DAILY PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES FOR THE FOURTH SESSION OF THE ELEVENTH ASSEMBLY

Tuesday, 7th October, 2014

The House met at 1430 hours 

[MR DEPUTY SPEAKER in the Chair]

NATIONAL ANTHEM 

PRAYER
________

QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER

ELECTRIFICATION OF BWACHA CONSTITUENCY WARDS

128. Mr Mushanga (Bwacha) asked the Minister of Mines, Energy and Water Development when the following Wards in Bwacha Parliamentary Constituency would be electrified under the Rural Electrification Programme:

(a)    Munga;

(b)    Chinyanja;

(c)    Munyama;

(d)    Muwowo West; and 

(e)    Muwowo East.

The Deputy Minister of Mines, Energy and Water Development (Mr Zulu): Mr Speaker, Munga, Chinyanja, Munyama, Muwowo West and Muwowo East wards in Bwacha Parliamentary Constituency are planned for electrification in 2016.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mushanga: Mr Speaker, I have noticed that it is becoming a trend that when I pose questions on the Floor of the House, …

Mr Mwila: 2016!

Mr Mushanga: … the answers are usually that the various ministries will respond to the project requests from Bwacha Constituency in 2016. Is there a reason for that?

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Zulu: Sir, I know that Hon. Mushanga would want these places to be connected even tomorrow. Unfortunately, it is not possible because we follow the master plan that we have been talking about. According to the master plan, the wards will be connected in 2016.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Nkombo (Mazabuka Central): Mr Speaker, the question by the hon. Member for Bwacha is very important. The hon. Minister indicated that his response is in accordance with what is written in the master plan. Does the master plan state that wherever and whenever there are by-elections, especially in rural areas, the goalposts should be shifted, as the case was in Mangango, where poles were put up in order to induce the voters in that area to vote for the Patriotic Front (PF)? If that is not the case, can he tell us when he will give us a copy of the master plan that we have been singing about so that we can know that he is telling the truth.

Mr Zulu: Mr Speaker, it is the intention of the Government to connect 51 per cent of the country, especially the rural communities, by 2030. There is no way we can start connecting places just because there is a by-election.

Sir, we had the same situation in Vubwi, where I was. This project took off last year but, when some political parties saw us putting up poles, they told us to stop. I went to the Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (ZESCO) and told them to stop until after the by-election. After the by-election, the project continued. 

Mr Speaker, projects take a bit of time. Feasibility studies have to be conducted before the project is implemented and it may take a year for us to start putting up poles. That is approximately how long it takes to start a project. For instance, we will electrify hon. Mushanga’s area in 2016, but the feasibility studies will be conducted this quarter. We have a plan and we will follow it.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Deputy Speaker: Are you able to make your plans available?

Mr Zulu: Yes, it is possible. I will ask the Rural Electrification Authority (REA) to give me the master plan. 

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mwila (Chipili): Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister has talked about the feasibility study. When do we expect it to be completed? 

Mr Zulu: Mr Speaker, we are conducting feasibility studies for the whole country this quarter. In fact, we have not started the feasibility study for Bwacha, but we have already started in other parts of the country. So, I do not know exactly when we will finish.

I thank you, Sir.

Ms Namugala (Mafinga): Mr Speaker, we are obviously all interested. Can the hon. Minister be a bit clearer and more specific? He says that the Government is conducting feasibility studies for the whole country. Can he tell us the exact time frame and whether his reference to “the whole country” means all the constituencies and districts.

Mr Zulu: Mr Speaker, we follow the master plan which guides on when each area will be connected. It is the same case even with the feasibility studies. Feasibility studies for the places that will be connected next year are being conducted this quarter. That is how it will go. However, I am not able to tell the places and schedule. All I can do is make the master plan available. Suffice it for me to say that most of the feasibility studies have already started.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Muchima (Ikeleng’i): Mr Speaker, we appreciate the information that all places in Zambia will be electrified by 2030. 

Sir, for one to have a master plan, one must have a budget for it. Could the hon. Minister be kind enough to tell us how much the whole project will cost and how much money will be released every year for that target to be reached. Can he also tell us how much will be spent in the North-Western Province.

Mr Zulu: Mr Speaker, I did not say that the whole country would be connected, but that 51 per cent of the rural areas should be connected to the national grid by 2030. It is 51 per cent, not the whole country.

Mr Speaker, concerning the budget, I can make it available through REA. I am sure that the authority has a budget for that. I will consult and get back to you.

I thank you, Sir.

Dr Kaingu (Mwandi): Mr Speaker, is it possible to come up with a plan before a feasibility study?

Mr Zulu: Mr Speaker, the plan is about which places will be connected within a particular year. The feasibility studies are conducted before we implement the plan.

I thank you, Sir. 

Mr Mbewe (Chadiza): Mr Speaker, …

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

Mr Deputy Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Mr Nkombo: Mr Speaker, I apologise to the hon. Member for Chadiza for disrupting his question. 

Sir, my point of order hinges on the security of the citizens of this country and what I may call a breach of the Constitution of Zambia, Article 21, which states:

“Except with his own consent, a person shall not be hindered in the enjoyment of freedoms of assembly and association. That is to say, his right to assemble freely and associate with other persons, in particular, to form or belong to any political party, trade union or other associations for the protection of his interests”. 

Mr Speaker, for some time now, in this House and outside it, we have spoken about how we abhor violence. I do recall that, under the Patriotic Front (PF) Government, there was a running battle between PF cadres and the police two years ago in Lusaka West, where the PF cadres had been illegally sharing land. 

Sir, this Chamber where we are is a Government building and, I believe, the same goes for all the chambers in our respective district, city and municipal councils. 

Sir, we have a report that, yesterday, while the hon. Minister of Justice, who is also the hon. Minister of Defence and Secretary-General of the ruling PF Party was addressing a meeting of his political party members in the Livingstone City Council Chamber, violence broke out. At the same venue, the hon. Provincial Minister and Provincial Party Chairperson, Mr Daniel Munkombwe, was traumatised and threatened to with physical violence while the Legislator for the constituency, Hon. Lawrence Evans, was left in tears, which he could not hold back as he watched his party members beat up a Mrs Mate in their usual manner. For ease of reference, this story was broadcast on Muvi Television News and the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) Television News at 1830 hours and 1900 hours, respectively. The same has also been reported in most of our daily papers today. 

Sir, we all claim to abhor violence, which we know to be potentially malignant, as we have seen it manifest in some countries that I cannot name here. Is the PF Government, through the hon. Minister of Justice and of Defence, in order to continue making their citizens unease and nervous by not respecting the fundamental human right of people to assemble and express their feelings, and be violent in a Government building like the Livingstone City Council Chamber? Is the party in order to continue governing this country with such violent tendencies that make them seem to be entertained by the same, when it can cause serious difficulties for us if left unchecked?

Sir, I seek a ruling on this matter.

Mr Deputy Speaker: I reserve my ruling on this matter. 

Can the hon. Member who was on the Floor, please, continue.

Mr Mbewe: Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister is my neighbour although he is not listening to my question. 

Sir, there were some projects to electrify some areas in several constituencies in Zambia, including my constituency, that were left by the Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD. Has the Government neglected these projects or will it complete them? What is the position?

Mr Zulu: Mr Speaker, in fact, I am not just his neighbour, but his mulamu, too.

Laughter

Mr Namulambe: Meaning?

Mr Zulu: Sir, that means that he is my brother-in-law. 

Mr Speaker, there was a question earlier and I have just received information from my officers to the effect that, before developing the plan, feasibility studies were conducted to ascertain the cost of electrifying the areas. I am sure that that is clear. 

Sir, getting back to the current question, it is our responsibility to carry on with the projects that the MMD failed to complete.   

I thank you, Sir. 

ROAD LINKING EASTERN PROVINCE TO MUCHINGA PROVINCE

129. Mr I. Banda (Lumezi) asked the Minister of Transport, Works, Supply and Communication:

(a)    when the tarring of the road linking the Eastern Province to Muchinga Province would commence;

(b)    why the road was not on the Link Zambia 8,000 km Road Project;

(c)    what the source of funds for tarring the road was; and

(d)    what had caused the delay in upgrading the road. 

The Deputy Minister of Transport, Works, Supply and Communications (Mr Mwimba H. Malama): Mr Speaker, there are two roads linking the Eastern Province and Muchinga Province that are being upgraded to bituminous standard, namely, the Mpika/Nabwalya/Mambwe and the Isoka/Muyombe/Chama/Lundazi Road. The contractor has been picked and is mobilising. The Mpika/Nabwalya/Mfuwe Road and the Isoka/Muyombe/Chama/Lundazi Road are both part of the Link Zambia 8,000 km Project. 

Mr Speaker, the Government of the Republic of Zambia will fund the road projects. 

Sir, the delayed implementation of the projects is attributable to a lack of funding. 

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr I. Banda: Mr Speaker, when, exactly, will the works start?

Mr Mwimba H. Malama: Mr Speaker, I stated that the works could have started if funds had been released from the Ministry of Finance. Let me also state that the contractor working on the Mpika/Nabwalya Road has already started clearing the bush even before being given a down payment. In short, we will look at this matter seriously when the money has been released. 

I thank you, Sir. 

Mr Hamusonde (Nangoma): Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister stated that the contractors have been picked. I would like to find out who they are.

Mr Mwimba H. Malama: Mr Speaker, for the Isoka/Muyombe Road, the contractor is China Jiangxi Corporation; for the Mpika/Nabwalya Road, it is China Henan International Co-operation Group; and for Nabwalya/Mambwe Road, it is Raubex Construction Limited.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Ndalamei (Sikongo): Mr Speaker, while the Link Zambia 8,000 km projects in the Western Province are still at the feasibility study level, some contractors have already moved on site for projects in other parts of the country. Why is this the case?

Mr Mwimba H. Malama: Mr Speaker, that is a new question. The principal question is on the road linking the Eastern Province to Muchinga Province. So, I am not able to give the hon. Member the correct response. I urge him to file in a question and I will ably answer it.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Nkombo: Sir, the PF Government embarked on this ambitious programme called Link Zambia 8,000 km Road Project and, indeed, there seems to be a lot of work being done in the road sector. We are also aware that many contractors have shown goodwill, such as the one the hon. Minister referred to, who has started clearing the bushes before he has been paid. Now that we have come to the end of the fiscal year and, not long from now, we will listen to the hon. Minister of Finance’s Budget Speech for 2015, can the hon. Deputy Minister confirm that the PF Government is broke and that, that is the reason it is failing to forge ahead with some of the projects it embarked on.

Mr Livune: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwimba. H. Malama: Sir, I am sorry, I cannot answer that question because I am in the Ministry of Transport, Works, Supply and Communication. Only the hon. Minister of Finance can give the correct answer to that question. I do not even know how much money the Ministry of Finance has collected. I can only tell you about the progress on the Monze/Nico Road because that project falls under me. So, I know very well what my ministry is doing, but not whether this country is broke or not.

Sir, I thank you.

Ms Namugala: Mr Speaker, the Isoka/Muyombe/Chama/Lundazi Road project was started by the Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) Government but, from 2011 to date, there has been very little political will to complete it. Can the hon. Minister confirm what the good people of Isoka, Muyombe and Chama are now beginning to believe, that the project is not being completed because they are not Bemba.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Namugala: Can he confirm that that is the correct position.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Hon. Government Members: Question!

Mr Mwimba H. Malama: Mr Speaker, frankly speaking, I never expected the hon. Member to actually ask a question like that. 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwimba H. Malama: So, I do not want to behave in the same way she has behaved on the Floor of the House. 

Sir, firstly, I want to confirm, in her presence, that the road, which is about 90 km was, indeed, started by the Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) Government. Its construction started before the elections without any feasibility studies being carried out on it. That is what has …

Hon. MMD Members: Aah!

Mr Mwimba H. Malama: Yes!

Interruptions

Mr Mwimba. H. Malama: Mr Speaker, that is what has delayed the completion of the project. We have even gone beyond what ba MMD had planned, which was to work on the Isoka/Muyombe Road. Sir, let me read to her face other projects that this Government has embarked on. 

Interruptions

Mr Deputy Speaker: Order!

Mr Mwimba H. Malama: Sir, works on the Isoka/Muyombe/Chama/Lundazi Project have been divided into four lots. The first lot is from Isoka to Muyombe. Two months ago, I was in that area and the contractors told me that they were given the contract without the designs and that that was what delayed them. 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwimba H. Malama: They went on site without a design. A builder cannot build …

Hon. Opposition Members: How?

Mr Mwimba H. Malama: … a house …

Interruptions

Mr Mwimba H. Malama: I am answering, Mr Speaker.

Mr Deputy Speaker: Can we have order in the House!

Mr Mwimba H. Malama: Mr Speaker, a builder cannot build a house without a plan and finish the project on time. The Patriotic Front (PF) Government has also included the second lot, the D790 in Mulekatembo area, to M14 at Chire River, which is 93 km.

Mr Mwila: Bwekeshapo.

Mr Mwimba H. Malama: The contract is still undergoing the approval process at the Attorney-General’s Office. We did not want to only work on the 90 km road that the MMD Government started constructing in a fast-track manner. Therefore, from where ba MMD ended, we went further to Mulekatembo, and from Mulekatembo …

Laughter

Mr Deputy Speaker: Order, hon. Minister!

Please, speak the accepted language. Do not use vernacular terms like ‘ba’. 

Laughter

Mr Deputy Speaker: You should use English.

Mr Mwimba H. Malama: Mr Speaker, I am very disappointed because the hon. Member stated that the PF Government is a Bemba Government.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwimba H. Malama: The project is in a Tumbuka-speaking area, yet what we are doing there is quite great. We are now connecting Mulekatembo to Chama, which is …

Interruptions

Mr Ng’onga: Mwamuyamba!

Mr Mwimba H. Malama: … called Lot 3 – M14 …

Interruptions

Mr Deputy Speaker: Order!

Mr Mwimba H. Malama: … Chire River/Chama and will now be 93 km. The MMD Government started with 90 km from Isoka to Muyombe and we added 93 km. We are now working on 103 km from Mulekatembo to connect Chama. However, we will not end there. This is where we are going …

Dr Chituwo: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Deputy Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Interruptions

Mr Deputy Speaker: The hon. Deputy Minister is answering and I am supposed to allow him to finish.

Brig-Gen. Dr Chituwo:  Mr Speaker, this is a very important point of order.

Mr Deputy Speaker: Let the hon. Minister finish, Hon. Brig-Gen. Chituwo. I will give you the chance to raise your point of order.

Mr Mwimba H. Malama: Mr Speaker, even that doctor who wants to raise a point of order …

Laughter

Mr Deputy Speaker: Order! 

Please, hon. Minister, do not incite the situation because you do not know what point of order he was about to raise. I have protected you and will let you finish. So, do not engage in gymnastics.

Mr Mwimba H. Malama: Mr Speaker, let me quickly conclude by stating what the PF Government has added to what was started by the MMD. 

Sir, we are working on a 103 km stretch from Mulekatembo going to Chama. However, there is quite some distance from where the road will end to Chama. Currently, the hon. Members of Parliament from Chama can bear me witness. There is a contractor who is working on the Muyombe/Chama Junction to link it to the stretches that I have mentioned. However, we will not end there. We are also seriously working on the Chama/Lundazi Road. These projects look like they are taking too long to be completed, but that is because we, in the PF, want to do a good job on them, unlike what the MMD did, which was to just pick the contractors and sent them to the sites just for them to start waiting for the designs. We want to do the right thing by, first of all, providing the designs, which are the actual plans for the roads. That is why, each time we come here, we indicate at which stage we are in the implementation of the projects. When we finish the designs, you will see the works starting. There is no way you can say that the country is bankrupt when we are embarking on these big projects that include the Monze/Niko Road, …

Mr Livune: Question!

Mr Mwimba H. Malama: … which the people have been crying for.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Phiri rose.

Mr Deputy Speaker: I had somebody at the back. I am not sure whether that was the hon. Member for Milanzi? You (pointing at the hon. Member for Milanzi) are the one there.

Laughter

Mr Deputy Speaker: Before I ask you to ask your question, let me allow Hon. Brig-Gen. Dr Chituwo to raise his point of order.

Hon. Government Members: Point of order on who?

Mr Phiri resumed his seat.

Brig-Gen. Dr Chituwo: Sir, is the hon. Minister in order to deliberately injure our auditory nerves by shouting so loudly that we may soon become deaf? Is he in order to deliberately do that, including to my beloved Mr Speaker? This is a health issue.

Sir, I need your serious ruling.

Mr Deputy Speaker: Maybe, that is his style of debating. 

Hon. Member for Mkaika, you may continue.

Mr Phiri (Mkaika): Mr Speaker, which phase are these roads in?

Mr Mwimba H. Malama: Mr Speaker, they are in Phase I.

I thank you, Sir.

TRADING IN INCOMPLETE SHOPPING MALLS

130. Mr Ng’onga (Kaputa) asked the Minister of Local Government and Housing:

(a)    whether traders were allowed to conduct their business operations at shopping malls that were still under construction; and

(b)    what measures were taken to protect the lives of the shopping public at such premises.

The Deputy Minister of Local Government and Housing (Mr N. Banda): Mr Speaker, traders are allowed to commence their business operations at shopping malls that are still under construction if permission to occupy a portion of the building has been granted by the local authority, as stipulated under the Public Health Act, Building Regulations, Section 15, which states: 

“where a local authority is satisfied that it is not unreasonable to occupy a portion of any building before the completion of the whole building, and, where available, a medical officer of health agrees to such occupation, the local authority may authorise the granting of a certificate for the occupation of such portion only.”

Sir, the council should ensure that the provisions of the partial occupancy licence are complied with by the developer through regular monitoring and inspections.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

POOR PUPIL PERFORMANCE IN KALABO DISTRICT

131. Mr Miyutu (Kalabo Central) asked the Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education:

(a)    what the causes of the poor performance by Grade 12 pupils at Kalabo and Lukona secondary schools in Kalabo District were; and

(b)    what the teacher-pupil ratio at the two schools was.

The Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education (Mr P. Ngoma): Mr Speaker, in responding to Hon. Miyuti’s question the Government has noted the poor performance recorded at Kalabo and Lukona secondary schools in Kalabo District in the Grade 12 Examinations. The ministry, through the district education authorities has taken measures to address the situation. The Provincial Education Officer (PEO) is also closely monitoring the administrations for the two schools so as to ensure that the performance of learners is improved.

Sir, the teacher-pupil ratio for Kalabo High School is 1:26 while, at Lukona High School, it is 1:34.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Miyutu: Mr Speaker, firstly, I would like to correct the hon. Minister that the questioner is not Miyuti, but Miyutu. That done, I would like to say that the ministry is aware of the state of the buildings at Kalabo Secondary School because the Deputy Minister, Hon. Mabumba, visited the school. He is aware of how dilapidated the infrastructure is. Although the Government, …

Mr Deputy Speaker: Order!

I have always advised you, hon. Members, to make your prefaces, …

Mr Miyutu: … has not taken, …

Mr Deputy Speaker: Order!

Your prefaces are too long. Could you, please, ask your question. If you have to preface, make the preface brief and ask your question.

Mr Miyutu: Sir, after acknowledging the poor performance at the two schools, I have not heard the hon. Minister state clearly what measures the District Education Board Secretary (DEBS) and the Provincial Education Officer (PEO) have taken to prevent a repeat of the situation.

Mr P. Ngoma: Mr Speaker, the questioner was talking about poor performance at the schools. However, his follow-up question is about infrastructure. Nevertheless, I wish to tell him that the PF Government is doing everything possible to correct that situation and raise the standard of infrastructure at the school. I mentioned earlier that the DEBS and PEO are monitoring the situation in the two schools so that the performance improves.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Pande (Kasempa): Mr Speaker, I think that the hon. Deputy Minister just went straight to …

Mr Miyutu: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Deputy Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Mr Miyutu: Mr Speaker, part (a) of the question is very clearly about what the causes of the poor performance by Grade 12 pupils at Kalabo and Lukona secondary schools in Kalabo District were. That question has not been precisely answered by the hon. Minister because there is no part in his answer that relates to that part of the question. So, is he in order to give answers that are not related to the question at hand and leave the question unanswered? 

I need your serious ruling, Sir.

Mr Deputy Speaker: You are asking me to make a ruling on that point of order when advice has repeatedly been given that if you are not satisfied with the answer given, you can ask another hon. Member to ask a follow-up question on your behalf. Even though we have to keep saying the same things, we will not tire in giving advice. You should have asked somebody to assist you.

Mr Pande: Mr Speaker, Hon. Miyutu is actually pre-empting my question to the hon. Minister. I was saying that the hon. Minister just went straight to talking about the measures being put in place to correct the situation when the question was also on the causes. So, what are the causes of the poor performance at the two schools? 

Mr Deputy Speaker: You see? That is how to go about it.

Laughter 

The Minister of Education, Science, Education, Vocational Training and Early Education (Dr Phiri): Mr Speaker, there is no single cause, for the poor performance at Lukona and Kalabo secondary schools. There are a number of factors, one of which has been mentioned by Hon. Miyutu, which is the fact that Kalabo Secondary School is very old and in a very poor state. The other causes are staffing levels, inadequate learning and teaching materials and inadequate numbers of appropriately qualified teachers. I am grateful that Hon. Miyutu asked this question because it gives us an opportunity to provoke the provincial and district leadership to focus on the two schools. We have asked them to tell us how they intend to improve the performance of the pupils at those schools and we are getting very good feedback from both the province and the district that something tangible is being done. For example, for the first time, the leadership in the area has thrown the spotlight on the administrations of the two schools and implored them to come up with strategic plans, which they have done. I hope that, this year, the results of the examinations that have just started will indicate that the measures that the provincial and district leadership have effected are bearing fruit.

Thank you, Sir.

Mr Lubinda (Kabwata): Mr Speaker, the length of contact between teachers and pupils has a heavy impact on the performance of the latter. In the answer to Hon. Miyutu’s question, we were told that the teacher/pupil ratio at both Kalabo and Lukona secondary schools is lower than the national average, yet the performance is still poor. What could this be attributed to? Could it be that the teachers are not well qualified or they are not putting in the time that they ought to? Could the hon. Minister, who is intimidating me, please, kindly clarify this serious anomaly.

Dr Phiri: There will be no school for Mahopo.

Laughter 

Dr Phiri: Mr Speaker, Hon. Lubinda has done very well to bring up that point, but I think that the answer is in my earlier explanation that there are a number of factors that one must consider before attributing the low performance at the schools to any single factor. There is a combination of all sorts of factors at play, such as the administration of the school. The teacher/pupil ratio of 1:20 is definitely favourable. It is far below the national average, but what actually happens when the teacher is in contact with the pupils is something that we have asked the school administrations to assess and try to strengthen. We will monitor the situation through our provincial and district offices and see whether we can make a difference.

I thank you, Sir.

Dr Musokotwane (Liuwa): Sir, our children go to Kalabo Secondary School because there is no high school in Liuwa, hence our concern. When most of the people sitting here went to secondary school, they were taken care of by the Government and did not have to pay large sums of money in school fees. Today, the opposite is the reality. Secondary school children need as much as K1,000 to sustain themselves in school, but most parents in Kalabo and Liuwa cannot afford this because they live under difficult circumstances. Would the hon. Minister, therefore, not agree that the major reason for this poor performance is that the Government charges onerous school fees, which over-burden the children, leaving them in very difficult living conditions? By the way, in the past, Kalabo produced intellectuals but, now, as you can see, we are suffering.

Dr Phiri: Mr Speaker, what the hon. Member of Parliament for Liuwa is advancing concerning high school fees and the performance of pupils has no real positive correlation to what we are discussing. The pupils who have managed to pay the colossal amounts are in school, but their performance is poor. One would have thought that, after paying so much, they would perform better, but that is not the case. If school fees are another factor responsible for the poor results, that needs to be looked into. In fact, we have already started doing that by asking our Provincial Education Officers (PEOs) countrywide to review the school fees that are being charged. However, in the case of Kalabo and Lukona secondary schools, the major problem is besides the fees because we are talking about children who are already in schools. By the way, there are 1,437 and 574 children at Kalabo and Lukona secondary schools, respectively. The question is: Why are they not performing well? They have spent so much to get into school, but their results are poor at a school that the hon. Member of Parliament for Liuwa says produced geniuses in the past. What has happened? That is what we are focusing on to help the schools perform better, and I hope we will be successful in that regard.

Thank you, Sir.

Mr Miyanda (Mapatizya): Mr Speaker, the pupil-teacher ratio of 1:26 at Kalabo High School is very good. Does the hon. Minister not think that the heavy presence of police officers during the 2013 Grade 12 Examinations at the school could have contributed to its poor performance?

Dr Phiri: Mr Speaker, even without conducting any serious research, I would comfortably say that this year’s performance will be judged against last year’s to determine whether the police presence was a factor at all. 

Laughter

Dr Phiri: Let us wait and see whether there will be a difference, this time around.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Habeenzu (Chikankata): Mr Speaker, in relation to Question 131 (a), some pupils are slow learners. Would the hon. Minister not consider bringing back extra lessons so they pupils can be helped?

Dr Phiri: Mr Speaker, I am glad that the hon. Member has brought out that issue. 

Sir, during the World Teachers’ Day commemoration yesterday, I said that nobody had banned extra lessons. In fact, it is an obligation of every good and professional teacher to help those who lag behind. However, in giving that help, teachers should not ask for money.

Interruptions

Dr Phiri: That has been made very clear, and the majority of our teachers have accepted that responsibility. I even gave the Biblical example of the shepherd who went out with 100 sheep but, later, came back and discovered one of them missing. What did the good shepherd do? He went back to the forest to look for and redeem the lost sheep. Similarly, for teachers, let them find in their hearts that spirit of helping children who fail to cope with lessons and consider giving extra tuition only for the purpose of helping the children, not accumulating monetary gain.

 Thank you, Sir.

Dr Kaingu: Mr Speaker, the teacher-pupil ratio in the schools is very impressive. Could it be that the ratio is very good because the pupils do not attend classes regularly?

Dr Phiri: Mr Speaker, Kalabo Secondary School has 1,437 pupils from Grades 8 to 12, skipping Grade 9 for which the school does not have an intake this year, while Lukona Secondary School has 574 pupils, and all the pupils at both schools attend classes regularly. Kalabo Secondary School has fifty-two teachers, fourteen of them being university degree-holders while thirty-eight have diplomas. At Lukona Secondary School, which is relatively new, there are three degree-holders and fourteen diploma-holders, making a total of seventeen teachers. So, the question of absenteeism does not arise, and I hope it never does.

I thank you Sir.

Mr Shakafuswa (Katuba): Mr Speaker, the issue of pupils being asked to spend money, like the K 1,000 that has been mentioned here is just too much for rural dwellers. So, if the ministry does not give the schools grants or other forms of assistance, which it is supposed to be doing, does the hon. Minister not think that the teachers, for them to survive, will continue to force pupils to be out of school for some time, maybe, just excusing them to go back into school just to write examinations, resulting in the pupils’ poor performance?

Dr Phiri: Mr Speaker, although this is way away from what we are discussing, let me state that, at Kalabo Secondary School, that problem has not arisen yet, but it is worth investigating. We have not been given any indication at all that the pupils are sent back to their villages to look for money, resulting in their not spending much time in school. We hope that that is not the case but, if it is, we can stop it. 

 I thank you.

CONSTRUCTION OF LOCAL COURT AT MAWILO

Mr Antonio (Kaoma Central) asked the Minister of Justice:

(a)    when a local court would be built at Mawilo in Nkeyema District, considering that the District already has a local court officer; and

(b)    when the Kalumwange Local Court in Lalafuta Ward would be rehabilitated.

The Deputy Minister of Justice (Mr Mukata): Mr Speaker, this local court has been proposed for construction in 2016.

Sir, the rehabilitation of Kalumwange Local Court is already lined up. Funds permitting, the woks will be undertaken next year after the Budget has been approved.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Antonio: Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister says that the local court will be constructed in 2016. Does the Government want to use the project as a campaign tool or is it genuinely interested in constructing the court?

Mr Mukata: Mr Speaker, I do not know why 2016 invokes shivers in some people.

Laughter

Mr Mukata: It is just a coincidence that we will be building the court in 2016. We could not build it earlier because there are a number of local courts that are currently under construction.

Mr Mwimba H. Malama: Yes!

Mr Mukata: The Litoya Local Court in Kaoma, for instance, is at roof level. In November, 2011, we also handed over two local courts. There are three other local courts we plan to build besides the one in question. The three are Kaoma, Chitwa and Mangango, which is in his ward. The challenge is that of financial constraints because there other districts in the country that are as much in need of local courts as the hon. Member’s district.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mbewe: Mr Speaker, most people in the rural areas hold their court sessions under trees. Does the Governments intend to build local courts in all the districts in the country? If it does, how long will that take?

Mr Mukata: Mr Speaker, since 2012, the Government has embarked on the construction of around 110 local courts across the country. Obviously, the limiting factor is lack of funding. Suffice it for me to say that, definitely, those local courts will be built because the projects were already approved. Others are still being submitted for approval, but I can assure you that that is a programme that has been prioritised for our people in our quest to decentralise even judicial services. We will roll out the programme and you will have a local court.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Sianga (Sesheke): Mr Speaker, how much money does the Government intend to spend on the Kalumwange Local Court, considering that it collapsed in 2010?

Mr Mukata: Mr Speaker, it is around K1.5 million.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Pande: Mr Speaker, I know that the question was on local courts, and I must appreciate that my constituency is one of those that benefited, some years back, from the construction of courts. However, is there any programme for the construction of Magistrate Courts?

Mr Mukata: Mr Speaker, the question was specific to local courts. However, yes, there is a programme to construct Magistrate Courts. As we all know, some new districts have been created all of which will require Magistrate Courts.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.    

Dr Musokotwane: Mr Speaker, is the hon. Minister aware that even though he is talking about constructing local courts, the reality on the ground is that the justice system is crumbling? For a poor person to summon someone to court, …

Mr Mweetwa: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Deputy Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Mr Mweetwa: Mr Speaker, I thank you for giving me the opportunity to rise on what I consider a very serious point of order that borders on the Constitution and is heavily entrenched in national interest.

Sir, on 25th March, 2014, you constituted a Select Committee to scrutinise the Presidential appointments of Hon. Madam Justice Roydah Mwanakulya Chinungi Kaoma and Mr Mumba Malila, SC., to serve as Supreme Court Judges, and Hon. Judge Mwamba Chanda, Mr Lishomwa Nawa Muka, Ms Yvonne Chembe and Mrs Mwila Chibwe Kombe to serve as High Court judges. Accordingly, your Committee went through the relevant processes and, on Wednesday, 18th June, 2014, reported to this House. I quote the report:

“The Select Committee resolved that this House do adopt the Report of the Parliamentary Select Committee appointed to scrutinise the Presidential appointment of Justice Roydah Mwanakulya Chinungi Kaoma and Mr Mumba Malila, SC., to serve as Supreme Court Judges, and Hon. Judge Mwamba Chanda, Mr Lishomwa Nawa Muka, Miss Yvonne Chembe and Mrs Mwila Chibwe Kombe to serve as High Court judges for the Third Session of the Eleventh National Assembly, laid on the Table of the House on 10th June, 2014.”

Sir, the Select Committee Chairperson was Hon. Simbao and the process was pursuant to Article 95 of the Republican Constitution on appointment of Puisne Judges, which provides that:

“The Puisne Judges shall, subject to ratification by the National Assembly, be appointed by the President on the advice of the Judicial Service Commission.

Sir, these processes were dully followed through. Let me also quote the Official Oaths Act, Cap. 5 of the Laws of Zambia, Section 5:  

“The Chief Justice, the Deputy Chief Justice and Judges of the Supreme Court, a Puisne Judge or a Commissioner of the High Court shall not enter upon the duties of his office unless he has taken and subscribed the Oath of Allegiance as set out in the Sixth Schedule, and the Judicial Oath as set out in the Fifth Schedule, and both oaths shall be administered by and subscribed before the President.”

Sir, the two Supreme Court judges referred to herein have been sworn in, but the High Court Judges have not been sworn in to this date. At a time when we have a backlog of cases in the courts that take years, this country has the luxury of ratifying, but not swearing in judges.

Sir, is the Leader of Government Business in the House in order to remain quiet and not tell the nation and this House why the judges that this House laboured to ratify cannot be sworn in for them to take up their positions? I am raising this point of order in furtherance of our duty as a House to provide permissible, but limited interference into the Executive so that we provide checks and balances on each other. 

Sir, I need your serious ruling.

Mr Deputy Speaker: Well, I am made to understand that the appointing authority has been advised and the swearing in will be done soon. However, I think that the hon. Minister responsible can come and answer a filed question. So, file in a question.

Hon. Opposition Members: Aah!

Mr Deputy Speaker: Did you expect me to answer that? You are saying, “Aah”. I do not know the answer.

Laughter

Mr Deputy Speaker: Let him file in a question so that the hon. Minister can answer.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Deputy Speaker: Hon. Dr Musokotwane, you may continue.

Hon. Member: He is very honest.

Dr Musokotwane: Mr Speaker, before I was interrupted, I was saying that even if the hon. Minister is talking about constructing courts, the justice system in the rural areas is crumbling. For the poor who are aggrieved to have summons served on the person they are complaining against, they must pay money.

Mr Deputy Speaker: Hon. Member for Liuwa, I always advise against long prefaces. Are you able to get to your supplementary question?

Dr Musokotwane: Is the hon. Minister satisfied that the mere construction of courts, instead of addressing the inherent deficiencies in the justice system, will address the major issues ravaging the system at the local court level in the country?

Mr Mukata: Mr Speaker, the problem of infrastructure at the local court level is, but one facet of the challenges that the Judiciary is faced with. There are also issues of low staffing levels, which we were addressing only the other day. There are also issues of the lack of furniture, the long distances and the lack of vehicles, to name, but a few, and there are co-ordinated efforts to deal with these challenges. These problems are historical. Like I said in response to one of the questions, the cumulative dilapidation and lack of staff is a result of people neglecting the local courts over time. However, there is really no need to lump the blame on anybody. The issue is what we are doing about the situation, and I am saying that there are co-ordinated efforts to build infrastructure, train magistrates and buy furniture. Even the road infrastructure that we are improving will improve access to the courts.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

CONSTRUCTION OF NAKONDE SECONDARY SCHOOL

133. Sichula (Nakonde) asked the Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education:

(a)    when the construction of Nakonde Secondary School would be completed;

(b)    what the total cost of the project was;

(c)    how much money had been spent on the project, as of 30th June, 2014;

(d)    what the time frame for completion of the project was; and 

(e)    when the school would be renamed Donald Siwale Secondary School.

Mr P. Ngoma: Mr Speaker, the construction of Nakonde Secondary School is planned to be completed in 2015.

Sir, the contract sum for the construction of Nakonde Secondary school is K17,675,290.

Mr Speaker, K8,921,587 had been paid by 5th May, 2014.

Mr Speaker, the initial completion date was December, 2013, but it has been revised to 2015 because the contractor slowed down the works due to delayed payment of claims by the ministry. However, the ministry recently paid the contractor and changed the original design to include the construction of boarding facilities. The contractor is now on site.

Mr Speaker, there are no immediate plans to rename the school Donald Siwale Secondary School. The change of names can only be done when the contractor completes the works and hands over the school to the ministry. It is not possible to change the name now because all documentation on the school bears its current name.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mweetwa (Choma Central): Mr Speaker, in answering part (a) of the question, the hon. Deputy Minister gave the date of completion as 2015. My question is: When, in 2015, will the school be completed? Also, why should we believe him given that he cannot be relied upon? An example I can give is that of Batoka High School. The hon. Minister visited the school and made personal commitments towards its completion, including simple electrification, which he said would be done two weeks after his visit.

Mr Deputy Speaker: What is your question, hon. Member? 

Mr Mweetwa: Mr Speaker, the question is: Why should we believe the answers coming from that Patriotic Front (PF) Government when it is known to be unreliable?

Hon. Government Members: Question!

Dr Phiri: Sir, the levels of arrogance in the House should be checked. Otherwise, we can also ask a question like: Why should you ask questions to people you think are not responsive?

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Phiri: Mr Speaker, please, note that there are no two projects that are the same. Therefore, the Batoka High School Project should not be equated to the Nakonde Secondary School Project. Let us begin working together because the schools are meant for the children of Zambia. They are not Patriotic Front (PF) or United Party for National Development (UPND) projects. Let us work in such a manner that when the projects have been completed, they will be celebrated by both the Executive and the hon. Members for the respective constituencies.

Sir, on the question about Nakonde Secondary School, the hon. Deputy Minister made it very clear that we had to review the dates because of the funding constraints that the ministry has faced. Now that we have funded the contractor and the contractor has gone on site, it gives us a lot of hope that the project will be completed by 2015. In fact, the project completion date was only shifted to 2015 because the traditional rulers petitioned State House that the school is located in a very isolated area with no other schools surrounding it. Therefore, they thought that making it a day school would make it a white elephant. We agreed with them, and we have added boarding facilities, which the contractor has also agreed to add to the project. We hope that the funding that is now available and the enthusiasm of the contractor will enable us to complete the project in 2015.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

CONSTRUCTION OF TOKA TOKA HEALTH POST

135. Mr Mpundu (Nchelenge) asked the Minister of Community Development, Mother and Child Health when the construction of Toka Toka Health Post in Nchelenge Parliamentary Constituency would be completed.

The Deputy Minister of Community Development, Mother and Child Health (Mrs Mphande): Mr Speaker, the construction of Toka Toka Health Post in Nchelenge Parliamentary Constituency will be completed by December, 2014. 

I thank you, Sir.

CONSTRUCTION OF LUNSEMFWA RIVER BRIDGE

136. Mr Chipungu (Rufunsa) asked the Minister of Transport, Works, Supply and Communication:

(a)    when a bridge across Lunsemfwa River connecting the Chiefdoms of Shikabeta and Mbosha would be constructed; and 

(b)    what the estimated cost of the project was.

Mr Mwimba H. Malama: Mr Speaker, the Road Development Agency (RDA) has engaged Messrs Roughton International for the design, construction and supervision of the Lunsemfwa and Chipaba bridges in Old Mkushi at a combined contract sum of K5,693,309. The contract was signed on 12th August, 2013, and is expected to be completed in October, 2014. The construction of a bridge across the Lunsemfwa River, which connects the Chiefdoms of Shikabeta and Mbosha in Rufunsa Parliamentary Constituency is expected to commence in the second quarter of 2015 after the conclusion of the procurement process. 

Mr Speaker, the estimated cost of constructing will be established following the completion of the detailed engineering designs.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Chipungu: Mr Speaker, where will the bridge be positioned? I ask this question because …

Mr Deputy Speaker: Hon. Member for Rufunsa, I think that you have asked the question. Hon. Minister, may we have the answer to that question. 

Mr Mwimba H. Malama: Mr Speaker, the hon. Member asked where the bridge will be positioned. That is difficult for me to answer because I am also trying to find out exactly where it will be. I am, however, sure that it will be between Chief Shikabeta’s and Chief Mbosha’s chiefdoms and across the Lunsemfwa River. Furthermore, if the hon. Member is wondering what type of bridge it will be, I am not in a position to say because we are still waiting for the designs, which we will have this month. 

I thank you, Sir, but, if the hon. Member is not clear, ...

Mr Deputy Speaker: Order!

You have answered the question adequately. Next question.

CONSTRUCTION OF SESHEKE ONE-STOP BORDER POST

137. Mr Sianga asked the Minister of Home Affairs: 

(a)    when construction works at the Sesheke One-Stop Border Post would be completed; and

(b)    when staff houses would be constructed. 

The Deputy Minister of Home Affairs (Mr Kampyongo): Mr Speaker, the new one-stop border post at Katima Mulilo was completed and officially opened on 17th June, 2013. 

Mr Speaker, fourteen staff houses have been constructed and allocated to the Immigration Department, Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA), Zambia Police, Office of the President, Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) and Ministry of Transport, Works, Supply and Communication.  

I thank you, Sir. 

Mr Deputy Speaker: Part (b) of the question was on when staff houses would be constructed, but you have not talked about the houses. 

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, the houses have already been constructed. 

Mr Deputy Speaker: I see. 

Mr Kampyongo: That is the response to part (b) of the question. 

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Sianga: Mr Speaker, in 2012, we approved monies for the construction of a wall fence for the border post but, to date, nothing has happened. When will the fencing commence?

Mr Deputy Speaker: Hon. Minister, you may respond if you have a bonus answer. The question was on staff houses, but the hon. Member is asking about a wall fence.

Laughter 

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, the hon. Member may wish to know that these construction works are being funded by the Ministry of Finance. That is, therefore, the ministry that is in a position to respond to that specific question.

I thank you, Sir.

______ 

MOTION

MOTION OF THANKS

(Debate resumed)

Mr Shakafuswa (Katuba): Mr Speaker, when the House adjourned on Friday, 3rd October, 2014, I was talking about the rampant questionable decisions being made by this Government in relation to mining activities. 

Mr Speaker, before any mining activity is undertaken, the Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) has to be satisfied that it will not negatively affect the environment. The Mines and Minerals Development Act, 2008, clearly stipulates that mining development cannot go ahead if the surface rights holder has not given approval. The ZEMA stopped Non-Ferrous Corporation Africa Mining Plc from going ahead with the mining development because it did not meet the conditions that it was given to meet.  

Mr Speaker, the Ministry of Lands, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection did its part and stopped the mining activity. However, that decision was over-ridden by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry. I do not know whether the second decision came from State House but, today, we are talking about a shortage of poultry products in the country because of a wrong decision by this Government. This was a wrong and corrupt decision. So, who - and I will be very frank with you - ‘ate’ or pocketed the money?

Laughter 

Mr Shakafuswa: Someone has to be held accountable. We should not make decisions that affect Zambians negatively all because we want to line our pockets. It is very wrong.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, Hear!

Mr Shakafuswa: Mr Speaker, I am still on agriculture and I would like to put on record one issue. South Africa and Kenya are dumping their goods in Zambia. 

Loud conversations were heard in the lobbies.

Mr Deputy Speaker: Order!

Hon. Member for Katuba, please, pause for a moment. I think that our security officers have to do something about the people we advised to go and consult in the corridors. 

Mr Chishimba: It is Hon. Mwila.

Mr Deputy Speaker: I am hearing a lot of noise, which is affecting the debates in the House. Can we advise those people in the corridors to consult in a manner that will not interfere with the business of the House. 

The Deputy Sergeant-At-Arms left the Assembly Chamber.

Mr Deputy Speaker: Hon. Member for Katuba, you may continue. 

Mr Shakafuswa: Mr Speaker, we are failing to develop our local industries because of major competitors as a result of our membership in the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Zambia has become a dumping ground because of the COMESA/SADC protocols that we have signed. 

Interruptions

Mr Deputy Speaker: Order, on my right!

Mr Shakafuswa: Mr Speaker, Zambia has major industries that produce edible oils. Today, however, the South Africans have come on the market and offloaded a product called D’lite, which is a derivative of palm oil, which South Africa does not even grow. Every shop is selling D’lite. There is also a farm in Chongwe that grows grapes of an international standard. If you recall, hon. Members of Parliament were given the grapes to taste. Unfortunately, those locally-grown grapes cannot all be consumed on the Zambian market because it is very small and there is a lack of an export market. Today, the South Africans are refusing to import our grapes preferring, instead, to buy grapes from Brazil and Spain. Why should we sell their cooking oil or any other product here in Zambia when our infant industries are failing to grow and compete? South Africans already have a mature economy while ours is still in its infancy. Why should we allow them to make our country a dumping ground because of the COMESA/SADC treaties we signed? We are failing to penetrate their market and this has to be looked at very seriously. 

Mr Speaker, let me also talk about mining in Zambia.

Hon. UPND Member: Kotalika.

Interruptions

Mr Shakafuswa: Mr Speaker, we need to move out of this shell and get rid of the cartels in the mining industry.

Sir, Zambia pegs the price of its copper to the London Metal Exchange (LME) price, which is lowest price to be quoted and is fixed at the October Dinner and quoted throughout the year. The price of a metric tonne of copper in China is US $14,000 while, in Korea and Australia, it is about US $20,000. However, the mines here are paying us tax for copper based on the LME price. They also use transfer pricing whereby all the benefits are accruing to companies in Switzerland that do not have any mines. That is where the mining companies are taking all their profits.

Mr Speaker, we are not accounting for our cobalt, uranium … 

Mr Mweetwa: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Deputy Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Mr Mweetwa: Mr Speaker, I thank you for allowing me to rise on another point of order which I fervently believe is critically important to national interest. Allow me to use the principle of taking judicial notice to state that the matter I am raising is in the public domain through the media.

Sir, of late, there has been a raging and persistent debate in the media about Rule 18 of the Value Added Tax (VAT) Act relating to refunds to the mines. There have also been allegations that the hon. Minister of Finance desired to alter the rule in order to benefit himself. Even in today’s 1300 hours news on Radio Phoenix, it was reported that Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) is trying to exonerate itself over this matter. 

Mr Speaker, is the hon. Minister of Finance in order to remain quiet and not address this House and the nation on what is happening? Are there challenges with Rule 18 or with refunding the mines or are there are some interests that are being served? Is he in order to leave this debate to speculation, which has now reached its zenith? 

I need your serious ruling, Sir.

Mr Deputy Speaker: File in a question.

Laughter 

Mr Shakafuswa: Mr Speaker, If you went to Chambishi Mine, you would see that the company is smelting our copper to blisters and selling it for between US $4,500 and US $5,500 per tonne. This blister contains copper, cobalt and gold, which are being taken outside for processing. The company is making a lot of money out of our wealth. How can we allow such a situation? To add to the point of order, why should we be in a hurry to refund people who are using cartels to steal our wealth? In order for our economy to run, we need to manage our resources diligently. 

Sir, I urge the hon. Minister of Finance to be very strong when pursuing people who owe the Treasury money. We want our money. Those people want to blackmail you because you are doing the right thing. Get the money that is owed to the Development Bank of Zambia (DBZ) and the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA). They should not blackmail the Government because they owe money and think you should do away with their debt because they supported you. They should not use such cheap tricks to blackmail you.

Mr Lubinda: Who are they?

Mr Shakafuswa: You know them. They should not blackmail you, hon. Minister. They can send other reporters from The Post with tape recorders if they want. Tell them that we want our money.

Laughter 

Mr Shakafuswa: Mr Speaker, Barrick Gold in Zambia has bought Lumwana Mines. However, it did not do so for the copper, but for gold. How are we accounting for our gold? Are you sure the ZRA officers who we have stationed at these mines have the technical know-how of the composition of what is going out of the country in order for us to maximise our earnings from the copper industry? 

Sir, we have trained Zambians who built the mines and their refineries. Let us use them to get the best out of Zambia. Why should we be talking about a lack of funds and postpone funding of projects when our land has many resources which God has given us? 

Hon. Opposition Member: It is not fair!

Mr Shakafuswa: No, it is not fair. The best thing we can do is wake up and realise that Zambia is very rich. I used to like what Dr Levy Mwanawasa, SC., used to say, which is that if we are not ready to make money out of our mines, we should shut them and leave them so that the children of our children find resources there and use them effectively for their well-being. Currently, we are not using the resources that God has given us to the advantage of Zambians. We are making other people rich at our expense, and that is very wrong.

With those words, I thank you, Sir.

Mr Deputy Speaker: Last time, we advised that a time would come for the Front Bench to begin their debates. Today is Tuesday and we only have tomorrow and Thursday to complete this debate. However, this is when hon. Members from the Back Bench are indicating to speak. I have a problem with that. I will only allow one more Back Bencher to speak before I go to the Executive. For the sake of the ladies, I will choose the hon. Member of Parliament for Chongwe.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mrs Masebo (Chongwe): Mr Speaker, I thank you for giving me this opportunity to add my voice to the debate on His Excellency the President’s Speech at the Official Opening of the Fourth Session of the Eleventh National Assembly. I note that time is not with us. Therefore, I will go straight to the themes of my debate. I had eight themes, but I will limit them to four so that, maybe, you can squeeze in another speaker.

Mr Lubinda: Hear, hear!

Mrs Masebo: Especially the hon. Member of Parliament for Kabwata.

Laughter 

Mr Deputy Speaker: Order! 

A decision has already been made. Do not begin to campaign for the hon. Member for Kabwata. 

Mr Lubinda: Aah!

Laughter

Mrs Masebo: Mr Speaker, from the outset, I would like to commend his Excellency, President Michael Chilufya Sata, for a very well-articulated statement. I say so knowing that a number of hon. Members on your left and others think that this is one of the worst Speeches since 1964. However, I want to submit that, in fact, it is one of the best, and I will justify it.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mrs Masebo: Mr Speaker, if you go through the Speech and compare it with the last two, you will see that it is one of the best because it has been consistent. It shows the inputs and outputs of the work of the Patriotic Front (PF) in the last year. To that extent, I am quite satisfied that this is a good Speech.

Mr Speaker, I think that the PF Government has worked very hard to take development to Chongwe Constituency. In terms of the road network, we have the best roads being constructed in Chongwe. For example, the Leopards Hill Road, which goes to Chiawa, and the Chiawa Bridge were constructed. In terms of workmanship, the Leopards Hill Road is the best I have seen in the last fifteen years. 

Sir, in terms of social development, we have schools and universities that are being built or upgraded within Chongwe Constituency. I have even heard some of my colleagues complain on the Floor about my constituency having two universities. Maybe, they are right to complain but, as an hon. Member of Parliament for Chongwe, I would be considered a confused person if I did that. People say that those who do not appreciate …

Interruptions

Mrs Masebo: The Bembas say that mwana wa …

Hon. Members: Ushitasha mwana wandoshi!

Laughter

Mrs Masebo: Sir, I think they have said it and I cannot repeat after them because I do not know how to say it. This means that I must be thankful. I want to say that the people of Chongwe are thankful to the President and the PF Government for the various development projects implemented in a very short time.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mrs Masebo: Mr Speaker, as a Member of Parliament, I am very satisfied because there is nobody who can say that Hon. Masebo has not done anything. They will be lying. You will see my name all over because of the PF Government.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mrs Masebo: Sir, I inaugurate schools, clinics and cakuti cakuti everyday.

Laughter

Mr Deputy Speaker: What does ‘cakuti cakuti’ mean? 

Mrs Masebo: Mr Speaker, it means, “This and that”. There are so many things that I cannot even explain. These are the good things in terms of the development that is taking place in Chongwe. 

Sir, my chieftainess speaks her mind and, when something is good, she will tell you and appreciate it. On behalf of the people of Chongwe, I want to join my chieftainess in thanking the PF Government. At least, by the time I leave Chongwe, I will be proud to say that I have done something for the people there. I will know that I am leaving a real legacy in Chongwe Constituency. Even those who would want to stand against me will have to think twice. 

Laughter

Mrs Masebo: Mr Speaker, on Page 3 of the President’s Speech, His Excellency says: 

“That said, allow me to convey my congratulations to the seven newly-elected Members of Parliament.”

Sir, he went further on to say:

“Sadly, some of these by-elections were characterised by incidences of violence. Once again, I strongly condemn violence during elections because it is a danger to our democracy.”

Mr Speaker, as a mother, I am getting worried about violence, especially during this time when the PF is running the Government and we are celebrating fifty years of peace and stability in this country. I think that it is our fault, as hon. Members of Parliament, especially those on your right. I say so because we are the ones who are driving this country now. If you have violence during a by-election or riots when you are running a country, the indictment is on you. The people will say, “During the United National Independence Party (UNIP) and Mr Rupiah Banda’s time, we did not have this. How come we have it now?” We must stop this violence. 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mrs Masebo: Mr Speaker, our police force, today, is failing because its officers feel that they do not have enough support. The English say that, “Those who kill by the sword shall …

Interruptions

Mr Deputy Speaker: Please, help her.

Hon. Members: Shall die by the sword!

Mrs Masebo: …die by the sword”. This means that we must stop this violence. Otherwise, it will catch up with us. There will come a time when we will fail to go to our constituencies because people will want to beat us up. There will come a time when we will want to go to watch football and people will start throwing oranges in the pitch. This is because we are entertaining violence. I do not believe that all of us can fail to stop our own children from fighting.

Mr Deputy Speaker: Order!

Business was suspended from 1615 hours until 1630 hours.

[MR DEPUTY SPEAKER in the Chair]

Mrs Masebo: Mr Speaker, before business was suspended, I was saying that all of us need to condemn violence. As His Excellency has guided, we need to desist from using our youths as tools of violence because, as leaders, this will catch up with us one day. I participated in the last by-election in Mangango Parliamentary Constituency. What was saddening was that some of our own colleagues who belong to this House, your dignified Members, who are called hon. Members of Parliament, were engaging themselves in violence. I want to say that we must all be very careful because what we are doing will manifest in 2016. We must take the necessary steps to make elections free and fair.

Sir, I heard people say that there was rigging in Mangango. If they are saying that, then it means that I was rigging. So, I want to say that there was no rigging in Mangango. We were just articulating what the President and his party have done in terms of development. I think that it is important that, sometimes, when we lose, we should be good losers and when we win, we should be good winners. As far as the issue of violence is concerned, I want to say that this is what is discouraging women from joining politics. Look at your House. It is a shame. How many women do you have in this House? Out of 158 hon. Members of Parliament, you have very few women. You are even finding it difficult to control this House because of having fewer women in it. When there are too many men …

Mr Deputy Speaker: Order!

Laughter

Mr Deputy Speaker: I do not concur with that view. We do not have difficulties in controlling the House. We are in full control. 

You may continue.

Mrs Masebo: Mr Speaker, I take note of that. 

Sir, a few days ago, we were in Chaminuka and there were only two women against fifteen men. The men could not even give us a chance to speak. They made sure they did not even appoint any of us to chair any of the sub-committees in that meeting. There is so much bias against women in the Legislature. I note that the President says that he has done a lot in terms of appointing women in the Civil Service and other sectors, but that does not apply to this House because, in this House, people are elected. So, I want to use this opportunity to speak to the Zambian people. You need to vote for more women in 2016 if you want a credible and balanced Parliament. 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mrs Masebo: Sir, we are seeing a lot of violence due to the large number of men. Since we will have elections very soon, we want to see more women in this House. 

Sir, I also want to commend all the women who made it to this House under very difficult conditions. You can see that they have already started attacking the female hon. Members of Parliament. That is what happens in this country. When it is a woman, there are so many stories against her, especially if she is good. Out of jealousy, they will start smearing all the negatives on a woman. Are your men in this House are holier than God?

Interruptions

Mrs Masebo: Sir, they are not, but they always want to talk about women. So, I just want to encourage the women to be strong and understand that that is how this country is. People have a fever when they see a powerful woman, and all the women who have been elected are powerful. I welcome them. Of course, I congratulate the men, too, and appeal to them to help the women. We are your mothers and sisters who want to work with you. Do not look at us as wives only.

Mr Chipungu: Tell them! 

Mrs Masebo: We are partners.

Mr Speaker, I was saying that the Speech was positive because I have noted that the PF Government has, in the last three years, scored positives on a number of key sectors that have helped to improve the living standards of our people, including introducing stability in our economy and the socio-political sphere. However, although that is correct, I still want to appeal to the Executive that we need to double our efforts because, when you go down on the ground to see the levels of poverty, you will find that the levels are still quite high. Even the 6 per cent positive economic growth that is being posted is not trickling down as much as it should. What we are seeing is that the rich are getting richer while the poor are getting poorer because of some of the things that are happening. Even with the Government pushing in so much money, for example, in agriculture, through the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP), the beneficiaries are not the poor whose livelihoods it is meant to improve. The middle class or even the rich are using other people to access the inputs for themselves. Therefore, we need to do a little more, as a Government, especially concerning the regulatory and implementation frameworks so that the vulnerable people access the Government’s inputs, which are well-intended, but face implementation challenges.

Mr Speaker, I also commend the Government for walking the talk on the issue of decentralisation.  We have all said that the biggest challenge that our local authorities face is that they have limited resources to implement their functions. His Excellency talked about giving more money to local governments. That is a positive move because we have been told that there will be what will be called an equalisation fund, which simply means that the Government will, in the next Budget, deliberately give more money to local authorities so that they can perform their functions. Hon. Minister of Finance, I hope that what the President said will be reflected in the Budget because if the increase from the previous Budget will be only K100 million for Chongwe, that will not enough.

Mr Chipungu: Hear, hear!

Mrs Masebo: We expect adequate amounts which can make a real change for our people. Therefore, I think that the intentions are very good and we are making progress. However, I also want to connect local government to the problem of land. I note that His Excellency talked about coming up with a Bill on customary land so that people, especially the poor, can access the land and improve their living standards.

Mr Speaker, I have a big problem with the issue of land in Chongwe, and I thank my brother from Katuba for speaking about it which, I believe, was because he might be facing a similar problem because our constituencies are near Lusaka. There are people coming and infiltrating Chongwe to grab land from Zambians and claim that they are squatters. I want to say that there is no squatter in Chongwe. My colleagues, both from the right and the left, should listen to me very carefully because some shameless hon. Members are going to Chongwe to get land. Some of them have so much land, but are still greedy for more. I do not know what they want. 

Dr Kaingu: Hear, hear!

Mrs Masebo: Mr Speaker, they are displacing people and getting land from them. They have connections in the Ministry of Lands, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection and get title deeds for land on which poor people have lived for the last thirty years. Instead of that land being given to the poor people, it is being given to those who already have hundred other pieces of land. 

Mr Muntanga: Hear, hear!

Mrs Masebo: That is unfair.

Mr Chipungu: Hammer, hammer!

Mrs Masebo: Mr Speaker, let me warn them that, at the end of the day, they cannot be rich while their neighbour is poor and expect to be left in peace. 

Hon. Opposition Members: No!

Mrs Masebo: We are not against anybody coming to Chongwe to get land. 

Mr Chipungu: Not at all.

Mrs Masebo: However, they should do it properly.

Dr Kaingu: That is right.

Mrs Masebo: Mr Speaker, I appeal to the hon. Minister of Lands, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection to take things back to what they used to be. 

Mr Livune: Hear, hear!

Mrs Masebo: We cannot continue going to the Lands Tribunal to get answers. The laws are very clear. We have land agents, who are supposed to demarcate and recommend it for allocation to the people. So, why are some people demarcating and allocating land from Lusaka and creating problems for us in the districts?

Mr Shakafuswa: Imagine!

Mrs Masebo: The council is sidelined and does not even know what is happening. 

Sir, this problem was started by the MMD in 2011, during the run-up to the elections, and I was hoping that we could stop it. However, we are not stopping it. It seems that the same people who were doing it in the MMD have continued even under the PF. Let me warn those who want to get land from Chongwe to do so through the proper channels. Otherwise, they will not live there. The same people that they are displacing will not allow them to live in peace.

Mr Speaker, I was sad when I saw, on television, a magistrate and her husband being beaten over their piece of land.

Mr Mwila: It was bad.

Mrs Masebo: It was very bad, and we must all condemn it. That is what I was saying about violence. If we do not work together, as Zambians, and we politicise violence, we will not live in peace.  That is how violence started in some of the countries where there are wars. If you think that, as an hon. Member or Minister, you are not affected, you will be shocked because, when you are no longer an hon. Member or Minister, they will take your land. We heard of a former … 

Mr Mbulakulima: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Deputy Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Mr Chipungu: Mwansa Kapeya, umfwa.

Mr Mbulakulima: Mr Speaker, I thank you most sincerely for this rare opportunity you have given me to raise this point of order.

Ms Lubezhi: Professor!

Mr Mbulakulima: As you know, I rarely rise on points of order. 

Sir, my distant cousin has breached her promise and kept Hon. Lubinda on his feet. She promised that she would leave enough time for the hon. Member of Parliament for Kabwata to debate, but I am now concerned. Is she in order not to leave enough time for the hon. Member for Kabwata to articulate important matters?

Laughter

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Deputy Speaker: She is in order because she knows the Speaker will allow the hon. Member of Kabwata to debate.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mrs Masebo: Mr Speaker, I was trying to quickly wind up by saying that a number of good things are happening. You will notice that the Government has put more money in the pockets of the workers. The minimum wage in the Civil Service is now K2,000. So, we hope that those who call themselves businessmen worth their salt will emulate the Government and increase their workers’ salaries. I know that there are some people who still pay their workers between K500 and K1,000. I want to commend Hon. Shamenda. He has really stood for the workers in this country. However, I still want to ask him to move a step further and go to the farms to look into the issue of some farm workers who are still underpaid. I think, that is the only way we can make our people live better lives. However, we need to take into account many other factors, such as the issue of sector-specificity. Some sectors do not generate as much money as others. However, generally, there is a need for our people get a good price for their labour.

Finally, Mr Speaker, we look forward to the Budget Speech this Friday. My prayer and hope is that the Budget will be in line with this good Speech in which the President has articulated what the Government will do in 2015, for example, that more money will be given to vulnerable groups. We expect more money to be given to very elderly women under the Social Cash Transfer Scheme (SCTS) in Hon. Kabanshi’s ministry. However, Hon. Kabanshi should also start working on the guidelines for accessing the monies, especially under women’s clubs, because the current procedures are so cumbersome that the intended beneficiaries, in some cases, do not even get the money. She saw how much women are suffering in Mangango. They keep applying for the SCTS, but only few people, who are close to the powers that be, get the money.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mrs Masebo: Mr Speaker, thank you very much for allowing a female hon. Member of Parliament to debate.

Mr Lubinda (Kabwata): Mr Speaker, thank you for allowing me to add my voice to this very important debate. From the outset, let me commend His Excellency the President for a very well thought-out and well-written statement, which he delivered to this House on the occasion of the Official Opening of the Fourth Session of the Eleventh National Assembly.

Sir, for the record, I would like to agree with Hon. Dr Kaingu and others, who correctly observed that the President’s Address to Parliament needed not be a long and laborious statement, but concise, and that policy statements and all the other elements would follow therefrom. I agree with them entirely, and that is exactly what the President’s Speech is.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Lubinda: He left the policies in the written statements, which all of us here and the general public have access to. Whoever cares and dares can access the policy intentions of His Excellency by going through the written statements.

Mr Speaker, let me also join His Excellency the President and my colleagues who spoke before me in congratulating our six colleagues who recently joined us through by-elections. In so doing, I also join His Excellency and your hon. Members who have condemned the violence that characterised some of the by-elections. It is my hope and prayer that the relative peace that characterised the five most recently held by-elections will be the norm rather than the exception. I think that all of us witnessed the relative peace in which the last by-elections were held. There was no violence, and I think that all of us in this House and all our political leaders ought to be commended for that.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Lubinda: Mr Speaker, it is also my hope and prayer that all of us will keep this in mind as we interact in this political discourse. There is no reason, whatsoever, for us to end up being violent in a place where we exchange ideas and compete on the basis of ideas, not the amount of strength that one possesses.

Mr Muchima: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Deputy Speaker: A point of order, which will be the last on the current debater, is raised.

Mr Muchima: Mr Speaker, I am sorry to disturb the hon. Member for Kabwata’s debate. I do not normally do that. 

Sir, is the hon. Member debating in order to continue doing so with his hands in his pockets when there was a ruling by Mr Speaker that, when debating, an hon. Member’s hands are supposed to be very free and the current debater joined in laughing at that? Is he in order to continue debating with his hands in the pocket when we do not know what is in that pocket?

Laughter

Mr Muchima: I need your serious ruling, Sir.

Mr Deputy Speaker: How can I make a serious ruling on that point of order?

Laughter

Mr Deputy Speaker: Hon. Member, as you debate, take that point of order into account.

Mr Lubinda: Mr Speaker, I will keep my hands away from my pockets, knowing that there is nobody near me who has long fingers that can reach my money, especially not my hon. Brother.

Sir, in recognising that this is Jubilee year, His Excellency the President urged all of us in this House to reflect on where we have come from and plan where we would like to take Zambia in the next fifty years. This is a very profound and powerful appeal from the Head of State. It ought to stimulate deep reflection and introspection at the country, community and, more so, individual levels. We ought to look into the mirror and ask ourselves what we have done in the last fifty years that we could have done differently to make Zambia a better country. It is time for us to start asking what, at an individual level, has made my country worse than it should have been? It is time for us to summon our courage to acknowledge that each one of us, at one time or another, must have taken a wrong turn on the trajectory to developing our country.

Sir, it is time for us to also ask ourselves what we are pledging to do now, not tomorrow, to contribute to the vision of leaving behind us or bequeathing for our children a country that will be better than the one we inherited. This is what the President was asking us to do, especially we, gathered in this House, who know very well that we are here at the mercy of God, who created, as our prayer says, “... the offices of rulers and Governments for the welfare of society and good government of the people”. It is incumbent upon us, all 160 of us gathered in this House, not to ask what the others will do, but to pledge to them what we will do to build a united country, which every citizen will be happy to belong to. That is our duty, and I appeal to all of us in this House to take heed of the President’s appeal to us and our citizens.

Mr Speaker, I would like to ask one very important question. What are we, gathered in this House, doing to use this House for the betterment of the welfare of the society out there? I would like to appeal to my colleagues in the Back Bench, not only on your left, but also on the right, where there are Back Benchers like myself, to utilise the possibilities availed to us by this House to raise the issues that affect society. To note, like the President did, that, in the Third Session of the Eleventh National Assembly, only two Private Member’s Motions were debated, is lamentable. I would like to appeal to all of us, my dear brothers and sisters, that the facility of moving Private Members’ Motions ought to be used.

Sir, imagine the number of good ideas that are thrown to the wind when we go to public rallies and those we share through radio stations and other media. Were those ideas brought here to the people’s Parliament, imagine what kind of change there would be in our country. So, I to appeal to all of us to use this Parliament, instead of going outside. We should use this Parliament as the arena for public discourse. This is where the people expect us to come and exchange ideas, not only on radio stations and rallies, where ideas are blown out and nobody is able to follow up on them.

Mr Speaker, let me also commend the Government for a number of successes that were recorded in the President’s statement. The first is the intention to re-awaken the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Unit which, to date, was domiciled in the Ministry of Finance. 

Sir, from 2010, when we came up with the PPP concept and its legal framework, with the intention of freeing fiscal space by allowing the private sector to partner with the public in investing in public facilities, very little has been achieved. So, I hope that, now that the PPP Unit is being moved to the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry under the Zambia Development Agency (ZDA), all the challenges and bottlenecks that beset it will be addressed to allow councils and Government ministries to engage in meaningful PPP projects because we know that we cannot continue to borrow from the international capital market. 

Sir, it is easier for us to invite private investors, both local and foreign, to partner with our Government to deliver the facilities that we require. I have spoken in this House before of the need for PPPs in waste management. I have said that solid waste can be turned into gold in Lusaka, for example. The PPP unit is aware of this concept, and I hope that this will be realised quickly.

Sir, the second issue that I would like to reflect on is the introduction of formal learning at the pre-school level. Hitherto, as all of us know, pre-school education was for the privileged few - the rich. The majority of our children were not able to access it because of limited places and the resultant exorbitant costs. It is my hope that the President’s statement on this matter will be followed up with investment. 

Sir, we have heard about the secondary schools that are being built. This is a very good thing and I support it. By the way, records at the Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education show that, by next year, the enrolment in Zambian secondary schools will be at 578,000 per year. Naturally, this will require more secondary school spaces. However, we also need to invest in pre-schools. So, I appeal to the relevant ministries to allocate some money for establishing pre-schools throughout the country in their budgets for 2015. In addition to that, I appeal to the Government to consider replacing the primary schools that have, so far, been turned into secondary schools. Whereas that idea is very noble, we will now create a shortage of primary school spaces if we are not careful. Therefore, I appeal to the hon. Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education to look into the matter very seriously. Wherever a primary school was converted into a secondary school, he should, please, consider building a primary school in the nearest future.

Sir, a case in point is in Kabwata Constituency, where a very big primary school, Kamwala Primary School, was converted into a secondary school, which led to many children in that area having to walk long distances to access primary education. I hope that the hon. Minister will respond to my appeal and that of many other hon. Members of Parliament and create more primary school places for our children.

Sir, let me move quickly to agriculture. It is pleasing to note that His Excellency the President is encouraging conservation agriculture. As agriculturists know, Zambia’s soil fertility and productivity has been reduced due to prolonged use of bad farming practices, especially the use of chemical fertilisers. As we move towards conservation farming, I appeal to the Government, the hon. Minister of Agriculture and Livestock in particular, to consider providing incentives for the production of non-chemical or organic fertilisers. Zambia is spending too much money on the importation of chemical fertilisers. So, I encourage the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock to include organic fertilisers in the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) to encourage the beneficiaries to go down the path of conservation farming. That is the only way we shall conserve our soil fertility. We should put our money where our mouths are. In this case, conservation farming is critically important.

Sir, talking about conservation farming brings me to another very important area of agriculture, which is irrigation. All of us in this House, at one time or another, must have boasted about the abundant water resource that Zambia has, which is 40 per cent of the total water resource of the sub-region, yet how much of that water is being used to develop our country? As some hon. Members may know, Zambia’s irrigation potential is 2,750,000 ha, yet only 156,000 ha are under irrigation, which is very minimal. So, I am glad that the President has underscored the need for us to invest in irrigation. However, at the rate we are moving, which is 6,000 ha more per year or 11,500 ha more every two years, to catch up with the 2,750,000 ha will take us 400 years, and I do not think that any one of us has the luxury of time on this issue. Therefore, I join the Government in appealing to our co-operating partners to consider investing in the very important irrigation sub-sector of agriculture in Zambia.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Lubinda: On the same score, I also commend the Government for promising to bring a Bill to regulate customary land alienation. This is important because many people who live on customary land are not able to invest in irrigation schemes because they do not own the land. It is my hope and prayer that, when that Bill is brought before us, as representatives of the people, we will consider it with utmost seriousness so that we add economic value to customary land, which will encourage people to invest in irrigation agriculture throughout the country. I would also like to appeal to my colleagues, the farmers, to start thinking seriously about forming co-operatives and building irrigation dams.

Sir, I see that I am running out of time and would like to quickly reflect on a matter that is very close to my heart. I am sure that, if I did not mention it, some people would ask why. This is, obviously, the tourism, art and culture sector. If Zambia is to harness any benefits from tourism, we ought to do two things. Firstly, we have to develop and implement strategies that will increase the length of stay of tourists in Zambia. Currently, most tourists who come to Zambia do not spend more than two nights in the country before leaving for other countries. This is bad because tourists will spend more or less money in Zambia depending on how long they stay. I, therefore, propose that some incentives be provided for tourists to stay in Zambia longer than they do currently.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Lubinda: Sir, in case some people do not know, 45 per cent of the foreign tourists who come to Zambia come for conferences and on business. They do not come for holidays. The other 55 per cent is shared across many other purposes. Therefore, would it not be necessary for the Ministry of Tourism and Art to provide incentives to the conference organisers to encourage the business people who come to Zambia to spend some time on holiday here? I am sure, that can be done as long as the ministry is willing to give incentives to the relevant people. Additionally, and in relation to the decentralisation drive, I would like to commend the Government for establishing two centres for art and culture in Ndola and Livingstone. However, those are far too few. The time has come for the Ministry of Tourism and Art to decentralise some of its functions and for us to encourage all councils to have departments of art, culture and tourism. For example, the Maramba Cultural Village in Livingstone should not be an asset of the Ministry of Tourism and Art, but of the Livingstone District Council. That can be done, starting with Capital City and provincial headquarters. We can task councils and provide resources for them to be responsible for organising art, culture and tourism events in their districts, which will free space at the ministry headquarters for it to concentrate on policy formulation and attracting international tourists. That way, every community will have some cultural activities which, in effect, adds to tourism facilities of the country.

Sir, a few months ago, when my friend, Hon. Garry Nkombo, Member of Parliament for Mazabuka Central, moved a very important Motion on the Constitution, standing here, I proposed an amendment to his Motion so that it could read, “To Compel Government or Request the Persons Who are Holding on to the Draft Constitution to Release it to the Government and Stakeholders for the Government and Stakeholders to Agree on a Roadmap”. The mover of the Motion rejected my proposal but, fortunately, and I am happy to say this, the President has now declared that the Draft Constitution has been released. It is gratifying to note that the hon. Minister of Justice has opened dialogue on that front very quickly. I, therefore, appeal to all of us, citizens, to take part in the process and ensure that we, the patriotic Government, do exactly what we promised to give Zambians, which is a people-driven Constitution.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Lubinda: Sir, I thank you.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

The Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock (Mr Kazabu) Mr Speaker, before I go into my debate, let me join those who have spoken before me in congratulating the newly-elected hon. Members of Parliament. Dear hon. Colleagues, I wish you well in your new role.

Mr Speaker, hon. Members of this House know that the purpose of the President’s Address at the Official Opening of the National Assembly is to give policy direction on various areas of national development. In other words, it is a governance compass. In that regard, I will, for obvious reasons, limit my discourse to matters that concern livestock and fisheries development and veterinary services, in line with the policies of the Patriotic Front (PF) Government, as articulated by His Excellency the President in Volume II of his Speech. This volume (showed the President’s Speech, Volume II, to hon. Members). Further, my debate will take the form of an Action-Taken report and indicate some actions to be taken on policy implementation and achievements. I will also highlight the challenges facing the livestock and fisheries sub-sectors in the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock.

Sir, when the PF was elected into office in 2011, there were ninety-two livestock service centres in the country. We have since, as stated by the President in his Speech, built fifty new centres, bringing the total to 142. This year, we plan to construct forty more.

Mr Speaker, for the benefit of the hon. Members of the House and the nation, livestock service centres are facilities where our small-scale livestock farmers can access various services under one roof. The services include treatment, vaccination, dipping, branding, castration, de-worming and marketing. The centres are at three levels, namely, levels I to III. 

Sir, on livestock breeding centres, as stated by the President on Page 18 of Volume II of his Speech, the Government has established twelve centres located in all the ten provinces of our country, with Lusaka and the North-Western provinces having two each. Of the twelve centres, four are ready to sell animals. This year and the next, we will operationalise the remaining eight.

Mr Speaker, the purpose of establishing livestock breeding centres is to produce breeding stocks of cattle, goats, and pigs and sell them to livestock farmers. We are already selling pigs at our pig breeding centre at Keembe on the Landless Corner/Mumbwa Road. Very soon, we will start selling cattle at Mbesuma and Chishinga, and goats at Kanchindu and Mukulaikwa, breeding centres. Going forward, we will add sheep and village chickens to the current list of available livestock.

Mr Speaker, on the President’s statements on Page I8 of his Speech, which related to the development of livestock, I wish to state that, since 2011, the Government has continued to develop the dairy industry. With the aid of our co-operating partners, twenty-four milk collection centres have been established to provide a market for small-scale dairy farmers. This brings the total number to fifty centres across the country. Our co-operating partners, such as Heifer International, have provided some households in rural communities with dairy cows through their ‘Pass on the Gift Programme’. These efforts have effectively empowered the beneficiary farmers and households. Fisenge, Monze, Batoka and Choma co-operative milk collection centres are good success stories. This year, five new centres will be established in various parts of the country.

Mr Speaker, we know the many benefits that accrue from livestock, including meat, milk, skins, draught power, manure and jobs. The said benefits are the reason the Government is investing in the development of livestock infrastructure, such as breeding and service centres, dip tanks and programmes like artificial insemination, which are designed to grow the numbers and improve the quality of livestock. Another benefit that is worth noting is the production of biogas from cow dung for cooking and lighting.

Mr Speaker, with the support of the Government, Stichting Nederlandse Vrijwilligers (SNV) a Netherlands development organisation is piloting the production and use of biogas for lighting and cooking in different parts of the country. The minimum number of head of cattle required to have enough dung is five. I must say that the idea of producing biogas has been well received by some small-holder farmers. As a matter of fact, on 17th September, 2014, I graced a field demonstration hosted by Mr and Mrs Munthali of Mapepe in Chilanga District. The biogas technology is simple, yet very useful and can be used for lighting and cooking even in villages. Therefore, people should be encouraged to adopt it in order to save energy and help reduce deforestation.

Mr Speaker, one major problem that has and continues to hinder the development of livestock, particularly cattle, goats and pigs, is the repeated outbreak of diseases like East Coast Fever, Contagious Bovine Pleuro-Pneumonia (CBPP), Foot and Mouth, African Swine Fever, Trypanosomiasis and Newcastle. In order to control and, possibly, eradicate such diseases, the Government has taken specific and concerted measures, which include:

(a)    rehabilitation of 324 non-functional old dip tanks and construction of 175 new ones;

(b)    programmed vaccinations;

(c)    construction of regional diagnostic laboratories;

(d)    restricting the movement of livestock out of and into areas where certain diseases are endemic;

(e)    sensitising farmers on good animal husbandry practices;

(f)    spraying areas that are infested with tsetse flies, the carriers of the Trypanosomiasis parasite. Only this year, from 17th June to 2nd September, we sprayed an area covering 6,300 km2 in Mulobezi and Mwandi in the Western Province at a cost of K25 million;

(g)    establishing and operationalising check points at strategic entry points;

(h)    local production of some vaccines, such those for Anthrax, Black Leg, East Coast Fever, Stabilate, Haemorrhagic Septicemia and Newcastle, at the Centre for Veterinary Research Institute commonly known as Balmoral; and

(i)    legislating for compulsory dipping and vaccination.

Mr Speaker, hon. Members of the House will be aware of the Animal Health Act No. 27 of 2010. In his Speech, on Page 19, His Excellency the President states that:

“In an effort to diversify the agriculture sector, Government is promoting fisheries development. So far, eight fish hatcheries have been established in Kitwe, Solwezi, Kaoma, Katete, Chipata, Kasama, Mansa and Chilanga. The Government Fish Farm at Nyanje in Petauke has been renovated. Additionally, the Government has established a community fingerling production centre at Mpungu in Kasempa, whilst the fish farm at Kivuku, also in Kasempa, has been renovated. The hatcheries and fingerling production centres will ensure that fish fingerlings are readily available to fish farmers.”

Sir, having toured the country extensively, I can confidently confirm what His Excellency said. Further, I want to add that, if more and more of our people participated in fish farming, our natural water bodies, such as Lake Mweru, which are under pressure due to over-fishing would have some relief and fish would have space to breed and increase in stock. For the information of the House, there are twenty-five thousand people fishing on Lake Mweru and Luapula River at the moment. With these interventions the Government has made, we have seen an increase in aquacultural production from 13,000 metric tonnes, in 2011, to 20,000 metric tonnes in 2013. Our projection for 2014 is 30,000 metric tonnes.

Mr Speaker, as regards fish re-stocking, the Government has placed four pens on Lake Mweru Wantipa and the fish is breeding successfully. Sites for placing pens on Lake Bangweulu and Mweru Luapula are being surveyed.

Mr Speaker, the achievements in livestock and fisheries that His Excellency the President highlighted in his Speech, which I have also discussed, do not suggest, in any way, that the environment within which they have been made is without challenges. The livestock and fisheries sub-sectors face many challenges, notably, poor staffing levels; inadequate land and water transport, including motor vehicles, motorcycles, research vehicles and the patrol boats for extension services; dilapidated infrastructure, such as camp houses and offices; and large and unmanageable veterinary and fisheries camps, resulting in poor extension services. There is also a lack of water dams required to provide water for livestock, forcing small-scale farmers to draw water from boreholes and wells from their animals. These challenges are historical, as the current Government inherited them from its predecessors. However, the good news is that the Government has started addressing some of them. As I speak, some camp houses have been rehabilitated while some are under construction. Some old water dams have also been rehabilitated and a few built, such as Kasokoshi in Luwingu District. You can ask Hon. Chungu Bwalya and he will confirm.

Mr Bwalya: Hear, hear!
    
Mr Kazabu: Mr Speaker, statements have been made on the Floor of this House to the effect that the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock is not doing as much as it is expected. I just want to respond to some of those statements, beginning with the issue of the cordon line.

Mr Speaker, it was suggested that the cordon line should be restored. So, I want the hon. Members of the House to have some sense of what it would cost us to reintroduce it.  The cordon line from Imusho to Kaungamashi is 100 km, Kaungamashi to Siluwe, 400 km and, then, the stretch in the North-Western Province, is 300 km. Altogether, you are talking about restoring a cordon line which is 800 km long. That is not an easy or cheap task. It requires a lot of money. At any rate, the cordon line, which was built of wire fence and has since been vandalised, is not the ideal solution to our problems. If resources permitted, we should have built a wall like the Great Wall of China.

Laughter

Mr Kazabu: That is the only way we would stop the free movement of livestock from Angola into Zambia and vice versa. 

Mr Speaker, the ban on the movement of cattle was another issue, especially for cattle coming from the Western Province. The Government has done that to protect the livestock we have, particularly cattle. It is not that the Government wants to punish the people of the Western Province. 

Sir, as regards co-operative society members sharing fertiliser in buckets, the correct position is that the problem has been created by the co-operators because the Government only gives farm inputs to registered farmers. Unfortunately, some registered co-operative members are in the habit of saying to themselves that they should not be the only ones to benefit and decide to take care of their friends.  That is how they end up sharing in buckets.

Mr Speaker, in conclusion, let me remind the House and the nation that the livestock and fisheries sub-sectors can contribute hugely to the development of our country if properly organised and managed. Therefore, this Government is determined to gradually and progressively strengthen the sub-sectors for our common good.
 
I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

The Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Security (Mr Mbulu): Mr Speaker, I thank you for giving me this opportunity to add my voice to the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Speech during the Official Opening of the Fourth Session of the Eleventh National Assembly.

Mr Speaker, before I go into my debate, allow me to join His Excellency the President, you and my fellow hon. Members of Parliament who have spoken before me in congratulating and welcoming all the seven new hon. Members of Parliament to this House. They have come through various by-elections. Allow me to also thank all the hon. Members of Parliament who have left this House. I know, for sure, that, in their respective ways, they all made a significant contribution to the economic and political well-being of our great nation.

Mr Speaker, in welcoming my fellow hon. Members of Parliament to this Assembly, I wish to echo the President’s words on Page 2 of Volume I of his Speech to this National Assembly. He said that, as the hon. Members come into this August Assembly, it is important for them to always remain sensitive to the various challenges that were raised by the electorate during the time they were canvassing for votes.

Mr Speaker, from the outset, I wish to indicate that the President’s Address to this august House was excellent and well-delivered, and I believe that this is the general position of many well-meaning Zambians. 

Mr Speaker, the urgency of the Patriotic Front (PF) Government in developing the country is well-articulated in the President’s Speech. It is, indeed, very refreshing to note that the PF Government’s approach to eradicating poverty in our country is not only bold, but also radical. In his maiden Speech to this House, His Excellency the President committed our Government to moving the country forward decisively towards the eradication of poverty. In our President, we have a leader who is visionary and embodies Zambia’s concept of itself, its origins and future.

Mr Speaker, it has been three years since the PF Government started running the affairs of this great nation. During this period, the Government has made a number of notable achievements that have impacted very positively on the standard of living of our people. These achievements are well known even to the ordinary citizen but, unfortunately, some of our hon. Members of Parliament, especially our colleagues on the left, have chosen to turn a blind eye to this and have chosen to mislead the nation that we have failed to deliver on our promises.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mbulu: Mr Speaker, the same hon. Members also advance the argument that development is only visible in selected parts of our country. I want to categorically state that this is not only false, but also misleading. In fact, there are many tangibles to match the writing on the wall. 

Mr Speaker, the development trajectory that the PF Government embarked on three years ago is inclusive. It does not discriminate on the basis of tribe, location, gender, disability, colour, creed or political affiliation. As long as one is a Zambian, then, they are part of our inclusive development agenda, a development in which the poor participate directly, through obtaining gainful employment, or indirectly, as entrepreneurs. I wish to argue that the shying away from some of the roles of an hon. Member of Parliament in the development agenda by some of our colleagues on the left is one of the development bottlenecks our Government is faced with today. As hon. Members of Parliament, we are duty-bound, regardless of political affiliation, to explain to the people we represent the development agenda of the Government of the day. Our top and only priority is the welfare of the people who sent us here to represent them, and represent them very effectively. We can only fully realise our goal, as a people, if we explain to our people the development agenda, as it is an inclusive development in which they need to participate. Unfortunately, some hon. Members of Parliament on the left do not explain to their people the development agenda of our Government even when it is clear to everyone that we mean well for our people. As a Government, we will always embrace constructive criticism, as it is one of the tenets of democracy, which we are championing today. However, to turn a blind eye to the Government’s development agenda is not only poor representation of our people, but also a disservice to the poor people.

Mr Speaker, in his address, His Excellency the President, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, covered many areas of national importance. Let me take this opportunity to comment on some of those that relate to my portfolio, as Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Security.

Mr Speaker, as per our pact with the people of Zambia, our Government has ensured that there is more money in their pockets.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mbulu: Mr Speaker, the minimum wage was adjusted upwards to ensure that the vulnerable and unprotected employees were paid meaningful wages as well. My Government also created a single spine salary structure for public sector workers to take care of distortions and discrepancies that existed in the previous structure. This measure saw the salaries of public sector workers adjusted upwards so that the lowest paid public sector worker got a salary above K2,000 per month. Last year, in his Address to this House, His Excellency the President rightly observed that increasing the salaries for public sector workers made their conditions of employment and service competitive both locally and regionally. As a Government, we continue to implore the private sector to emulate the Government’s gesture. 

Mr Speaker, with effect from September, 2013, the Government reclassified all classified daily employees (CDEs) into permanent and pensionable employees. This classification implies that, for the first time in the history of this great nation, the Government abolished casualisation in the Public Service.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mbulu: Mr Speaker, the Government also embarked on a comprehensive review of labour laws in 2012. The labour law reform process is intended to curb casualisation and child labour, protect workers from unjustified dismissals, address issues of sexual harassment in the work place, fight HIV/AIDS in the work place, and preserve some jobs exclusively for Zambians.

The reform process has reached an advanced stage. A Bill on the Zambia Institute of Human Resource Management (ZIHRM) Amendment Act has been drafted while the Ministry of Justice has been instructed to amend the Employment, Employment of Young Persons, Minimum Wages and Conditions of Employment and Service Acts. These three Acts will be condensed into one. 

Mr Speaker, the PF Manifesto promised the development of a comprehensive social security system. The Government has, therefore, embarked on social security reforms, whose aim is to create a modernised social security system that would adequately address the plight of retirees and put in place measures to ensure the long-term financial sustainability of the pension schemes. The Government has also finalised the technical report on pension reforms and developed the communication strategy for the same. Further, the drafting of the legal framework for the social security system reforms has also commenced. 

Mr Speaker, it is refreshing that the PF Government has, so far, created over 457,595 jobs in the various sectors of the economy. These jobs were created directly and indirectly through the effective implementation of policies, projects, programmes and activities. These are verifiable figures, which the Government receives from all the sectors of the economy on a monthly basis. This, indeed, is testimony of the hard work of the PF Government towards fulfilling its pact with the people of Zambia.  

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mbulu: Mr Speaker, the Government remains committed to availing the public information on employment opportunities and other labour-related matters. It has also already established and operationalised public employment exchange services in all our ten Provincial Labour Offices. The services offered include job-matching, career guidance and counselling, and dissemination of employment and labour-related information. In 2013, it launched the on-line jobs portal, which plays a complimentary role to the public employment exchange services. The overwhelming reception of the programme by our people in the Diaspora is a sign of the confidence they have in the development agenda of our Government. 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mbulu: For sure, we, as the PF Government, are poised for some brain gain as we continue to attract back our citizens from the Diaspora. 

Mr Speaker, 24th October, 2014, will mark the 50th Anniversary of our Independence, the Golden Jubilee. I must hasten to acknowledge the divine favour that has seen us enjoy peace and stability in our country all these years. Jehovah God has come through for us. It has not been by human intelligence that we have enjoyed peace, unity and security, as a nation, but by divine providence.  

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mbulu: Mr Speaker, with patriotism and pragmatism, our founding fathers charted a course for the greatness of this country. They made compromises and sacrifices, and toiled, day and night, to build a country in which peace and stability would reign supreme. Our Independence was gained by gallant men and women who envisioned a land of prosperity, peace and joy in unity, as our National Anthem so eloquently puts it. Today, however, we are still faced with the challenge of poverty and unemployment. In the midst of these challenges, it is very easy, especially for the hon. Members on your left, to forget that we are one Zambia, one nation. Despite these challenges, we must not forget that we have cause to celebrate our nationhood and even a greater cause to look forward to a brighter future. This is a historic occasion, a momentous one, when we all need to pause a little and appreciate who we are, what we have, and to reflect on the encouraging possibilities and challenges that lie ahead. 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mbulu: Mr Speaker, I implore our friends in the opposition political parties to continue working across party lines and stand with this Government as we implement the progressive ideas in the President’s Speech to improve the lives of our people. 

Mr Speaker, let me end by telling this Assembly that we are all like chess pieces. We belong to one chess box, our country, Zambia. When a game of chess is being played, all the pieces are offloaded from the box and placed in different directions for the sake of playing the game only. When the game is over, however, all the pieces are taken back into one box, representing our country, Zambia. 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mbulu: Zambia should come before political affiliation. So, let us move it forward. 

Mr Speaker, I thank you. 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

The Deputy Minister of Home Affairs (Mr Kampyongo): Mr Speaker, I thank you for giving me the opportunity to contribute to the debate on this very important Motion. I also wish to thank His Excellency the President for the manner he delivered his Speech. 

Mr Speaker, in this very important year, we will be remembering the heroes who contributed immensely to the emancipation of this important country. Some of them are gone while others, like my father, Hon. Chikwanda, here, are still alive. As the Patriotic Front (PF), we should use this moment to appreciate our own hero, His Excellency the President, because he will go down in the history of this country as an accomplished politician who served this country from the bottom to the apex. We all know his story. His life has entirely been dedicated to public service. We who are in his political academy must learn and share what we learn with others. From him, we have learnt that we should serve others with utmost loyalty before expecting them to serve us. We have also learnt that harbouring ambitions, political or otherwise, is not a crime and that managing the ambitions is very cardinal to the security of nations. People want to skyrocket to the topmost of leadership without going through the mill. It is very important that we learn to climb the political tree from the bottom upwards. 

Sir, it is very gratifying to look at His Excellency in his Chair looking at the environment when he comes to Parliament. He knows the Standing Orders by heart and, when he engages the House, he does so from experience. 

Mr Speaker, I would like to join the President on the first Page of his Speech, where he talks about the Golden Jubilee. He says that he is glad that such a momentous and historical occasion is coming when the PF has the privilege of governing this great nation. He adds that it is his hope that the Golden Jubilee Celebrations will provide an opportunity for the people of Zambia to reflect on where they are coming from and plan where they want to go. 

Sir, the Ministry of Home Affairs has been preparing for these very important celebrations and can assure the House and the entire nation that we will to have peaceful celebrations.

Hon. Government Member: Hear, hear!

Mr Kampyongo: Sir, within the next week, we will station a number of officers to beef up the current numbers of our men and women in uniform. My timely warning …

Hon. Opposition Member: Who are you warning?

Mr Kampyongo: … is to those people who are planning to destabilise these celebrations. We have been receiving reports of some people who are planning mischievous activities. My warning to them, on behalf of the Ministry of Home Affairs, is that we will not spare anyone who has those evil intentions. We will deal with them decisively and keep them where they deserve to be when people will be celebrating.

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

Mr Deputy Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Mr Sing’ombe: Mr Speaker, the Standing Orders are very clear. Is the hon. Minister, who is my younger brother, in order to stand up and debate in this House without a neck tie when what he is wearing is not a safari suit?

I need your serious ruling, Sir.

Interruptions 

Mr Shakafuswa: Go and put on a neck tie.

Interruptions 

Hon. Opposition Member: That is not a safari suit.

Mr Deputy Speaker: I am trying to look at him closely to see whether he does not have something inside there. I can see a red scarf. He has a scarf inside there.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Deputy Speaker: If I discover later that the scarf is not allowed, then, I will rule him out of order.

Laughter 

Mr Deputy Speaker: However, for now, let him continue. 

Mr Kampyongo: I would like to teach my brother some fashion in line with the Standing Orders. 

Mr Sing’ombe interjected.

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, I urge the citizens of this nation to come in huge numbers and celebrate this very important occasion. I would also like to join His Excellency the President in paying tribute to one gallant son of the soil, Dr Patrick Mwewa Anthony Chikusu, who was the hon. Deputy Minister of Health. I had the privilege of working with this gentleman and appreciated his humility and intellect. May his soul rest in peace.

Sir, on Page 2, I equally join the President in congratulating the newly-elected hon. Members of Parliament. It is gratifying for us on this side to see that we have continued increasing the number of female representatives. We are walking to talk.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, people have been joining the left side of the House, but the number of female representatives has remained static.

Mr Sing’ombe: Ponyamatobo.

Mr Kampyongo: This should worry them because we have a President who walks the talk. We had two male and two female hon. Members walking into the house. It was fifty-fifty, and that is walking the talk, not when people want to …

Laughter 

Mr Kampyongo: We have seen the numbers on your left. When they form a government, they should emulate what is happening on this side of the House. It is high time men started giving genuine support to our ladies. The President has given us direction on how he is dealing with the implementation of gender equality. It is important that we cut out the inferiority complexes that exist in some men of not wanting to support their spouses. Others also just want to jump and run for these ladies when they are successful. We know them and we hope that you are not one of them.

Laughter 

Mr Kampyongo: As Acting Chief Whip … 

Mr Chishimba: Nabesa!

Laughter

Interruptions

Mr Kampyongo: Yes.

Interruptions 

Mr Kampyongo: Sir, I was saying that, as Acting Chief Whip, I had a very unfortunate situation to deal with. Our media also has to play an important role in supporting our women. It should not bring them down. It was very sad that there was an issue being raised about an hon. Member … 

Mr Chipungu: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Deputy Speaker: I feel that the hon. Deputy Minister should be given the opportunity to debate uninterrupted, although he is using terminologies that seem to irk most of the hon. Members here. I know those points of order want to ask whether the hon. Minister is in order to say things like ‘jumping on women’.

Laughter 

Mr Deputy Speaker: I deliberately kept quiet, hoping to let sleeping dogs lie. Watch your language, hon. Deputy Minister.

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, I said running after them …

Mr Chipungu: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Deputy Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Mr Chipungu: Mr Speaker, I rarely rise on points of order. 

Sir, hon. Ministers are always guided to have a written speech. Is Hon. Kampyongo in order to debate without one? 

I need your very serious ruling. 

Mr Deputy Speaker: The serious ruling is that hon. Ministers should make reference to written speeches in their debates. That is the correct procedure. However, I am not sure whether what the hon. Deputy Minister has in his hand is a written speech or copious notes.  

Hon. Opposition Members: Volume I.

Mr Deputy Speaker: Can I be assisted. Hon. Deputy Minister, is that a written speech?

Mr Kampyongo: Sir, I have a written speech and the speech …

Hon. Opposition Members: Volume I.

Mr Deputy Speaker: Do you have a written speech?

Mr Kampyongo: I am making reference to Volume I.

Mr Deputy Speaker: Is that your written speech?

Mr Kampyongo: Yes, Sir. 

Interruptions 

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, this brings me to the issue of political violence, which the Head of State highlighted in his Speech. This matter has been a source of concern for us at the Ministry of Home Affairs. So, I want to take this opportunity, through this House, to continue appealing to our people who do not seem to heed our advice.

Mr Speaker, on our side, we have opened our doors to dialogue. Last week, some leaders of the United Party for National Development (UPND) went to the ministry to engage us on ways of ending political violence. We have been saying that, for us, it does not matter who is involved in the violence. On several occasions, we have ended up arresting some of your hon. Members, which is not supposed to be the case. Our officers have a lot of work to do. If they find that hon. Members, who are supposed to provide leadership, are the ones who are involved in violence, they have the right to arrest them, and they will continue to do that. 

Mr Speaker, we also want to appeal to the various parties to desist from ferrying cadres to the places where by-elections are conducted. We want them to mobilise citizens in the areas where by-elections are being held. I am saying so because, usually, the people who go to cause political mayhem are not indigenous to those areas. Let us have people adhere to the electoral code. If they do not, we, who are charged with the responsibility of protecting life, will do our work without sparing anyone. 

Mr Speaker, there have been concerns about land issues.  At the Ministry of Home Affairs, we have decided to intervene in illegal land allocations and acquisitions. We have the mandate to protect people’s property, and one property people have enjoyed ownership of is land. 

Mr Kambwili laughed. 

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, you have heard about the introduction of the Task Force at the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Mr Deputy Speaker: Order! 

I have been on my vantage point for a long time and I have been at pains to tell whether you have a written speech. I want to be convinced that you are referring to a written speech. Can I just take a look at your speech.

Laughter

Mr Kampyongo handed the speech to the Clerk.

Mr Deputy Speaker: The Clerk confirms that it is a written speech. I just wanted to make sure that we are upholding our rules. 

The hon. Deputy Minister may continue.

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, I was saying that the Ministry of Home Affairs and line ministries that are charged with the responsibility of administering issues of land have come up with an Inter-ministerial Task Force, which we chair. Through this task force, we are trying to curb illegal land allocations and acquisitions. You have seen that citizens are now taking the law in their hands and, in some cases, grabbing pieces of land that legitimately belong to other citizens. We have come in to make sure that the perpetrators of these illegalities are dealt with so that people can continue to enjoy their legitimate land ownership. We realise that this can threaten the economy of the country if not dealt with. All those we are inviting to come and invest in this country must be assured that, when they come into this country, they will be able to acquire land and enjoy ownership of it. 

Mr Speaker, we shall continue to ensure that our citizens and those that are coming into our country enjoy the right of owning this very important property. In doing so, we shall not look at political colour. We have realised that most of these people who are terrorising other citizens claim to be cadres of the Ruling Party when, just a few years ago, they were cadres of another political party. We warn them, once again, that they should desist from these activities. 

Mr Speaker, the President also talked about farm production. We have also not remained behind. Through our prison services, His Excellency has instructed us to double the hectarage of our farms. We have started implementing that. In addition to that, we have established the first ever milling company called Kalonga Milling Company in Kabwe, where we mill a number of products meant to sustain food security in our prison facilities and mitigate food shortages in the country. To this call, I appeal to my colleague, the hon. Member for Monze Central, who has been concerned about the piece of land that we own in his constituency, to dialogue with us. We have already started clearing the piece of land, which is about 400 ha. So far, we have cleared 200 ha and are ready to move our machines to start tilling that land. The hon. Members should appreciate and disseminate this information to our citizens. We are also trying to take some animals to the same piece of land, which seems to have been idle for a long time. I know that people have already seen that the area is developing. We have built a road there, which is to be tarred very soon. So, people are looking at that piece of land as something they can start accessing.

Mr Speaker, this is how a working Government that wants to deliver development to its people does things. When I went to my constituency, I was confronted by some old people who wanted to know whether they would be arrested for the money they are accessing from the Government if they did not do anything. The Ministry of Community Development, Mother and Child Health should sensitise the people who are accessing that money on what to do. The hardworking Government should make sure that the people know that they deserve to receive that money as a way of alleviating their poverty. 

Mr Speaker, in conclusion, I want to say that, as a ministry, we are determined to transform our various units and make them responsive to the requirements of the nation. We have started to clean up communities so that they are safe for our citizens to live in. One good example is what we have just done in Chibolya. We intend to go to other areas so that our citizens can live in a safe environment.

Mr Speaker, I also want to thank our hon. Minister, who has also dedicated his time to improving the conditions of our men and women in uniform to enable them serve the nation in the desired manner.

Mr Speaker, I thank you. 

Mr Deputy Speaker: Before the hon. Deputy Minister of Lands, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection debates, I want to make a ruling on something that was raised earlier because I do not want some of these things to pend. There was a point of order on whether the hon. Deputy Minister who has just finished debating, who was dressed in a scarf, was in order to be dressed like that. I have been informed that the Standing Orders do permit the wearing of a scarf on that type of dress. 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Deputy Speaker: That is what I have been told.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Deputy Speaker: Can the hon. Deputy Minister debate.

The Deputy Minister of Lands, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection (Dr Mwali): Mr Speaker, thank you for this opportunity to contribute to the debate on the Speech delivered by His Excellency, Mr Micheal Chilufya Sata, on Friday 19th September, 2014.

Mr Speaker, in my contribution, I am naturally attracted to the part of his Speech on Pages 39 and 40 in Volume II, which is about land, the environment and natural resources. To be specific, I will focus on Paragraphs 5 and 6, where the President refers to the Government’s concern about the illegal and indiscriminate harvesting of some indigenous trees.

Interruptions

Mr Deputy Speaker: Order, on my left and right! 

There are too many loud consultations.

Dr Mwali: Mr Speaker, the illegal trade in forest products and illegal exploitation of natural resources is now widely recognised as a significant threat to both the environment and sustainable development. 

Mr Speaker, it is gratifying that two of your hon. Members of Parliament from the Forest Belt currently under extreme pressure, the worst hit by this scourge, devoted their debates on the Floor of this House to this issue. Allow me to put on record my appreciation of the concerns raised by Hon. Chipungu of Rufunsa and Hon. Chisopa of Mkushi South. I also wish to mention the important role that the media is playing in exposing the problem. 

Mr Speaker, of particular relevance is the increasing involvement of transnational organised criminal networks in this illegal trade, as well as the significant impact on the environment and sustainable development. The current trends and experience suggest that attention should be focused on the illegal trade in endangered high-value species.

Mr Speaker, forest crime, such as illegal logging, has been estimated to represent a value of US$30 to 100 billion annually or 10 to 30 per cent of the total global timber trade. An estimated 50 to 90 per cent of the wood in some tropical countries is suspected to have been logged illegally. In Zambia, forest crime appears to take place in three forms, namely:

(a)    rampant illegal exploitation of high-value endangered wood species;

(b)    illegal logging of timber for sawn wood, building materials and furniture; and

(c)    utilisation of the vastly unregulated wood fuel and charcoal trade.

Mr Speaker, illegal logging and trade in timber are among the most destructive environmental crimes occurring today, and they directly threaten the world’s vital forests and land eco-systems. We all know that Zambia has been a major supplier of timber since the pre-Independence period. So, any loss of revenue through the smuggling of this valuable resource should be treated as economic sabotage.

Mr Speaker, we all know that Zambia is endowed with some of the best trees in the world, most of which are currently being unsustainably harvested and exported. Among the tree species of high value are the Zambezi Teak, Mahogany, Rosewood and Bloodwood, which is the famous Mukula tree. What is worrying is the scale at which these precious timber species are being harvested and transported out of the country by traders who arbitrarily contravene the law.

Mr Speaker, the problem of illegal timber harvesting, mostly in the Western, Central, Eastern and North-Western provinces, is very rife and contributes heavily to deforestation. This country has one of the highest deforestation rates in the world. So, if we allow it to continue at this rate, the country will soon have no forests to talk about.

Mr Speaker, the sustainable management of our natural resources is an important milestone in driving sustainable development because poor management and utilisation of these resources negatively impacts the security of our natural capital which, in turn, slows down the growth of this country and threatens the livelihoods of present and future generations. In addition, unsustainable management of our natural resources results in land degradation, which has negative environment effects. In order to address these issues, the PF Government has been putting up measures to ensure that our natural resources are used and managed in a more efficient and sustainable manner. Among others, Government efforts include enforcing the provisions of the Environmental Management Act No. 12 of 2011 and the National Policy on the Environment of 2007, and the on-going review of the National Forestry Policy and Act.

Dr Mwali drank some water.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Mwali: Mr Speaker, the Government has also taken the following measures under the existing policy and legal framework:

(a)    review of the Forestry Policy to make it responsive to the current trends in the sector. As stated by the President, the policy will address the high rates of deforestation, environmental degradation and loss of bio-diversity. It will also facilitate local community and private sector participation in forest management;

(b)    development of management plans for supply areas coupled with improvement of the staffing levels at the district and sub-district levels as well as enhancing capacity to manage the resource; and

(c)    encouraging community participation in resources management.

Mr Deputy Speaker: Order!

Business was suspended from 1815 hours until 1830 hours.

[THE DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF COMMITTEES in the Chair]

Dr Mwali: Mr Speaker, when business was suspended, I had just finished listing some strategies the Government is using to fight the illegal exploitation of our forestry and other natural resources.

Sir, we strongly believe that a lot can be achieved through community participation in resources management, more especially if our traditional leaders take the lead, which is currently not the case in some areas.

Sir, with regard to the illegal processing and trade of our forestry resources, practical measures are being put in place to regulate and enhance the monitoring of timber and apply tracing mechanisms that include unique marking, tagging and use of proper documentation. Inspections are also being reinforced at the local level through patrols, police check points and scanning of trucks by the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA). Provincial administrations have also assumed a very important role in this regard.

Mr Speaker, we welcome the intention of the hon. Member of Parliament for Mkushi South and his councillors to participate in this effort as mentioned in his maiden Speech.  We would like to encourage most hon. Members of Parliament to do the same. Furthermore, the Government is enhancing the licensing system to curb the illegal export of timber.

Sir, solutions will require combined efforts to address both the supply and demand reduction based on deterrence, transparency, legal enforcement, behavioural change and alternative livelihood. Differentiated strategies for addressing the illegal trade in timber must be developed across the relevant value chains, that is, at the source, in transit and in destination countries. It is in this regard that the PF Government commits itself to supporting the initiatives to strengthen the global fight against the illegal trade in timber by transnational organised crime syndicates, which is recognised as a significant threat to the environment. It also deprives the Zambian economy of the much-needed revenues and sustainable development opportunities.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

The Deputy Minister of Mines, Energy and Water Development (Mr Zulu): Mr Speaker, thank you for giving me this opportunity to say a few words on the President’s Address. 

Sir, firstly, I thank the President for making it here. What he showed all of us is that he has a heart for this country. That is leadership. Leadership is about serving, being a slave and being ready to die for your people, and that is what I saw in the President. He loves this country.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Zulu: Mr Speaker, I also congratulate the new hon. Members of Parliament. I say ‘new’, not ‘junior’, hon. Members of Parliament because there is no junior or senior Member of Parliament, just as there is no junior or senior Speaker. All of us are Members of Parliament. Out there, …

Hon. Members: Aah!

The Deputy Chairperson: Do not bring the Chair into your debates.

Interruptions

The Deputy Chairperson: Order!

Mr Zulu remained standing.

Hon. Members: Order! Ikala panshi, iwe.

Mr Zulu resumed his seat.

The Deputy Chairperson: Order!

I think, there is a need to counsel one another. We have one Speaker, one Deputy Speaker and one Deputy Chairperson of Committees of the Whole House. So, take that into account. I am surprised that, even after being here for a long time, you have forgotten about this.

Laughter

Mr Zulu: Mr Speaker, I meant the debater. Thank you for allowing me to debate the President’s Speech at the Official Opening of the Fourth Session of the Eleventh National Assembly. I join all the hon. Members of the House who have debated the Motion before me in congratulating the President on his Speech to this august House and the nation at large.

Sir, my ministry superintends over three important sectors, namely, mining, energy and water, which are crucial to the development process of our country. However, my debate will be confined to the energy and water sectors.

Mr Speaker, energy is a crucial ingredient in any country’s development as well as the achievement of the millennium development goals (MDGs) and, overall, to the achievement of our Vision 2030. As a ministry, we have been working hard to ensure adequate and reliable supply of energy at the lowest economic, social and environmental cost. 

Sir, as was stated by the President in his Address to this House, my ministry will continue to implement projects in the generation, transmission and distribution of power.

Sir, currently, the nation’s total electricity generation capacity stands at 2,316 MW from the previous 1,800 MW. When we got into the Government, we could only generate 1,800 MW but, now, we generate 2,316 MW. This is attributed to the completion of the Kariba North Bank Extension Project and the heavy fuel oil power plant in Ndola, which gave us 360 MW and 50MW, respectively. With more projects under implementation, by 2016, we envisage that there will be an additional capacity of about 548MW to the national grid. With the coming of the new projects, the transmission will be constrained. Hence, the need to reinforce, rehabilitate and upgrade the power transmission and distribution infrastructure. The ministry, through the Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation (ZESCO) is constructing the 330 KV Pensulo/Mpika/Kasama transmission line. Currently, a 66 KV line connects Pensulo to Muchinga, the Northern and Luapula provinces. However, the voltage is low, hence the need for the line to be upgraded.

Sir, just like Muchinga, the Northern and Luapula provinces, the Eastern Province is also experiencing a low-voltage profile due to the limited transmission capacity of the 66 KV from Pensulo to the province. To alleviate the problem, the ministry is constructing the 330 KV line from Pensulo to Chipata. Other projects include the Lusaka Transmission and Distribution Reinforcement Project, the Zambia-Tanzania-Kenya Power Interconnector Project, which the hon. Minister visited recently. He went to Tanzania, where he met his fellow hon. Ministers to discuss this big interconnector project. There is also the Kafue-Muzuma-Victoria Falls, which is a 330 MW transmission project. 

Mr Speaker, someone said that we are not doing anything in the North-Western Province. However, there is a lot we are doing there, and I have been talking about this. We are undertaking a US$163 million power project and the contractor is already on site. The contractor has set up sites at Lumwana, Mufumbwe and Mwinilunga and US$18 million has already been provided to kick off the project. This very big project will ensure that all the districts in the North-Western Province will be connected to the national grid.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Zulu: Mr Speaker, just last month, I was in Mufumbwe with Hon. Konga to commission a project. I was also in Kabompo, where we commissioned two new projects. Therefore, how can anyone say that we are not doing anything in the North-Western Province?

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear! We are working.

Mr Zulu: Mr Speaker, access to electricity is one of the key factors in successful rural development, as it provides light and electrical energy for productive uses which, in turn, leads to improved social and economic standards and quality of life for the rural communities.

Mr Speaker, as a way of increasing access to electricity in rural areas, the ministry will continue to implement the Rural Electrification Master Plan (REMP) 2008-2030. From 2006 to 2013, 122 grid extension projects, 327 solar projects and five sub-stations have been implemented.

Mr Speaker, under the petroleum sub-sector, the ministry will continue to ensure adequate, reliable, secure and affordable supply of petroleum products. To ensure supply of petroleum products at competitive and fair prices, the Government is constructing filling stations in rural areas. Phase I of the project is under way with the construction of two filling stations in Mporokoso and Luwingu.

Mr Speaker, in order to ensure security of supply, the ministry will continue to construct and rehabilitate provincial fuel storage facilities. Two provincial depots have already been completed and commissioned. The Lusaka Depot was commissioned in August, 2013, and the Mpika Depot was commissioned in September, 2014. The Solwezi and Mongu fuel depots are still under construction. Last week, I was in Mongu, where the Government has just given K40 million to a contractor to build an access road. We had a challenge in Mongu because we had no access road.

Mr Speaker, under the renewable energy sub-sector, the ministry will continue to implement the following:

(a)    electrification of public infrastructure using solar energy;

(b)    promoting solar energy for water pumping;

(c)    promoting the installation of solar street lighting; and

(d)    promoting the use of solar water heaters, among others.

Mr Speaker, when you tell people that you will do this and that, they will listen and understand but, if they see something happening, they will believe. The people of Zambia now believe in this Government because they are able to see what we are doing.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwila: They believe in Sata.

Mr Zulu: We have heard from certain quarters that this and that project was started by this and that Government. Life is not about starting, but about finishing. You could be a very good man up to the time you are forty or fifty years old but, when you sin thereafter, you will go to hell.

The Deputy Chairperson: I hope you are on the same page.

Interruptions 

Mr Zulu: Sorry, Sir.

Mr Speaker, I still remember my grandfather, a long time ago, saying, “Charles, there are two types of failures. There are those who think, but do not do. They just think brilliant ideas and put things on paper, but do not implement them. The other group of failures is of those people who do things without thinking”.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Interruptions

The Deputy Chairperson: Order!

The Deputy Minister of Transport, Works, Supply and Communication (Col. Kaunda): Mr Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity to debate the President’s Speech. I join my colleagues in thanking the President for a wonderful presentation. I also join Hon. Charles Zulu in paying tribute to the President who, despite being unwell, came and showed us how to be leaders. May I also pay tribute to my colleagues who have joined us from various constituencies by winning the by-elections. I also give courage to those who did not go through. There is always tomorrow. 

Sir, allow me to express my sincere condolences to the young lady who killed herself because of not being given a bursary by the Government. It is a shame that, fifty years after Independence, we had a situation like what happened last week. It is the wish of this Government that this never happens again in this country.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Col. Kaunda: Sir, to ensure that this never happens again, we must give hope to our young people that there is life over and above having a university degree. Over the years, we have forgotten about the vocational skills that we must have to build this country. This building we are seated in right now was not built by doctors, lawyers or engineers, but by bricklayers, carpenters and electricians. These are the skills that we have lost in Zambia. 

Sir, I went around with colleagues to all the colleges in this country to see what skills training programmes are left. Today, if you want to build a house, you must get a carpenter from Zimbabwe. If you are in Lundazi, you need a carpenter from Malawi. In Zozwe, you also have to get a painter from Malawi. Zambia has lost the skills it was supposed to have to develop.

Sir, we are going through a boom in construction, but where are our artisans? Therefore, it is important that my ministry, working with the Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education, embarks on a programme to make skills training colleges attractive to our youths by working out a programme to create construction companies in skills training colleges and registering them with the National Council for Construction (NCC). At the Ministry of Transport, Works, Supply and Communication, there is what we call an affirmative programme. We will allocate projects in this country to the companies in skills colleges. Initially, the idea is for the colleges to go out in the country and get all the youths that they have trained over the years, such as carpenters, bricklayers and mechanics into the colleges to work as artisans. They will come to work in co-operatives. When we give contracts to the co-operatives, they will be supervised by the colleges, themselves. What we will do is that 90 per cent of all the profits that will accrue from these projects will go to the co-operatives and, ultimately, to the youngsters who will work on the project. The other 10 per cent will go to the colleges to enhance skills training and other activities. 

Sir, when we went around with my colleagues, what we saw was a very deplorable situation. All the colleges have equipment that is archaic and belongs in a museum. There are only two colleges that are worth talking about. One is in Mufulira, under Mopani Copper Mines (MCM) Plc while the other is the Solwezi Skills Training Institute. These two colleges are, at least, using modern equipment for learning. We hope that the Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education will improve the skills colleges so that people can go there and train properly.

Sir, if you advertise a recruitment for army, police and Zambia National Service officers, you will have responses from a thousand young people because they know that any training they will undergo will get them a job whereas our children that go to colleges do not have this privilege. When they graduate, they go around the country with papers in their hands looking for work that is never there. Hence, the colleges are not attractive to them. With this programme, we will make sure that every child who graduates from college will be deployed into co-operatives the following day to continue working. That way, since they will be getting a lot of money, we hope that they will attract other youths to the colleges. We want our children to make the colleges their first choice of career development, not where they go when they have failed everything else. That way, we will have a team that will build this country.

Sir, most of the construction companies that come here bring their equipment and, when the jobs are done, all the equipment is taken away to where they get the next contract while we only remain with the tarred road. If this continues, we will have beautiful roads in the country, but no skills or anything else. Unemployment will not end because, after the road is finished, the drivers of dump trucks, water bowsers and graders will be unemployed because the contractor would have moved on to another country where he or she gets a new contract. To stop that, we will train our boys and girls to run the machines so that they own the equipment. We want a contractor who comes here to build a road to find the equipment here so that, when they leave, the equipment remains here. The skills also remain. That way, we will have a base on which to develop and promote our own contractors. In twenty years, they will be big enough to bid for contracts within or outside Zambia. Currently, our boys and girls are only being used as labourers. However, in this programme, we will sub-contract them to various companies and facilitate their access to loan schemes. Using the contracts as security, we will loan them the equipment they will need to use. This will also help us to solve the issue of inadequate road maintenance. Today, we build beautiful roads but, due to a lack of maintenance, they will be damaged within a few years. 

Sir, secondly, we hope that, with this equipment, we can re-establish road camps that will be used to maintain our roads in the future. 

On railways, Sir, … 

Mr Mubukwanu: Akatambala ka white kali kwi?

Col. Kaunda: The handkerchief?

Laughter

Col. Kaunda: It is dirty.

Laughter

Col. Kaunda: Sir, Zambia Railways Limited is on its way to being resuscitated. We saw, yesterday, on television, that the company is able to move many tonnes of fertiliser into the country. That means that it is able to move anything else. The time has come for this country to tell our importers and exporters to use rail transport. We are spending trillions of money in this country to rebuild roads that are being damaged, mostly, by foreign truckers. We want to stop this exercise by forcing them to transport their goods by rail …

Mr Mubukwanu: Hear, hear!

Col. Kaunda: … to save our roads. 

Sir, we have to improve our railways. Currently, we have the Chipata-Mchinji Railway, which goes up to Nacara. We also have the Tanzania-Zambia Railways Authority (TAZARA) and our Zambia Railways Limited (ZRL). We will extend the railway line from Chipata to Mpika to open up that corridor to the Eastern Corridor.

Mr Kapeya: Hear, hear!

Col. Kaunda: We also have the railway from Nseluka to Mpulungu Port. The port will be rehabilitated to facilitate exports to the Great Lakes. We will do all these things because, if we do not, we will destroy our roads.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Col. Kaunda: Sir, last week, we were debating the price of mealie meal. Even if we are able to produce 5 million tonnes of maize, the price of maize will not come down.

Mr Chipungu: Why?

Col. Kaunda: The issue is not how much we produce, but how much milling capacity we have in the country. In the rural areas, people do not complain about the price of mealie meal …

Hon. Opposition Members: Aah!

Interruptions

Col. Kaunda: … because the villager …

Interruptions

Col. Kaunda: … will go to the grinding mill ...

Mr Mwimba H. Malama: Yes! Listen!

Col. Kaunda: The villager ─ Letako amenshi, boyi ─

Laughter

Col. Kaunda: ─ will go to the grinding mill.

Mr Pande: Ulenwako amenshi we mwaume.

Laughter

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwimba H. Malama: Alifye bwino, Panji.

Col. Kaunda: The villager takes his maize and sunflower to the mill and mills them into mealie meal and cooking oil, respectively. He does not need to buy them from a shop. Working with the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, we intend to form co-operatives for our young boys and girls and allocate them hammer mills, …

Dr Kaingu: Does that fall under your ministry?

Col. Kaunda: … ox pullers …

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Col. Kaunda: … and dehullers so that they are able to mill in towns, not only in the villages. Next …

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

The Deputy Chairperson: A point of order is raised.

Mr Nkombo: Mr Speaker, I am very troubled listening to the hon. Deputy Minister of Transport, Works, Supply and Communication, who is speaking at the record speed of twenty-two words per minute. 

It is general practice, Sir, and you will agree with me that, when hon. Ministers make statements, as you guided earlier, they ought not to wonder around, but use their written speeches. It has become apparent to me that Hon. Col. Panji Kaunda has veered off issues relevant to his ministry to start speaking about …

Dr Kaingu: Agriculture.

Mr Nkombo: … agricultural marketing …

Dr Kaingu: Education.

Mr Nkombo: … because he is not restricting himself to the speech that was written for him by the technocrats in his ministry. Is he in order to continue in that way so that we do not get the benefit of what the actual response of the Directors of Policy in the ministry are saying about the President’s Speech? 

I seek you ruling, Sir.

The Deputy Chairperson: The ruling is that if, in fact, the hon. Minister veered of his speech, he is reminded to get back to it so that we can transact our business efficiently.

May the hon. Minister, continue.

Col. Kaunda: Sir, I have been talking about youth employment, which the President gave our ministry to facilitate. He said that we must seek employment for the Zambian youths. This is one of the things we are doing through the affirmative programme. Because the colleges that we are talking about train mechanics - it is those mechanics who cannot be builders or carpenters whom we will give the machines to for use - the President has ordered us to come up with job creation activities …

The Deputy Chairperson: Order!

Let me guide again. I marvel at your memory, but it is important to stick to your speech. I know that you may have a photographic memory so that, even if you do not look at the speech, you are able to know what is there. However, you are advised to read the speech.

Col. Kaunda: Sir, on waterways, we will improve them. Currently, we are building the Livungo Canal, which will link Shang’ombo to Angola. This will facilitate a lot of trade between the two. When that happens, we have to improve the roads that lead from Shang’ombo to Sesheke so that the transportation of the goods that will be coming through will be easy. This is another way of creating employment for our people in Shang’ombo and creating an environment conducive for development there. We hope that, with these things, Shang’ombo will change in terms of development and economics.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwila: Landa, mudala, nomba, landa.

The Deputy Minister of the North-Western Province (Mr Mubukwanu): Mr Speaker, let me begin by expressing my deep appreciation to you for the opportunity to debate this Motion. Secondly, allow me to extend my courtesies to all the new hon. Members of Parliament who have joined us from the recently-held by-elections. 

Sir, I would like to congratulate His Excellency the President on delivering the Speech. As a believer in good governance, His Excellency the President implored the hon. Members of this House to individually and collectively continue fulfilling its legislative and oversight responsibility for and on behalf of the people of Zambia. To this effect, it is the responsibility of every hon. Member of this House to prioritise Parliamentary business over any other business. This concern by the President addresses the practice of some of the hon. Members of this House who simply come to register their presence and, thereafter, leave the House.

Mr Speaker, like in the previous Addresses, when His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Michael Sata, officially opened Parliament, he reiterated his personal commitment and that of his Government to moving this country forward and decisively towards the eradication of poverty and underdevelopment, as indicated on Page 3 of Volume 1 of his Speech. 

Mr Speaker, the President assured the nation, through his Address to this House, that our Government is firmly of the view that meaningful economic transformation remains fundamental to our collective prosperity, as a nation. The President went further to elucidate this point that Zambia, under the PF Government, has continued to post robust economic growth in excess of 6 per cent. 

Sir, this point is evidenced by the change in Zambia’s rating from stable to positive by Fitch. The Fitch Ratings Group was founded in 1913, as is known and, for 100 years, its independent and prospective credit ratings, commentary and research have been making the future a little more predictable. Its global expertise draws on local market knowledge and spans the fixed income universe.

Mr Speaker, the rating agency accorded Zambia a positive outlook from stable on account of the positive and practical measures the PF Government has employed in the economic affairs of this country. 

Mr Speaker, in acknowledging the positive change in Zambia’s rating, Standard Chartered Bank Zambia Managing Director, Mr Andrew Okai indicated that the change in outlook to positive was important for Zambia to continue to attract investment and showcase the country as being on the right track.

Mr Speaker, the people of Zambia have just recently done their own rating by giving us four Parliamentary victories as opposed to two for those whom we competed against.

Hon. Government Member: Hear, hear!

Mr Mubukwanu: Mr Speaker, this, in itself, is a very clear statement of the Zambian people’s confidence in the PF Government.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mubukwanu: Mr Speaker, His Excellency the President, in his address, also outlined key areas that require focusing by the Government if we have to continue registering positive growth and match towards fighting poverty in our country. Some of these include quality education from primary, secondary, tertiary through to university levels. As a matter of fact, His Excellency, in his Address, unequivocally directed the hon. Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education to operationalise these institutions without any further delays. 

Under this sector, the North-Western Province is a beneficiary of one of the three university colleges that will be built in this country.

Mr Speaker, the President spoke about His Government’s quest to improve the healthcare sector by outlining measures to mitigate the shortages of skilled health personnel, efficient management of drugs, procurement of specialised equipment and supporting health infrastructure, which includes Ikeleng’i District Hospital and the many ambulances that we have received, as a province. With all these efforts put in place, the President desires to see a reduction in referrals abroad. 

Mr Speaker, His Excellency the President reiterated his Government’s commitment to improving the living standards of the rural populace. Through the massive infrastructure development undertaken by the PF Government, service delivery to rural areas will be accelerated. As a matter of fact, the massive infrastructure developments we are witnessing will, ultimately, enhance economic activities in both urban and rural areas of our country. 

Mr Sikazwe: Hear, hear!

Mr Mubukwanu: Beginning from 2014, the Government has embarked on a grid extension project to connect all the districts in the province to the national power grid at the cost of US$163 million, as my colleague from the Ministry of Mines, Energy and Water Resources debated.

Mr Speaker, you can imagine how much this shall transform the economy and lives of our people in the North-Western Province. To date, our people have been dependent on diesel generated power, which is only supplied to them at specified times.

Mr Speaker, the North-Western Province is poised to make its contribution to the 1 million metric tonnes of copper production by 2017, when Kalumbila Mine under the Trident Project goes into full production in the near future.

Sir, the province will continue receiving a fair share of these resources accordingly. The major roads have been earmarked for construction under the Link Zambia 8,000 Project and most of them are already at different stages of procurement.

Mr Speaker, the Government is at full speed to diversify the economy of the North-Western Province from being a mining to an agriculture-based one with the promotion of the livestock sector and crop production. 

Sir, this Government has done very well in a very short period. We have seen many jobs created in various sectors of the economy, with most of them coming from construction and agriculture.

Mr Speaker, although some people have debated against the temporary nature of such jobs, particularly in the construction sector, the fact still remains that these youth, for now, are assured a source of livelihood. As Government, we can only urge them to develop a culture of saving so that, tomorrow, they will have something to fall on. There is no job that is permanent. As such, we must all plan beyond our present day incomes.

Mr Speaker, those who are endowed with the art of listening skills will find the President’s Speech very clear in what this Government is all about. The President’s aspirations for this country are attainable. So, let us all pool our energies together for the betterment of our country.

Mr Speaker, His Excellency the President, in his Address, spoke at length on the subject of Zambia’s Golden Jubilee celebrations. I want to seize this opportunity and extend an invitation to all hon. Members of Parliament from the North-Western Province to the Golden Jubilee celebrations to be held in the North-Western Province, starting on 23rd October, 2014. I hope and believe that the hon. Member for Zambezi West can help co-ordinate this particular event on the other side.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mufalali (Senanga): Mr Speaker, I thank you for giving me the opportunity to add a few words to the Speech by the President. 

Ms Lubezhi: Hear, hear!

Mr Mufalali: I will be very brief so that my elder brother, Hon. J. J. Mwiimbu, can add something.

Mr Speaker, I looked through the Speech by the President, and I was forced to look at the definition of ‘speech’ by Steven Allan, and he has this to say:

“The area in which poor education shows up first is in self expression, oral or written. It makes little difference how many university courses or degrees a person may own. If he cannot use words to move an idea from one point to another, his education is incomplete.  The first purpose of education is to enable a person to speak up and be understood. Incoherence is no virtue. Feeble language is the surest reflection of feeble mentality.”

Mr Speaker, I looked at this Speech and realised that, indeed, there was nothing in it. I say so because there are pronouncements here about the economy growing, political progress and progress in the social spheres and other sectors.

Ms Lubezhi: Hear, hear!

Mr Mufalali: Mr Speaker, however, these are not discernible anywhere in Senanga.

Ms Lubezhi: Hear, hear!

Mr Mufalali: Mr Speaker, I want to echo the statement by the hon. Member of Parliament for Namwala. She said that this Speech does not reflect the needs of the people. It was so empty, in short. 

Mr Speaker, it is disheartening to learn that the day the President stood here and tried to read his Speech, it was incoherent to me and did not appeal to any Senanga resident, and even to the House, I would say.

Mr Speaker, what political progress is there when the President failed to tell us the progress he has made in ensuring that this country is unified? Even before coming here, the President should have ensured that there is unity in this country. As far as I am concerned, there is no more unity in this country.

Mr Chilangwa: On a point of order, Sir.

Interruptions

Mr Mwimba H. Malama: Point of order!

Interruptions

The Deputy Chairperson: Order!

 A point of order is raised.

Mr Chilangwa: Mr Speaker, I thank you, and as you know, I do not rise to make points of order, except on very serious issues.

Mr Speaker, is the hon. Member of Parliament in order to be so blind to what is happening in Senanga? This Patriotic Front (PF) Government is constructing a bridge, has finished constructing a road and there are many other development projects that it has implemented there. Is this hon. Member of Parliament in order not to differentiate between the blindness of the United Party for National Development (UPND) and what the people are able to see President Sata doing?

Mr Speaker, I seek your serious ruling.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

The Deputy Chairperson: Order!

The serious ruling is that you have sufficiently debated your point of order.

Mr Mufalali: Mr Speaker, I was saying that it is very difficult to ensure that there is political unity in this country. Just a few months ago, I was with my president, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, in Mongu.

Mr Mwila: Doing what?

Mr Mufalali: Mr Speaker, they are talking about political development and ensuring that political parties have the freedom to express themselves and indicate the programmes that they want to bring to the people. However, you have a situation where a political party in the name of the PF sent a junior officer-in-charge to go and stop a programme on a radio station. I have the documents to prove that. They were signed by a mere inspector called J. B. Kasanda, Officer-in-Charge, Mongu Central Police. He wrote that programmes that were supposed to be aired on radio should cease henceforth. Now, which political progress are they talking about?

Ms Lubezhi: Hear, hear!

Mr Mufalali: Mr Speaker, which political progress are they talking about when they are stopping other political players from bringing out their ideologies? They have failed on that score and they should not come here and call it progress. It is not progress.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mufalali: Mr Speaker, they have taken us back twenty years, when we were a one-party State. It should never have happened. Which social progress are they talking about? When you go to Senanga, you will literally be moving on a tarmac, yet they say there is progress. There is no progress. Teachers in Senanga still walk seven days to get to the Boma for their salaries. A teacher stays seven days in the Boma before going back. When he gets back to the school, do you think he will teach anything? Do you call that progress? Never.

Mr Speaker, the President talked about political violence. Our friends in the PF are talking about fighting violence. Which violence are they talking about? Only yesterday, one of their hon. Ministers was crying …

Hon. Opposition Members: Eh!

Mr Mufalali: Mr Speaker, he was crying and saying that he would resign. Buta, I will resign. They are saying that they are going to fight violence when their own hon. Ministers are crying in public …

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mufalali: Mr Speaker, that has never happened in this country. An hon. Minister has never cried because of violence …

Hon. Opposition Member: On the whole continent, actually.

Mr Mufalali: … on the whole continent, I would say.

Mr Speaker, they are telling us that they will ensure that, when we celebrate the fifty years of Independence, there will be peace. How will they do that when they have failed to remove the logs in their own eyes? Now, they want to tell this nation that they will fight crime and ensure that there is no political violence. There is nothing they can tell us about political violence. They are too violent, as the PF.

Ms Lubezhi: Hear, hear!

Mr Mufalali: Mr Speaker, at the airport, they killed their own cadre. In Livingstone, they killed their own cadre, again. They have been fighting among themselves.

Mr Speaker, let me tell them that the PF Government will never be the same. They are gone. Pay day is coming some day. They have taken this country back where it was not supposed to be. When you go to Kanyama, today, there is a bus stop that people call Chabwino Ayende. The people are telling us that it will be better when the PF Government goes out of power. They are saying, “Chabwino ayende” because they have suffered.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kampyongo: On a point of order, Sir.

The Deputy Chairperson: Order!

A point of order is raised.

Mr Kampyongo:  Mr Speaker, thank you for allowing me to raise a point of order.

Mr Speaker, I have been following the hon. Member’s debate and I appreciate his limitations in terms of communication. He has employed a language that we cannot understand in this House, and we cannot make head or tail of what he is saying. He has even opted to draw our police officers into his debate, and has made allegations that he cannot even prove. Is he in order to continue debating in such a fashion? This is a dignified House and the language to be used is very clear. Is he in order to start using a language which we cannot understand?

Mr Speaker, I seek your serious ruling.

The Deputy Chairperson: Order!

The serious ruling is that the Chairperson was not aware of the language which you are complaining of. If it is ‘Chabwino ayende’ you are complaining of, the hon. Member is requested to translate it for the sake of those who do not understand the language. 

Hon. Opposition Members: It is a name!

The Deputy Chairperson: However, if it is a name, he has put it the way it is called.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mufalali: Mr Speaker, I was saying that the people are so fed up with the PF Government. They are now giving places names like Chabwino ayende. This means, “It is better they go”. They are fed up. Chabwino ayende. Someone must go. I am talking about facts, and I will lay this on the Table. This is a letter from a junior officer cancelling meetings of a political party. We were coming from the Litunga’s Palace when we were blocked by fifteen vehicles. They blocked a political leader who has hon. Members of Parliament involved in the formulation of laws in this country.

Mr Nkombo: Us!

Mr Mufalali: Mr Speaker, we were stopped. Hon. Mutelo was there. It should never happen in a democratic State. Political leaders should not be stopped from paying courtesy calls on traditional leaders.  You are dividing this country. Chabwino ayende. 

Mr Speaker, the PF Government cannot preach peace anymore because it has divided this country. What we saw yesterday, the conflict between the Ngoni and Chewa people, should not happen. You are the people authorising those things. What you are trying to do in Kaoma should not happen. Try to bring this country together. Otherwise, you are dividing us and you will never manage to bring it back together if you proceed in that direction.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear.

Mr Mufalali: It will never happen. Chabwino ayende.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mufalali: Mr Speaker, of the eleven minutes I have remaining, I want to use only one to talk about infrastructure so that Hon. J. J. Mwiimbu gets my ten minutes. 

Laughter 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mufalali: Mr Speaker, the promises of the PF Government with regard to infrastructure development have not come to fruition. Are you trying to tell us that one size fits all? Simply because you are building roads and universities in certain parts of the country, you want to believe that the same is happening in Senanga and other areas in the Western Province.   

Ms Lubezhi: Namwala!

Mr Mufalali: You are not doing anything in Senanga. 

Ms Lubezhi: Hear, hear!

Mr Mufalali: You are not doing anything in Mongu. You are not doing anything. 

Hon. Government Members: Question!

Mr Mufalali: In fact, it was an insult to the people of Mongu to be told that traffic lights are a development project. You cannot tell us that traffic lights are development because students can now read and write. 

Laughter 

Mr Mufalali: We never had traffic lights when we were growing up, but here we are. We can speak and represent the people. 

Ms Lubezhi: Hear, hear!

Mr Mufalali: It is, therefore, an insult for you to tell us that traffic lights are part of development. That is not development. You go beyond Mongu and see for yourselves the suffering of the people. You want to believe that a road being built from some place to Mporokoso, through your constituency, is development. People are suffering out there. You are not building any infrastructure at all. 

Mr Speaker, the people of Senanga still walk long distances. It was in this House that the hon. Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education promised that Government projects would be implemented. To date, nothing has been done and we are coming to the end of the financial year. Developmental projects in Lundazi, Senanga and Nalolo have not been done, to date. 

Mr Nkombo: Even Mazabuka!

Mr Mufalali: Yet you want to believe that things are happening. Nothing is happening. Where are they happening where we cannot see them? 

Ms Lubezhi: Hear, hear!

Mr Mufalali: Mr Speaker, the Western Province has been impoverished to levels that are unprecedented. This should not continue. You want to give us crumbs that fall from your tables to share amongst ourselves. The college of mathematics and science, which they said they would build in Senanga, Mr Speaker, was instead built in Nalolo. You think we can fight over those crumbs? 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear

Mr Mufalali: You build two universities in one place yet, when you come to Senanga, you change your minds and say you cannot build a college of mathematics and science because there exists, already, a nursing school and, instead, build it in Nalolo. If you think that we will fight over this, we will not because we deserve better. 

Ms Lubezhi: Hear, hear!

Mr Mufalali: Mr Speaker, infrastructure in the Western Province is non-existent. Hon. Dr Kalila asked this Government to tell this House what projects it had started, but His Honour the Vice-President failed to tell us.  

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mufalali: All the projects it is working on now are a continuation from the previous Government. It is just completing what the Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) Government started. Which projects have you started that we can praise you for?

Ms Lubezhi: Hear, hear!

Mr Mufalali: You have failed us. We deserve better. 

Mr Chisala: On a point of order, Sir. 

The Deputy Chairperson: A point of order is raised. This will be the last one.

Mr Chisala: Mr Speaker, I thank you for giving me the opportunity to raise this point of order. 

Sir, is my colleague in order to purport that there is no development in the Western Province when, in fact, people out there are able to see what this able Government is doing for them? 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chisala: In fact, there are over ten ward councillors who have resigned from the Opposition after seeing the development that we have taken there. 

 I need your serious ruling, Sir. 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

The Deputy Chairperson: The serious ruling is that the hon. Member debating is in order. 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

The Deputy Chairperson: As you know, here, there is a contest of facts. You have a chance to dispute what they are saying and they have a chance to dispute what you are saying. 

Hon. Member for Senanga, you may continue. 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mufalali: Mr Speaker, finally, I want to say that the PF has refused to hearken. To hearken means to stop and listen. You refuse to stop and listen when people are advising you. You want to argue and shut your ears and pull up your shoulders. This is what it means to refuse to hearken and, because you are refusing to listen, you will definitely perish. You are not going anywhere. 

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

Mr Mufalali laid the paper on the Table. 

Mr Mwila: That is not necessary!

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwiimbu (Monze Central): Mr Speaker, I would like to thank you for giving me this opportunity to debate the purported Speech of His Excellency the President to this House.

Interruptions

The Deputy Chairperson: Order, on my left!

You are consulting too loudly. 

Mr Mwiimbu: Mr Speaker, I have been in this House for the last fourteen years. 

Interruptions

Mr Mwiimbu: I have listened to Speeches that have been given on the Floor of this House. On days when Speeches have been given by the different Presidents, happiness and jubilation has been the order of the day. 

Sir, 19th September, 2014, the day His Excellency the President delivered this last Speech, was so sombre and traumatising and the Floor of this House so silent that one could hear a pin drop. This shows that there was something wrong with this day. It will go down in history as the day we never applauded or showed happiness with regards to the Speech delivered by His Excellency the President. 

Mr Speaker, as I debate this circulated document, reflecting the vision and intentions of the PF, I would like to state that my father was a secretary of the Africa National Congress (ANC) at the ward level when we were fighting for our Independence. One of the issues that the ANC and other freedom fighters were advocating to achieve was the right to vote. They advocated for the right to vote because the constitution of the then Government discriminated against Africans. They achieved this right. My younger brother was named ‘Vote’ because of the achievement our people made with regard to the amendment of the Constitution. 

Laughter 

Mr Mwiimbu: Mr Speaker, I am highlighting the fact that the struggle by the people of Zambia for a Constitution that does not discriminate started more than fifty years ago. To date, we are still grappling with the need to have a people-driven constitution that will not discriminate against its own citizens. 

This afternoon, I listened to Hon. Masebo’s debate. Her debate made very sad hearing because she trivialised the issue of the rights of women being represented on the Floor of this House. She failed to state that there are very few women in this House because of a failed Constitution. She has failed to indicate …

Hon. Government Members: Question!

Mr Mwiimbu: Yes! 

Mr Speaker, the current Constitution does not enable our womenfolk to compete favourably with our men. 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwiimbu: It is because of the failed constitution. Article 23 of the Constitution of Zambia discriminates against women. This is a fact. 

Mr Nkombo: On a point of order, Sir. 

The Deputy Chairperson: A point of order is raised. 

Mr Nkombo: Sir, I need a ruling from you. 

The Deputy Chairperson: You are very lucky because I said that I would not allow any more points of order. However, I will grant it. 

Mr Nkombo: I appreciate, Sir. I truly do.

Mr Speaker, hon. Members and, probably, everyone listening to Parliament Radio, are aware that this day was dedicated for hon. Members on the right of your Chair to debate. This entails that the slot for those of us on your left had expired. 

Sir, your hon. Members on your right failed to rise and debate less than twenty minutes ago. 

Mr Sikazwe: Question!

Mr Nkombo: Sir, because the Standing Orders state that we knock off at 19:55 hours, you used your wisdom to allow this House to continue working.

Mr Speaker, they have failed to articulate the policy direction in the President’s Speech, and I would like to single out the hon. Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education because I heard him talk and saw him point at the hon. Member of Parliament for Monze Central, who is trying to make a point. Are they in order to debate through points of order, like Hon. Chisala has done, and through the hon. Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education, who was once a student union leader, …

Laughter 

Mr Nkombo: ... and disturb somebody who is trying to do his work as assigned by the Zambian people? Are they in order to continue doing business in that manner? 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

The Deputy Chairperson: The serious ruling is that the point of order that was raised by the hon. Deputy Minister of Community Development, Mother and Child Heath was adequately handled through my ruling. The Chair is not aware of the alleged communication between the hon. Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education, and the hon. Member of Parliament for Monze Central who has, so far, shown no disruption in his debate because he is debating very vigorously, but in a focused manner. I have not seen any disturbance in between.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwiimbu: Mr Speaker, I was saying that the Constitution of this country is flawed. The Constitution of Zambia is flawed to the extent that Article 23 of the same discriminates against women. I am aware, as Chairperson of the Committee on Legal Affairs, Gender and Human Rights, that the Clause has been contested by the womenfolk of this country. They have been demanding that it be amended so that there should be no discrimination. 

Sir, the women of this country have been denied the right of representation in this House because of the failed Constitution.

Ms Lubezhi: Yes!

Mr Mwiimbu: The women of this country have been demanding proportional representation so that their numbers are increased on the Floor of this House. However, this Patriotic Front (PF) Government has been consistently refusing to allow a new Constitution that will enable our womenfolk enhance their presence on the Floor of this House. 

Ms Lubezhi: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwiimbu: The people of Zambia, as I indicated earlier, have been demanding a new Constitution since the struggle for Independence so that their rights are protected. The PF Government, through deceit, misled them in 2011 and told them that it would give them a new Constitution within ninety days. However, after gaining power through deceit, it has changed and decided to tell us that we do not need a new Constitution, and that it will only make amendments if need arose. That is not what the people of Zambia have been demanding.

Sir, the Vice-President is on record saying that, if the people of Zambia were willing, they would come with a consensus to Parliament and make amendments. Is that what the people of Zambia want? 

Hon. Opposition Members: No!

Mr Mwiimbu: They want a new Constitution enacted and the want one repealed. 

Hon. Government Members: Which Zambians?

Mr Mwiimbu: Mr Speaker, fortunately, we will be celebrating fifty years of Independence. Those who are independent of wisdom will continue making noise because that is what they have achieved in life. They fought against wisdom and will continue making noise. 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwiimbu: Mr Speaker, the Constitution of Zambia, which confers the President the right to nominate eight hon. Members of Parliament, has been abused. No single woman has been nominated and, because of the failure to utilise that window, the number of women has not been increased. The President has the right to do so. If he had noticed that the women of this country are under-represented, he would have used that provision to nominate only women but, because he does not believe in the intelligence of women, he only nominated men. 

Interruptions

Mr Mwiimbu: Sir, are we saying that it is only the men who are intelligent in this country? The answer is no. Do not pretend that the President has the interest of the women at heart. If he had, he would have nominated women to increase their number. 

UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mrs Kawandami: On a point of order, Mr Speaker.

Mr Mwiimbu: Mr Speaker, we are being advised that all of us, on the 24th of October, 2014, should rise and celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Independence because there is peace and stability in this country. We are also being told that everything is working in this country. That is the opinion of the PF Government. In the United Party for National Development (UPND), we will have a memorial service on 24th October, 2014. Our colleagues have killed our Independence. For the first time in the history of this country, in less than twelve months, the PF have killed more than four of its own youths.

Mr Nkombo: It is on record!

Mr Mwiimbu: Sir, it is on record. Mr Simuwelu and the other one in Rufunsa were killed. The cook for Hon. Mwaliteta was killed in Livingstone. There was another incident in Monze, in which a resident was killed by a PF cadre in cold blood. All these people were killed by PF members, but the people who have received the brunt of the brutal hand of the law in this country are the UPND members. One of them, Hon. Nkombo, was accused of murdering the PF member in Livingstone when it was known that the killing was done under the hand of their members. The people who suffered are our members. 

Hon. UPND Members: Shame!

Mr Mwiimbu: Mr Speaker, Hon. Nkombo was incarcerated, but there has never been any apology on the part of the Government. Seventy-nine of our members were also detained, but there has never been any apology from the Government, but you want us to celebrate with you. On 24th October, 2014, we will have a memorial service. Our people have suffered under the hands of the PF Government. Whenever there is a by-election, our people have been brutalised. We have been denied the right to hold meetings in this country because of the Public Order Act, which the PF used to condemn. However, it has now found it to be a good piece of legislation and has used it to abuse the Opposition and Zambians. The PF cadres and members, who do not even notify the police, demonstrate at any time …

Mr Muntanga: Carrying coffins.

Mr Mwiimbu: … carrying coffins and whatever instruments of destruction.

Mr Nkombo: Beta malweza muchisi.

Mr Mwiimbu: They have been doing that. However, if it is a person from another political party, that one will be brutalised. Does the PF honestly believe that we, in the Opposition, are happy with what it is doing? It is inviting us to celebrate, wine and dine with it on 24th October, 2014, … 

Mr Nkombo: No!
 
Mr Mwiimbu: … but we shall wine and dine in sorrow as we commemorate the days of our Independence in the hands of the PF Government. We shall not accept to be brutalised by the PF Government. This is our country. We lost our people who fought for the independence of this country. Hon. Mulenga, who comes from Chinsali, should remember what happened to Mr Kapwepwe.

Mr Mulenga: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Mwiimbu: On, 24th October, 2014, the PF wants us to celebrate with it over what happened …

The Chairperson: Order!

May you desist from bringing other hon. Members into your debate.

Mr Mulenga: Careful!

Laughter

Mr Muntanga: He is already threatening you.

Mr Mwiimbu: I am being threatened for reminding them that we lost one of our gallant fighters by the name of Mr Kapwepwe through the abuse of the law in this country. However, I will not shudder because I believe that, if that man was not brutalised, he would have been alive.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwiimbu: Mr Speaker, our President, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, has never had a peace of mind.

Hon. Back Benchers: Why?

Mr Mwiimbu: Everyday, he is being brutalised by the police and denied his rights. Surely, does the PF expect us to celebrate with it? We will not do that. However, we shall commemorate and remember the people of Zambia who fought for this Independence. We shall remember the old men and women in Namwala … 

Ms Lubezhi: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwiimbu: … and those in Bweengwa who contributed cattle so that this country could gain Independence and have a new Constitution. 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwiimbu: We shall remember that, on 24th October, …

Interruptions

Mr Mwiimbu: … but we shall not celebrate with the PF Government. We will have a memorial service for the Independence of this country.

Mr Speaker, whenever our colleagues on your right stand, they tell us of the spaghetti roads that are being built in their constituencies. 

Interruptions

Mr Mwiimbu: However, there are no spaghetti roads in the Western, North-Western and Eastern provinces. If our friends have spaghetti roads where they are, we also need them.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwiimbu: We also need good roads for the benefit of our people. There is no offence in our requesting an equitable distribution of the resources of this country. That is what we are demanding. Some of the hon. Members actually stand here and tell us that there are universities where they come from. Maybe, we do not deserve universities where we come from. It is a pity.

Laughter

Mr Mwiimbu: Mr Speaker, I want to appeal to the PF Government, on behalf of the people of this country who also deserve development, to give us crumbs because that is what we deserve under the PF. I do not like this practice of saying you ‘also’. Are we ‘also’ ourselves?

Laughter    

Mr Mwiimbu: Mr Speaker, as Zambians, we want to be, not to be told that you will ‘also’ get something. 

Ms Lubezhi: When?

Mr Mwiimbu: We are not looking for …

Mr Nkombo: Teshi cishi chabanyina wanu.

Mr Mwiimbu: … privileges. We are demanding what is rightfully ours, as Zambians. We want the right of a Zambian to be dignified like those of others. We deserve that. We will be appropriating money through the Budget on Friday. Surely, why should you want us to be appropriating money for the benefit of others? Why should we continue to be discriminated against? We are aware that seventy constituencies have been given the Constituency Development Fund (CDF).

Hon. Government Members: Oho?

Mr Mwiimbu: However, my constituency and those in Bweengwa have not been given. Last time, we were assured that there would be no discrimination in the administration of the CDF. However, that discrimination has happened again. Why should we continue being discriminated against?

Mr Nkombo: Let us dissolve Parliament!

Mr Mwiimbu: Mr Speaker, it is our right. So, we demand what is rightly ours. We are being told that, actually, the PF is doing so well that hon. Opposition Members are resigning to join it. We are aware that those councillors in Mongu and other places were promised K15,000 if they joined the Ruling Party.

Hon. Government Members: Question!

Mr Mwiimbu: We are aware of that. You should know that, by inducing those resignations, you are creating by-elections. By creating by-elections, you are depleting the coffers of this country. Our people are dying in hospitals because you are failing to buy medicines, yet you are deliberately creating by-elections for which you find the money. It is a shame that, after fifty years of Independence, we should be talking about this, and you want us to celebrate with you. On 24th October, we shall have a memorial service.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwanza (Solwezi West): Mr Speaker, I would like to add my voice to the debate on this very interesting Motion on the Floor of Parliament.

Interruptions

The Deputy Chairperson: Order!

Mr Mwanza: Mr Speaker, I want to state that the people of Solwezi West Parliamentary Constituency and the North-Western Province, as a whole, are extremely disappointed with what the PF Government has done to them.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwanza: That is the first thing I want to say. The PF Government must know that the people of the North-Western Province and Solwezi West, in particular, are extremely disappointed with the conduct of this Government. Sir, the President’s Address on 19th September, 2014, was a disaster and not inspiring at all. In fact, as the PF, you should be accused of genocide because you are exhibiting a patient to talk to us. Only Hon. Kambwili has said that the President’s voice was bad. None of you has said that, and if we took the transcript of what has been said here, you would not see anyone saying that the President was ill. That is very unfortunate. The people of Zambia need to know the truth about the health of the President. Mr Sata is a President for all of us, not for the PF alone. So, I want to state very clearly that you people in the PF should be careful. Otherwise, you will be caught up by that statement which says ayende chani?

Hon. Opposition Members: Chabwino ayende.

Mr Mwanza: Yes, chabwino ayende.

Mr Speaker, I would now like to observe an obituary for Dr Patrick Mwewa Chikusu, the former hon. Member of Parliament for Katuba Constituency and Deputy Minister of Health in the Patriotic Front (PF) Government. May his soul rest in peace.

Interruptions

The Deputy Chairperson: Order! 

Do not debate while seated.

Mr Mwanza: Mr Speaker, I have listened to a lot of talk about by-elections here. First of all, I want to congratulate the people who have come as a result of those faulty by-elections, apart from my sister there (pointing at Hon. Kalima) and Hon. Kafwaya. These by-elections were faulty because our colleagues across paid money for them to win.

Laughter 

Mr Mwanza: I know that Hon. Namulambe was there in Solwezi and did the same.

The Deputy Chairperson: Order!

Interruptions 

The Deputy Chairperson: Order!

Mr Sing’ombe interjected.

The Deputy Chairperson: Order!

Hon. Member for Dundumwezi, you are too loud. Do not tempt me. 

As for the hon. Member on the Floor, please, do not bring other hon. Members, who are listening attentively, into your debate. Those are the rules of the game. So, please, observe them as you continue.

Mr Mwanza: Mr Speaker, I am very sorry about that, but I will proceed, nonetheless. 

Sir, these by-elections that are induced by the PF Government are very costly. My view is that, as a progressive Government, we should avoid inducing such elections because the PF Government is clearly buying voters. Our colleagues in the PF are buying people’s national registration cards (NRCs) and doing all sorts of things, but they must know …

Mr Nkombo: They are buying with sausages.

Mr Mwanza: They exchanging NRCs with sausages, which is wrong.

Mr Nkombo: It happened in Zambezi West.

Mr Mwanza: No, there is my sister there. So, I do not want to talk about that.

Interruptions 

Mr Mwanza: Mr Speaker, I would like to talk about infrastructure development, which is in the so-called Volume II of the President’s Speech. On Page 32, you will see a catalogue of what is happening on this subject. However, I am sad to state here that the Solwezi/Chingola Road remains the same. There is nothing that has happened to it in terms of development, compared with the roads elsewhere in the constituencies held by those in the Ruling Party. They have spaghetti roads, as my brother said. They have superb roads while, in Solwezi, we have dusty roads. Some of our colleagues across have been there and know very well that the houses in the township are covered in dust from the gravel roads. The Government has nothing to offer to the North-Western Province. The Chingola/Solwezi Road is an eyesore. These people (pointing at hon. Government Members) must respect the North-Western Province because that is where the money is coming from to develop their constituencies.

Hon. Government Members: Question!

Mr Mwanza: It is coming from there, whether you like it or not.

Hon. Government Members: No!

Mr Mwanza: Yes, you are developing your constituencies using funds …

Interruptions

The Deputy Chairperson: Order! 

Mr Mwanza: You are developing Muchinga. What are you talking about?

The Deputy Chairperson: Order!

Interruptions

The Deputy Chairperson: Order, on the right!

Mr Mwanza: Mr Speaker, I have been told by the people of Solwezi West that, as their hon. Member of Parliament, I must come and tell the Government that, if it does not develop the North-Western Province, the four river bridges …

The Deputy Chairperson: Order!

Laughter 

(Debate adjourned)

___________  

The House adjourned at 1955 hours until 1430 hours on Wednesday, 8th October, 2014.

QUESTION FOR WRITTEN REPLY 

CONSTRUCTION OF MIULWE/NANGULA AND LIMULUNGA/MUSHITUWAMBUNU ROADS

134. Ms Imenda (Luena) asked the Minister of Transport, Works, Supply and Communication:

(a)    when the construction of the Miulwe/Nangula and Limulunga/Mushituwambunu Roads in Luena Parliamentary Constituency would commence; and

(b)    what had caused the delay in commencing the construction works.

The Minister of Transport, Works, Supply and Communication (Mr Mukanga): Mr Speaker, works on Miulwe/Nangula Road were budgeted for in 2014 under the Rural Roads Unit (RRU). However, the funds for the works have not been released for the RRU to execute the works. Indications are that the funds will not be available in 2014. As such, they should be included in the 2015 Ministry of Local Government and Housing budget for Limulunga District. Therefore, works for the improvement of the road will commence when funds are available. 

Sir, there are no immediate plans to construct or rehabilitate the Limulunga/Mushituwambunu Road. However, the Government, through the Road Development Agency (RDA) will assess the two roads in the second quarter of 2015 to ascertain the required works and funds for its improvement.

Mr Speaker, the delay on the commencement of the works is due to delays in the release of funds.

I thank you, Sir.