of our human capital. These are the people who have a lot of dreams about the future and dreams about what life should be. They have expectations; they have hopes; and they have aspirations. The question is: What opportunities have we created, as a nation, for that segment of our population? Are we doing enough to meet the hopes, dreams and aspirations of our youth? The report is telling us that we have not sufficiently put in place systems of addressing the plight of the youth. Consequently, they are depressed, frustrated, and angry because of the hollow opportunities for them. This is not only peculiar to Zambia, but also the African Continent as a whole.

Sir, the majority of people who are migrating to Europe from West, East, North and Central Africa are youths who want to fulfill their hopes and aspirations in life. They are unemployed in their own countries, and are seeking better opportunities for their children. Between January and April this year, more than 800 African youths migrating to Europe died in the Mediterranean Sea. The majority of those who are involved in the conflicts or wars on the African Continent are youths between eighteen and thirty-five years of age. Those who are being manipulated to fight each other during political campaigns are the youth. Therefore, the challenge we have before us is: What are we doing for the youth? How are we addressing the plight and anger of the youth? This is what this report is saying.

From this report, it is clear that as a nation, we have not critically made a self assessment as to what we are doing for the youths. We do not even know how much of our National Budget is allocated to activities relating to the youth. We do not even know what programmes there are in the various ministries for the youth. We are not monitoring the monies and projects that are directed at the youth. We are doing a disservice to the youth as a nation, and that is very unfortunate. This report requires sober reflection on the predicament of the youth. So, we need a fresh start.  These …

The Deputy Chairperson: Order!

Business was suspended from 1815 hours until 1830 hours.

[THE DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON of Committees in the Chair]

Prof. Lungwangwa: Mr Speaker, when business was suspended, I was saying that we need a fresh start.

Those of us who were here a few years ago, know that the Youth Development Fund (YDF) started way back around 2006, and we have been managing it even though it is not sufficient to meet the aspirations of our youth. Today, we are being told that this fund is supporting about 517 projects countrywide, which is a drop in the ocean.

Our colleagues on the Executive side of the governance of our country need to come up with a comprehensive research programme on youths that will address questions like: How is the life of our youth like in both urban and rural areas? What are their problems and plight? What is their predicament? We need a comprehensive research on the extent to which our youths are integrated in the economy. Where are the opportunities for them in terms of employment, self-employment and so on and so forth? This is very important.

Mr Speaker, we need a comprehensive research programme for the youths in various ministries to pinpoint what is being done for them and how effective these programmes are in addressing their aspirations, hopes and dreams. We need comprehensive research on what could possibly be done for the youths. This is a country with enormous opportunities in various sectors such as agriculture, forestry, livestock, fishing and many others. We can have big-bang projects to absorb the five million-youth segment of our population. We can direct the energies of our youth to very high productive sectors and benefit from their productivity.

Mr Speaker, sometimes, as I move around, I see some youths at work. For instance, if they have been engaged by small-scale enterprises to make blocks, I stop to look at the energy that they exert in making the blocks and pile them up. This is the potential of our youth, which can be exploited to transform this country. It can be done, and all that is required is for the ministry responsible for youth affairs to critically think about what is possible to extend the horizons of imagination …

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Prof. Lungwangwa: … beyond the current into the unknown, and come up with what is possible for the youth. It is unfortunate that we have not done this.

Mr Speaker, when we have little money to give to youth or women clubs, we go all over the place with envelopes to give to very few of the youth and we think that we are doing a lot for them. This is not sufficient. We need to break new grounds to address the hopes of the youth and create opportunities for them.

Like what is happening now, let us not use the youth as tools of manipulation, especially during political campaigns. We mobilise them, make them drink beer and let them walk long distances to campaign and shout the loudest. This is a disservice to our youth. Let us open up our land and see what lies in the areas of agriculture, forestry, fishing, and other sectors like education. Let us work on how best we can channel the energy of our youth into these areas in order to achieve higher levels of productivity where they can satisfactorily realise their hopes, expectations and aspirations.

Mr Speaker, those of us who were children in the 1960s used to hear our political fathers such as His Excellency President Kaunda and many others, refer to future leaders. However, they did not only talk, but also created a foundation for opportunities. They expanded the secondary school sector and we could see opportunities for us to go to university if we worked very hard. By the time most of us were in secondary school, we were aspiring to go to university and get degrees at the Government’s expense.

Sir, it was possible to get a Masters Degree and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) before the age of 35. The Government should to establish that platform of opportunity in various sectors where the youth can realise their hopes, dreams and aspirations.

Interruptions

Prof. Lungwangwa: Mr Speaker, our colleagues, in Executive Arm of the Government should do more than they are doing now. Let us not be satisfied with the little that is being done for the youth. Let us look at the bigger picture and ask ourselves what more we can do for the youth and find ways to channel their energy into productive areas that can transform our nation. It is important that we think more about how we can meet the needs of the youth because, according your Committee’s report, what we are doing, at the moment, is not sufficient.

Sir, we are the leaders of today. What can we do to follow the legacy that the Kaundas left? We were given opportunities while we were in poor homes of peasant parents. However, we have become who we are today because of the education we were given.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Prof. Lungwangwa: We have been able to achieve levels of education that have enabled us to be recognised internationally even though we came from illiterate parents. That is what the youth need and that is what we should be challenging ourselves to achieve.

Mr Speaker, let us not short-circuit the aspirations of the youth. If we do not invest in the youth, we all stand to regret. What is happening in other countries may also happen here. The anger, frustration and depression of the youth might turn into something that is too ghastly to contemplate.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mpundu (Nchelenge): Mr Speaker, thank you for allowing me to contribute to the debate on the report of your Committee on Youth and Sports. Before I proceed, allow me to congratulate the three hon. Members of Parliament on their deserved victories, especially because they belong to the Patriotic Front (PF).

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mpundu: I would like to welcome Hon. Dora Siliya of Petauke, Hon. Patricia Mulasikwanda of Mulobezi, which we have taken away from the United Party for National Development (UNPD), …

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mpundu: … and Hon. Shuma, whose seat we took away from our partners, the Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD.

Mr Muntanga: Your partners?

Mr Mpundu: Mr Speaker, I will be very brief as most of the issues that I would like to talk about have been addressed. However, I will just focus on one aspect of your Committee’s report, which is the Youth Development Fund (YDF).

Sir, your Committee’s report, it is gratifying to note that this Government has been very consistent with regard to the allocation and disbursement of funds to YDF. For four consecutive, that is, from 2011 to 2014, the amounts that were allocated were subsequently were released in full. A total of K61 million was released over a period of four years. This is a very good budgetary performance achievement. Therefore, I would like to thank His Excellency the President the hon. Minister of Finance for this.

Mr Speaker, let me go a little deeper into the report. Despite this performance, your Committee’s report has highlighted many constraints with respect to the administration of the YDF. However, there are two critical ones. The first one was ably debated by Hon. Mbulakulima and echoed by Hon. Dr Lungu, the village coach.

Laughter

Hon. Opposition Member: He was promoted.

Mr Mpundu: To what?

Interruptions

Mr Mpundu: He talked about the high concentration of successful applicants for the YDF being at the provincial centres.

Sir, if you recall, from the many questions that we have put on the Floor of the House, we have talked against this and advised the hon. Minister responsible for the ministry to consider decentralising this fund so that it can be divided equally among the 103 districts so that all, thereby giving our youths equitable access to resources.

Mr Speaker, the second major constraint, as highlighted in your Committee’s report, is the cumbersome process of applying for the fund. The process is long and quite technical. So, we do not expect the youth with very simple projects to make themselves amenable to this process. It is rather difficult for them. So, they would need the aid of consultants such as myself.

Sir, unfortunately, your Committee’s report has not made any recommendations with respect to these constraints. We need to decentralise. However, we do not necessarily need to have the physical presence of staff at district level. The ministry can simply use a proxy ministry such as the Community Development, Mother and Child Health to receive applications other than the District Commissioner’s Office so that we do not seem to be politicising the fund. With regard to the second major constraint, all that we have to do is simplify the application process.

Mr Speaker, I support what has been presented in your Committee’s report with respect to the Youth Development Fund.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Namulambe (Mpongwe): Mr Speaker, thank you for allowing me to contribute to debate on this important Motion moved by the hon. Member of Parliament Ikeleng’i and seconded by the hon. Member of Parliament for Chongwe.

Sir, let me also congratulate the hon. Members who took their seats in Parliament this afternoon. Indeed, they are welcome, especially the one seated in front of me, Hon. Mulasikwanda who once served as my deputy. She is a capable person.

Mr Speaker, let me commend the hon. Minister of Youth and Sport for dissolving the National Youth Development Council (NYDC). I heard about it on the news this afternoon. You have done a commendable job, following the many complaints that we have read about in the press.

Sir, let me advise you that as you reconstitute the NYDC, you should consider appointing young people to the council. Let not any person who is above the age of thirty-five be appointed to serve in the council. Let the young people be responsible for their destiny so that if they fail, they are the ones to blame. If the funds are mismanaged, let them be the ones to blame.

Mr Speaker, item (g) on page 12 of your Committee’s report states:

“Your Committee observes that there is a lack of coordination and collaboration between the National Olympic Committee of Zambia (NOCZ) and the National Sport Council of Zambia (NSCZ) during preparations for international competitions.

Mr Speaker, the NOCZ feels that it is at a par with the NSCZ. The NOCZ is forgetting the fact that the NSCZ exists by virtue of an Act of Parliament and that it should be reporting to it. The Ministry of Youth and Sport must not entertain any committees that do not go through the NSCZ. Sometimes, the NOCZ disregards the NSCZ and prefers to deal directly with the ministry because it thinks the NSCZ does not have inadequate funding. As a result of the funds that NOCZ receives from international organisations, it fells that it should not be answerable to a council that was formed through an Act of this House to administer sport in the nation.  It is for this reason that the NSCZ should be funded adequately. All the funding should be channeled through the NSCZ if we are to promote other sports disciplines, which the hon. Minister said he would concentrate on. This will enable all the sports disciplines to get a fair share of what they deserve.
Mr Speaker, talent identification should not be left to when there is an international event like the Southern African Development Committee (SADC) Games or the National Olympic Games. Let it be a continuous process. Let this be done in schools like it was in the past.

Sir, in the past, we used to have games such as javelin, discus and shot-put. If you go to Chiwala Secondary School today, you will not find such games. It is, therefore, important that we make use of the National Olympic Centre. By the way, the centre was supposed to be built in another country but, because Zambia was active in sport during our time with the new hon. Member of Parliament, we fought had to have it here. The purpose of having the centre was to support all the sports disciplines and identify talent in all the districts of Zambia. It was meant for national competitions so that national teams for respective sport disciplines could be selected thereafter. That was the purpose of having the centre.

Mr Speaker, therefore, let us ensure that the NSCZ is adequately funded. Organisations such as the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) should be funded through the NSCZ so that we lessen the pressure on the ministry which is always under pressure to support the various sports disciplines.  What is happening is that the people in charge of the various sports disciplines create some rapport with the hon. Minister of Youth and Sport so that he/she, in turn, can go to the Ministry of Finance to lobby for funds. That is not supposed to be the case. Let us leave the lobbying for funds to the NSCZ. That way, we shall avoid the lack of collaboration amongst the sport various sports disciplines.

Mr Speaker, youth unemployment should not be left to the Government alone to sort out. People’s mindset must change so that people do not always think of being employed by others, but becoming employers. I would like to agree with Hon. Prof. Lungwangwa that we should conduct research on funding to youth programmes. We have been pumping money into various youth organisations in the country from the time that the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) was introduced. Part of the CDF went towards youth programmes, but there is nothing on the ground. Since there was political connotation to the CDF, people would squander the money and start complaining on the streets that the Government was not doing anything when they are the ones to blame.

Mr Speaker, the policies that we, as a country, have come up with have contributed to the problem of youth unemployment. At the moment, most of the people who are making blocks in this country are foreigners.

Surely, we can empower young people by acquiring block-making machines like the ones the Lebanese and other people use to make blocks instead of giving them loans. When they sell the blocks, the can reinvest the money in other projects in Zambia. The money that foreigners make in Zambia is externalised and goes to develop their countries. So, it is important that we seriously look at the type of loans that we give to the young people. The people who acquire big pieces of land to make blocks, go back to their countries of origin.

Mr Muntanga: Yes.

Mr Namulambe:  I do not support the idea of having Lebanese who are here as investors to make blocks. We say that they are creating employment, for whom? It is better to empower our own people so that even if they employ their relatives, …

Interruptions

The Deputy Chairperson: The consultations on my right are getting a little louder. May you moderate your consultations.

Mr Namulambe: … the money remains in Zambia.

Mr Speaker, let me talk about the youth skills training centers. Most of the young people, including those on the street, have been trained at Zambia National Service (ZNS) Chiwoko Skills Training Centre. However, the problem they face after the training is that of lack of capital.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Namulambe: Mr Speaker, I rather than giving loans to people who do not even pay back, I suggest that we buy starter kits for people that have been trained in various skills so that they can become employers.

Sir, I am reminded of a young man I met in Kalomo …

Mr Muntanga: Hear, hear!

Mr Namulambe: … when I visited the district some years back when I was Minister of Youth and Sport. He had lost both his parents and had only gone up to Grade 4 in school. At the time, all that he wanted was to acquire some skills at Mukwela Youth Skills Training Centre, but he did not have the means to enroll at the centre. I instructed one of the officers in the ministry, Mr Mulonda, to have him enrolled at the centre. He was then enrolled at the centre were he qualified as a metal fabricator. When I was dropped as Minister I was nominated as a member of your Committee on Agriculture and Lands that was headed by Kalomo Central Member of Parliament, Hon. Request Muntanga. When your Committee toured Kalomo, the young man invited me to go and see his workshop.

Mr Speaker, I was pleased to find that after he had graduated from the centre, an officer from the ministry gave him some money to buy a wielding machine. At the time of our visit he was making K10 million per month, and had employed ten other youths. So, if we educated people like this young man who do not want to be employees, but employers, this country would develop. If we all think of becoming employees and cry for the minimum wage, then, the country will not develop.

Sir, there is a lot of potential in this nation. There are opportunities for fish and poultry farming. A country like Saudi Arabia can buy goats from Africa. Some neighbouring countries are in dire need of chickens. Therefore, youths should be encouraged to venture into activities that will earn them money.

Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister lamented the poor credit culture in Zambia. I would like to give advice, but not from a politician’s perspective. We must avoid politicising the issuance of cheques to beneficiary groups.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Namulambe: Officials from the ministry should be ones responsible for the distribution of cheques to beneficiary groups. As politicians, our role should be to monitor the use of funds that have been disbursed. So, if we hear that Hon. Kufuna or the hon. Minister of Lands, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, for instance, gave money to people in Zambezi West, we shall think that it is a token of appreciation.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Namulambe: Like I said earlier, it is better for officials from the ministry to distribute the funds and political leaders monitor how the funds are used. That way, if the funds are not properly utilised, political leaders can take the officials to task. So, it is important to differentiate the roles of the politicians and officials in the distribution and use of funds.

Mr Speaker, when I was a civil servant, I never allowed the hon. Minister to perform the functions of civil servants. Instead, I allowed him to check what the officials I was supervising were doing. That way, there is collaboration and you avoid being blamed for the failure. This advice is for the sake of progress because we are all concerned about the youth empowerment. However, the young people should also change their mindset and not always wait to be employed. They must also work towards becoming employers.

Sir, I once said on the Floor of this House that First Quantum Mines in Solwezi is owned by two brothers who have employed thousands of people. Zambians should also employ local people and even foreigners. So, I challenge the young people who are listening to my debate that instead of them just selling tomatoes on the streets, they should think of what to do with their education. They are educated to think and come up with innovative ideas.

Mr Speaker, I support the proposal by hon. Member of Parliament for Nalikwanda that we should conduct research on what is required to empower young people so that they can also help to grow the economy of our nation.

 Mr Speaker, I thank you.

 Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

The Minister of Youth and Sport (Mr Mwale): Mr Speaker, I would like to thank you for the opportunity to respond to the debate on this Motion.
Mr Speaker, let me begin by welcoming the new hon. Members of Parliament to this House. I would like to welcome back Hon. Mulasikwanda and Hon. Dora Siliya who are not new to this House. I would also like to welcome Hon. Jack Shuma. I hope that they will help us to deal with matters that relate to young people in their respective constituencies. I, therefore, welcome them to the ministry to discuss issues of youth development and sport. Once again, I would like to welcome them to this House.

 Mr Speaker, for the benefit of Hon. Muntanga, I stand here to speak as Minister and not as a member of the Patriotic Front (PF) or Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD).

Sir, I thank the Chairperson of your Committee for ably moving this Motion as well as the seconder, Hon. Masebo. As a ministry, we shall address some of the issues that have been raised in the report because we have found them valuable.

Mr Speaker, let me respond to some of the issues that have been raised by a number of hon. Members of Parliament.

Sir, Hon. Katambo talked about the issue of changing coaches and encouraging the development of sport in school, while Hon. Mbulakulima talked about the Youth Development Fund (YDF), the Sports Indaba and the need to employ an expatriate coach. Hon. Dr Lungu also talked about the YDF while Hon. Prof. Lungwangwa talked about opportunities for young people and what needs to be done to address the lack of opportunities. He also bemoaned the inadequacy of the YDF compared to the population of young people in the country. Hon. Mpundu also talked about the YDF while Hon. Namulambe talked about the National Sports Council of Zambia (NSCZ) and how the different sports associations should be supported through the NSCZ. He also talked about the dissolution of the National Youth Development Committee (NYDC) Board and the distribution of cheques by the hon. Minister. Therefore, I will give a blanket response to the issues raised.

Sir, I agree with Hon. Prof. Lungwangwa about lack of opportunities for youths in the country, and that YDF is not enough to cater for all the young people with brilliant project proposals. Therefore, the challenge is upon this House to ensure that adequate resources are allocated towards this activity. We have a lot of young people who are willing to take up entrepreneurship as a career option, but they need financial support. I am sure you know that as a ministry, and as a county, our resource envelope is not that big. Therefore, we need to put our heads together to see how much we can allocate to the ministry to tackle this issue. However, to say that we have no plan on how we are going to create opportunities for young people is not true.

Sir, the Cabinet has just approved an action plan on employment and youth empowerment which took three years to draw up. The action plan will soon be launched by His Excellency the President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu. It will deal with issues of empowerment and employment for young people in this country.

Sir, in addition, the Cabinet has just amended the Youth Policy that also points in that direction. I, therefore, wish to say that we need to approach the issue of empowerment or employment in a multi-sectoral manner. As a country, we shall try and mainstream this issue through the line ministries and institutions.

Sir, there are number of issues that have been raised regarding the YDF and how it has been administered. Most of the comments that have been made are very progressive and we, as a ministry, have taken note of them. However, I must say that we should try as much as possible not to politicise this fund. The members of the committee that approves the funding are drawn from the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC), Ministry of Commerce, Trade and industry and Ministry of Finance, the Zambia Development Agency (ZDA), Zambia Co-operative Federation (ZCF), the Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission (CEEC) and other institutions. There is no politician among the committee members. Therefore, it is very difficult for anybody to try to manipulate a team of technocrats. So, it is not true that this fund has been politicised.

 Mr Muchima: Question!

 Mr Mwale: Mr Speaker, all that needs to be done is to ensure, as much as possible, that people from all districts, and not just those from provincial centres, have access to the fund. Two months ago, the Ministry of Youth and Sport conducted a workshop in Ndola for all council secretaries and district commissioners in the country. The purpose of this workshop was to look at ways and means of trying to disseminate information to all the young people in the country and improve on the issue of monitoring and supervision. Bringing on board the council secretaries, means that we have brought on board the entire councils, including councilors, to help us monitor and supervise the projects.

Sir, we are also working on a monitoring and evaluation plan which we shall conclude soon and, hopefully, table it before this House. We are also concerned that many young people who have benefitted from the fund are not supervised. Therefore, the default rate is high. We are, therefore, working towards improving this aspect of the fund before we can increase. We want to come up with mechanisms of ensuring that young people who borrow from the revolving fund are able to pay back.

Mr Speaker, I know that this is a very important issue because of the high levels of unemployment in the country as articulated by Hon. Prof. Lungwangwa. So, we shall deal with the issue of the concentration of beneficiaries in provincial centres.

Sir, there was an issue which was raised regarding the youth resource centres and the lack of permanent staff. This is of concern to us as a ministry because we are not able to employ permanent staff for most of the youth resources centres. This is so because we have not yet been given permission by the Treasury to employ. The Cabinet approved a new structure for the ministry to decentralise to all districts to run the youth resource centres. The youth resource centres have been upgraded to the level of colleges in the Ministry of Education, Science, and Vocational Training Early Education whose curriculum we are using. Therefore, we need staff to run the centres because we cannot leave them to members of the community to run.

Mr Speaker, we proposed a new structure to the Cabinet which was approved, but we are waiting for the Secretary to the Cabinet to give us a go-ahead so that we can employ people to run these centres. We, therefore, agree with your Committee that that area needs to be addressed.

Sir, we shall not build new youth resource centres before we finish upgrading the old ones. We want them to be of the same standard throughout the country. So, we are concentrating on upgrading the old ones before we start putting up new ones. I know that there is demand in all the districts for youth resource centres.

Hon. Dr. Lungu said that we needed to provide the skills and resources to young people. When the young people have skills, they will be able to borrow funds that will enable them implement whatever they would have learnt or make use of the skills that they will acquire from the resource centres.

Mr Speaker, let me move onto the issue of sports. We agree that the standard of sports in this country has gone down. This can be seen from the performance of the national football team and other teams at international competitions such as the Olympic Games. However, the ministry has established a national technical committee on the Podium Performance Programme (PPP) to monitor athletes’ preparations and participation in international competitions, and training of coaches in order to equip them with performance skills. The Olympic Youth Development Centre (OYDC) has been identified as a centre of excellence for the implementation of the PPP. So, we hope that this is going to help us improve our athletes and enable us achieve more at the Olympic Games.

Mr Speaker, football is a ticklish issue and a lot of people want to find out what is happening. Hon. Mbulakulima, who is a former member of FAZ and understands football very well, has recommended the need for us to hire an expatriate coach. I must say that he FAZ has put in a request to the Government for the need to hire an expatriate coach and as the Government, we have looked at that request. We recognise the fact that expatriate coaches are so expensive. Some of you may not know that we used to pay about US$50,000 to former National Team Coach Herve Renard while his assistant Patrice Beaumelle was getting US$25,000 a month. So, we were spending US$75,000 a month. That is a lot of money. So, although we agree that we need expatriate coaches, we need to think about how sustainable that is. Hon. Katambo was saying the turnover is high. That is because, sometimes, we engage these coaches and then fail to raise resources to pay them. So, we usually let them go and replace them with affordable coaches.

However, as the Government, we are currently talking with the corporate world to see if they can come in and supplement Government’s efforts as regards engaging an expatriate coach. We have had discussions with close to ten corporate entities in the last two months, engaging them on the possibility of helping us pay the National Team coach. So far, the responses have been positive. I will soon come to this House and announce the outcome of this exercise that we have undertaken. So, we agree with you, Hon. Mbulakulima on the need to hire an expatriate coach and also because the FAZ has made that request to us. However, we do not want to depend on the Ministry of Finance to fund that. Sometimes, we do not factor that because of the ceiling that the Ministry of Finance has, if it pays the coach, it will have to cut an allocation for another ministry or sector so it can go towards paying the coach and that is a problem. So, we want to make sure that we have a sustainable plan. If we are going to employ an expatriate coach for two years, we should be sure that for two years, we will have the money to pay that coach. This is what we are working on and the reason we have not announced anything regarding the engagement of an expatriate coach.

Mr Speaker, a number of hon. Members expressed concern on the falling standards of sports activities in schools and that in the past, talent was tapped from these schools and recruited into national teams. We are working with the Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education to try and enhance physical education in schools. We have since formed an inter-ministerial committee which is looking at that. This will help us improve in that area. I think, there was a motion in this House that adequately debated this matter and I gave a response to that issue.

Sir, the issue of the National Sports Council of Zambia (NSCZ) versus the National Olympic Committee (NOC) is something of concern. However, the NOC is a non-governmental organisation (NGO). There is something in the report that talks about the merger and how the two can work together. The NOC finds it hard to be integrated in the NSCZ because they are an NGO that is supported by its mother body, which is based elsewhere. So, at the moment, we must continue working with this parallel structure that we have. What really matters is how these organisations relate with each other. So, we will look into that matter and see what we can do.

Mr Speaker, the issue of the stadium was raised by the chairperson and Hon. Mbulakulima was also wondering why we should be charging FAZ to use the stadia that we have. That issue is very simple, we want the stadia to run itself. So, there should be a committee that looks at the stadia in Zambia. We should not be getting money from the Treasury to maintain the stadia in the country. The FAZ gets gate takings from various sports activities and it does not bring that money to the Government. Sometimes we do not even know how much money the FAZ makes from those gate takings. Sometimes FAZ makes between K600,000 and K1 million, and from that, we are only asking for K180,000. The rest of the money goes to other things, which we do not even know. At the same time, we have to insure our stadia. For instance we have a debt for insurance for the Heroes and Levy Mwanawasa Stadia. So, we have to go and beg the Treasury to help us clear that insurance debt. Other than that, you know that after every game, there is vandalism and all sorts of dirt left at the stadia and so this has to be cleaned. So, we hope that the money collected by the FAZ from gate takings could be shared with us so that it goes towards maintenance. After all, we meet all of  FAZ’s hotel bills each time there are games. We also meet bills for visiting teams and that is the reason we have to charge them. However, we are aware of the fact that we need to do a bit more to finance football in this country.

Hon. Government Member: Chapwa.

Mr Mwale: Ndepwisha, do not worry.
Sir, I want to thank Hon. Namulambe for recognising that dissolving the National Youth Development Council (NYDC) Board was the right thing to do. We want to have a fresh start in this country and make sure that young people participate in their affairs. We have heard the slogan that goes, “Nothing for us without us”. So, we want to bring the young people on board so they can determine their fate. That will also ensure that we are free of scandals. As a ministry, we have been accused of corruption and all that, but I want to say that we are open to any form of investigations and that we shall not sweep anything under the carpet. We invite whoever is accusing us of corruption to come and investigate the ministry. We want to make sure that those who are dealing with youth issues do so in a transparent manner.

Mr Speaker, a lot of issues have been raised but, all in all, I must say that this is a rich report. As a ministry, we shall make good use of it. We appreciate the work done by your Committee.

Sir, I thank you.

Mr Muchima: Mr Speaker, I stand here to thank all those who have contributed to debate on this Motion, more so that there is Government will and that there is consensus from both the left and the right. I want to thank Hon. Katambo, Hon. Mbulakulima and the one who should take over as National Assembly Football Team Coach, Hon. Dr Lungu. I also wish to thank Hon. Prof. Lungwangwa, Hon. Mpundu and Hon. Namulambe. The level of debate has been quite encouraging, and I thank you all for supporting this Motion.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Question put and agreed to.

________

BILLS

SECOND READING

THE ANTI-TERRORISM (Amendment) BILL, 2015

The Minister of Home Affairs (Mr Mwila): Mr Speaker, I beg to move that the Bill be now read a second time.

Mr Speaker, before I give my speech, I want to welcome my colleagues who have just been elected to this Parliament. These are Member of Parliament for Mulobezi, Hon. Mulasikwanda, Member of Parliament for Malambo, Hon. Shuma, and our friend Member of Parliament for Petauke Central, Hon. Dora Siliya. This is a sweet victory for the Patriotic Front (PF). It shows that the people of Zambia have confidence in President Edgar Lungu’s Government.
Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwila: People will continue voting for the PF. Very soon, there will be by-elections in Bangweulu and our colleagues in the Opposition know that they will be defeated.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwila: Mr Speaker, my ministry presented the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill to Parliament in the last Session. This Bill underwent the First Reading. You may recall that some concerns were raised over the Bill and this prompted me to withdraw it and address the concerns. Allow me to inform the House that my ministry has since addressed the concerns and revised the amendment Bill accordingly.

Sir, the review began with a critical examination of the Constitution with regard to the functions of the different State security agencies. Pieces of legislation governing all the State security agencies were also reviewed. The purpose of this was to enable the ministry to align the functions of the State security agencies with those of the proposed National Anti-terrorism Centre.

From the review undertaken, it was found that the Zambia Police Force and Zambia Security Intelligence Services (ZSIS) were charged with the responsibility of providing and maintaining internal security for purposes of ensuring that our country remains a beacon of justice, peace and security.

Mr Speaker, the ministry also reviewed literature on how other countries and the United Nations (UN) organisations were handling the issues of terrorism worldwide. In addition, extensive consultations were undertaken with all the key stakeholders. All the concerns raised by the key stakeholders were considered.

Sir, the extensive review led my ministry to change the organisational structure of the proposed centre. Bearing in mind that it had multiple functions, it was proposed that the centre be led by the National Anti-Terrorism Committee, as opposed to being led by the Central Joint Operations Committee (CJOC). The committee is basically designed to provide operational oversight and support, while the director and his/her staff would perform the day-to-day tasks of the centre. The proposed amendment Bill further provides that the director of the centre shall be appointed from the ZSIS, while the deputy director would be appointed from the Zambia Police Force. These changes are designed to ensure adequate coordination and management of potential terrorist threats.

Mr Speaker, some of the specific changes in the proposed amendment Bill include the following:

(a)    adding more definitions in Section 2 of the amendment Bill;

(b)    establishing the National Anti-Terrorism Centre in Section 4, led by the National Anti-Terrorism Committee; and

(c)    appointing members of the proposed National Anti-terrorism Committee comprising of the following offices and institutions;

(i)    Director-General of the ZSIS to be the chair;

(ii)    Inspector-General of Police to be the vice-chair;

(iii)    representative of the Zambia Army as a member;

(iv)    representative of the Zambia Air Force (ZAF) as a member;

(v)    representative of the Zambia National Service (ZNS) as a member;

(vi)    representative from the Immigration Department as a member; and

(vii)    any other institution the President may deem fit.    

Sir, it should be noted that the proposed amendment Bill also provides for the centre to draw on any relevant expertise it might require in its operations.

Mr Speaker, in conclusion, it should be noted that the revised Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill presented before the House is in line with the Constitution of the Republic, international best practices and UN conventions or treaties that our country is a party to. I, therefore, invite all hon. Members of this House to support the revised Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill, 2015.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Rev. Lt-Gen. Shikapwasha (Keembe): Mr Speaker, in accordance with its terms of reference, as provided for in the Standing Orders, your Committee was tasked to scrutinise the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill, 2015, in order to gain insight into the ramifications of the Bill. Your Committee sort oral and written submissions from various stakeholders, including the Central Joint Operations Committee (CJOC) of Service Chiefs, and the hon. Minister of Home Affairs was gracious enough to assent to our request to appear before your Committee.

Mr Speaker, from the outset, let me point out that your Committee is in full support of this Bill because there is a need to bring the Anti-Terrorism Act No. 21 of 2007 in tandem with the current trends in the fight against terrorism, including cyber attacks.

However, your Committee wishes to point out a few issues which are outlined therein as proposed. Subsection 3 of Section 4(a) on the financing of the National Anti-Terrorism Centre states that the expenses of the centre shall be charged upon and issued out of the central revenues of the Republic.
Mr Speaker, your Committee is of the view that the expenses of the centre should not be charged expenditure, but supply expenditure like other national security expenditure such as the budget for the Ministry of Defence and should be subject to annual appropriation by Parliament in the Annual Appropriation Act.

Your Committee, therefore, recommends that this section be amended to read:

“the funds of the centre shall consist of such monies as may be:

(a)    appropriated by Parliament for the purposes of the centre;

(b)    paid to the centre by way of approved grants or donations; and

(c)    versed in or accrue to the centre.”

Mr Speaker, your Committee is also concerned about the wording of sub-section (2) of Section 4 C, which proposes that;

“persons qualifies to be appointed as a member of the Central Joint Operations Committee, if that person has served as a head of the Zambia Army, Zambia Air Force (ZAF), Zambia National Service (ZNS), Zambia Security Intelligence Service (ZSIS), Zambia Police and the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC).”

This is in direct contradiction to sub-section (1) which implies that only serving heads of the listed entities will be part of the CJOC. It is also not in order given that the CJOC and the National Anti-Terrorism Centre will have to work with serving personnel, not those who have retired or changed portfolio.

Your Committee, therefore, recommends that the proposed sub-section (2) be deleted in its entirety because sub-section (1) is sufficiently clear on who will be a member of the CJOC.

Mr Speaker, the proposed Section 4 D sets out the functions of the CJOC. Item (a) provides that the CJOC will, “carry out functions” of the centre. This is followed by item (b), which provides that the CJOC will, “issue policy directives” regarding the operations of the centre.

Mr Speaker, this is anomalous, as the body that issues policy directives cannot also be the one to carry out those directives. It is also inappropriate for the heads of defence forces and investigative wings to carry out the functions of the centre.

Your Committee, therefore, recommends that item (a) of the proposed Section 4 D, be either deleted or reworded to accurately reflect the oversight of the coordinating role of the CJOC vis-à-vis the National Anti-terrorism Centre and its Executive Director.

Mr Speaker, the Bill provides that the Army Commander is in-charge of the centre and will directly report to the President. The ministry responsible for the centre is the Ministry of Home Affairs. Your Committee wonders what chain of command will be established and fears that this may be a recipe for conflict of interest.

Mr Muntanga: Eh!

Lt-Gen. Rev. Shikapwasha: Your Committee, therefore, recommends that this be clarified …

Mr Muntanga: Yes.

Lt-Gen. Rev. Shikapwasha: … and harmonised. There is also a need to streamline and clarify the operations among the Zambia Army, ZAF and Zambia Police Force vis-à-vis the special forces.

Mr Speaker, your Committee observes that the Bill is very important to national security and needs to be enacted. However, since the Bill cuts across several ministries and Government agencies and, also taking into account the concerns by stakeholders, your Committee recommends that the Bill be deferred to a later date to allow for consideration and incorporation of proposed amendments and other matters that may arise. The Ministry of Home Affairs should carry out in depth consultations with all the important stakeholders.

In conclusion, your Committee wishes to express its gratitude to you, Mr Speaker, for granting it the opportunity to scrutinise the Anti-terrorism (Amendment) Bill National Assembly Bill No. 2 of 2015. Your Committee also wishes to thank the Office of the Clerk of the National Assembly for the support rendered to it throughout its deliberations.

It is indebted to all the witnesses who appeared before it for their co-operation in providing the necessary briefs despite the short notice given to them.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Mwila: Mr Speaker, I want to thank the Chairperson of your Committee, Hon. Rev. Lt-Gen. Shikapwasha, for the contributions made to the Bill before this House. Mr Speaker, I personally appeared before your Committee and a lot of concerns were raised by your Committee which I have informed this House about. I am, therefore, suggesting that all the amendments come at the Committee Stage of the Bill.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Question put and agreed to and the Bill read a second time.

Committee on Tuesday 14th July, 2015.

THE FOREST BILL, 2015
The Minister of Lands, Natural Resources and Environmental Resources (Ms Ngimbu): Mr Speaker, I beg to move that the Bill now read a second.

Mr Speaker, before I give my statement allow me to congratulate my two sisters, Hon. Mulasikwanda and Hon. Dora Siliya on being voted back to this august House.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Ngimbu: Mr Speaker, I am starting with the two women because it is not easy for a woman to be elected to this august House.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Ngimbu: I, therefore, salute you for being strong.

Mr Musukwa: You are very right.

Ms Ngimbu: Mr Speaker, allow me to also congratulate my brother, Hon. Shuma, on his hard work.

Mr Kampyongo: He is a big nyau.

Laughter

Ms Ngimbu: Mr Speaker, the current challenges and emerging issues in the forestry sector necessitated the need for the review of the National Forestry Policy of 1998. These include the evidence of continued forest destruction, leading to soil erosion, loss of bio-diversity, dwindling water and agricultural productivity, environmental degradation and their negative impacts on the micro climate, food security, national energy supply and social welfare. Subsequently, it is necessary to repeal Forestry Act No. 7 of 1999 as a result of new and emerging issues such as climate change and the need to involve local communities and the private sector in sustainable forest management.

Mr Speaker, the objectives of the Bill are to:

(a)    provide for the establishment and declaration of national forests, local forests, joint forest management areas, botanical reserves, private forests and community forests;

(b)    provide for the participation of local communities, local authorities, traditional institutions, non-Governmental organisations (NGOs) and other stakeholders in sustainable forest management;

(c)    provide for the conservation and use of forest and trees for sustainable forest management of forest echo system and biological diversity;

(d)    establish the Forest Development Fund;

(e)    provide for the implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna, the Convention on Wet Lands of International Importance, especially as Water for Habitat, the Convention to Combat Desertification in those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, particularly in Africa and any other relevant international agreement to which Zambia is a part;

(f)    repeal and replace the Forest Act, 1999;

(g)    provide for matters connected with, or incidental to the foregoing.

Mr Speaker, I beg to move.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Muntanga (Kalomo Central): Mr Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity to present the views of your Committee and those of stakeholders on the Forrest Bill, 2015. Your Committee undertook an in-depth study of the Forest Bill, 2015 which was referred to it on 16th June, 2015.

Sir, for the objects as well as the salient features of the Bill, I wish to refer the House to pages 1 and 2 and pages 3 and 4 respectively of your Committee’s report. Mr Speaker, your Committee supports the Bill, with amendments, as agreed with the Ministry of Lands, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection and urges the House to pass the Bill subject to those amendments.

Mr Speaker, specifically, your Committee agreed with the Ministry of Lands, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection that the amendments set out on Pages 5 to 7 of your Committee’s report will be moved by the hon. Minister at the appropriate time during the Committee Stage of the Bill.

Sir, some of the notable amendments are as follows:

(a)    Under Clause 2, your Committee notes that the current definition of State Land in the Bill is at variance with the definition in the Lands Act.

The Deputy Chairperson: Order!

(Debate adjourned)

The House adjourned at 1955 hours until 0900 hours on Friday, 3rd July, 2015.
________