Debates - Friday, 7thOctober, 2016

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Friday, 7thOctober, 2016

The House met at 0900 hours

[MR SPEAKER in the Chair]

NATIONAL ANTHEM

PRAYER

__________

ANNOUNCEMENT BY MR SPEAKER

CHANGES IN THE COMPOSITION OF THE COMMITTEES

Mr Speaker: Hon. Members, I have an announcement to make. I wish to inform the House that in accordance with the provisions of Article 80 of the Constitution and Standing Order No. 131, the Standing Orders Committee has made changes to the composition of the following Committees:

PORTFOLIO COMMITTEES

(a) Committee on Health, Community Development and Social Services
Ms P. Kasune, MP, to replace Mr M. Mutelo, MP; and

(b) Committee on Youth and Sport
Mr M. Mutelo, MP, to replace Mr H. S. Chansa, MP.

I thank you.
_________

BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE

The Vice-President (Mrs Wina): Mr Speaker, I rise to give the House some idea of the Business it will consider next week.

Sir, on Tuesday, 11th October, 2016, the Business of the House will begin with Questions, if there will be any. This will be followed by presentation of Government Bills, if there will be any. Thereafter, the House will continue with the debate on the Motion of Thanks to His Excellency the President’s Address.

Mr Speaker, on Wednesday, 12th October, 2016, the Business of the House will start with Questions, if there will be any. This will be followed by presentation of Government Bills, if there will be any. Thereafter, the House will consider Private Members’ Motions, if there will be any. The House will then continue with the debate on the Motion of Thanks to His Excellency the President’s Address.

Sir, on Thursday, 13th October, 2016, the Business of the House will commence with Questions, if there will be any. This will be followed by presentation of Government Bills, if there will be any. The House will then continue with the debate on the Motion of Thanks to His Excellency the President’s Address.

Mr Speaker, on Friday, 14th October, 2016, the Business of the House will begin with Her Honour the Vice-President’s Question Time. This will be followed by Questions to hon. Ministers, if there will be any. This will be followed by presentation of Government Bills, if there will be any. After that, the House will debate the Motion to adopt the Report of the Parliamentary Select Committee appointed to scrutinise the Presidential appointment of the Director of Public Prosecutions. Thereafter, the House will continue with the debate on the Motion of Thanks to His Excellency the President’s Address.

I thank you, Sir.

__________

Mr Speaker: Hon. Members, before we proceed to the next segment of our business, which is Her Honour the Vice-President’s Question Time, I would like to advise that although the vast majority of the hon. Members have not yet rendered their maiden speeches they are nonetheless, for convenience of the House, entitled to ask Her Honour the Vice-President questions. I must also hasten to qualify that those questions will not constitute maiden speeches. Maiden speeches will still have to be rendered in due course.

THE VICE-PRESIDENT’S QUESTION TIME

Mr Mweetwa (Choma Central): Mr Speaker, last year, Mr Lungu declared 18th October …

Hon. Government Members: President Lungu.

Interruptions

Mr Mweetwa: … as a day for national prayers.

Mr Speaker: Order! Order!

Mr Mweetwa: This year, he has gone ahead to create a ministry in charge of religious affairs and on a number of occasions in the recent past, he has been seen attending church services and, additionally, has been calling for peace …

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order! Order!

Mr Mweetwa: … and unity under the banner of One Zambia, One Nation. To the contrary of these proclamations and deeds, we have seen the highest levels of police brutality. Many of our cadres are being brutalised as evidenced in Luanshya yesterday, where …

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order! Order!

Mr Mweetwa: … five police officers descended on a defenseless woman, arrested Mr Hakainde Hichilema (HH), Mr Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba (GBM), Mr Mwaliteta and many others across the country. Another example is the Choma incident where all the people who were rounded up after the elections have all been denied bail. Now, how do they reconcile the hypocrisy of Mr Lungu on one side …

Interruptions

Mr Mweetwa: … and his actions on the other side?

Mr Speaker: Hon. Members, let us have order!

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order! Order!

Hon. Member, for avoidance of doubt, which Lungu are you referring to?

Hon. Government Members: Yes!

Mr Mweetwa: I am referring to Mr Edgar Lungu, Mr Speaker.

Mr Speaker:  In which capacity?

Mr Mweetwa: He is the President of Zambia.

Mr Speaker: Thank you.

The Vice-President (Mrs Wina): Mr Speaker, since the hon. Member of Parliament did not refer to the President of the Republic of Zambia whom we know as Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, but referred to him as Mr Lungu, I do not think it is appropriate for me to respond or give an answer.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker: Order!

Let us have order.

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order!

We can only proceed if there is order. Without order, we cannot conduct our business. Instead, we retreat. I was concerned about the same issue, which Her Honour the Vice-President has raised. There is no point in the denial of a fact. There is no denying that we have a President. This meeting would not even have started if there was no President in office. Not long ago, everybody here swore an oath of allegiance to the President. So, we are wasting time. There is a President in this country. In case we are not sure, his name is Edgar Chagwa Lungu.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker: Her Honour the Vice-President, you may respond to the question.

Hon. Government Member: Amubulele bakuluna.

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, I do not see any contradiction between the President’s religious beliefs and the police brutality that is being referred to by the hon. Member of Parliament for Choma Central Parliamentary Constituency.

Sir, it is true that 18th October was declared a Day of National Prayer, Fasting, Repentance and Reconciliation. I hope the hon. Member, together with his colleagues, will congregate with others to thank God for a peaceful Zambia that we all subscribe to. It will also be a time to thank God for the One Zambia, One Nation.

Hon. UPND Members: Aah!

Mr Kalaba: Ma Satanist saba. Teti basumine.

The Vice-President: Sir, if the hon. Member does not believe in these tenets of peace, reconciliation and unity, then Parliament is not the right place for him to be.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutale (Chitambo): Mr Speaker, my question concerns the Great North Road and the stretch between Mkushi and Serenje. The contractor who was engaged to resurface the road four to five years ago did not do a good job because he reduced the width of the road. This has led to a lot of accidents occurring on that stretch when vehicles are going in different directions at night. Are there any plans by this working Government to redo this road? I would also like to know the state of affairs as regards the maintenance period with this particular contractor.

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, it was from the realisation of the narrowness of the road and the many accidents that have occurred on that road that the Government has decided to expand it. The contractor will be on site as soon as possible.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Dr Chanda (Bwana Mkubwa): Mr Speaker, as we all know, the Sixth National Development Plan (SNDP) is coming to an end in December, this year. When does the Government plan to launch the Seventh National Development Plan (SNDP)?

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order on the left.

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, the Seventh National Development Plan (SNDP) is a medium term plan which will be implemented to meet the need for Vision 2030. Vision 2030 aims to make Zambia a prosperous and middle income Nation by the year 2030. A National Development Plan is therefore, a plan on which the Government’s investments are based. The plan looks at poverty reduction and wealth creation as a roadmap towards the development of a country. The current Seventh National Development Plan, which will be implemented from 2017 to 2021 is being finalised. Public consultations on the formulation of the plan have since been concluded. The strategic direction has been formulated and it is based on economic diversification with the primary focus being agriculture. This will be based on the outcomes, which include, reducing poverty and vulnerability in our society, reducing development inequalities and enhancing human development as well as improving the governance environment.

Mr Speaker, the plan gives the roadmap for Zambia’s economic, social and political development in the next five years. It is not only confined to the public sector, but it has a wide stakeholder participation of the private sector, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), civil society organisations and traditional leadership. The plan will be implemented using an integrated multi-sectoral approach. When finalised, the plan will be officially launched by the Head of State, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu before end of December, 2016.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Sampa (Kasama Central): Mr Speaker, I want to know the plans that the Government has put in place to resettle families of the Namwala post-election violence.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, incidences that happened in Namwala after elections have placed a very dark shadow on Zambia’s image. I am of the opinion that because of the magnitude of this scenario, it is prudent for the House to receive a comprehensive report in due course. However, the most affected area was Chikwato Fishing Camp, where thirty households were displaced. People’s houses were burnt down and the victims lost all their property.

Hon. PF Members: Shame.

The Vice-President: They were also affected families in Choma, Sinazongwe and – I have just forgotten one other area.

Mr Kalaba: Itezhi-tezhi.

The Vice-President: Yes, in Itezhi-tezhi as well.

Mr Speaker, there was denial on the part of the United Party for National Development (UPND) in particular and some area chiefs on the occurrence of this tragedy. However, I must thank the UPND, although the party denied this situation, for donating some sugar and mealie-meal to the displaced families in Namwala.

Hon. PF Member: Hear, hear!

Mr Kambwili: Ukulya nokuputilisha.

The Vice-President: I also want to extend my thanks to the Catholic Church, leader by Father Chilinda, for contributing different types of food items. Of course, the biggest donation came from the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) and the Patriotic Front (PF). In addition to food stuffs, the PF disaster management group donated seventy bicycles which have assisted these families considerably. The rest of the families are being resettled in various parts of the country. As I have indicated, they lost everything and they now depend on alms and donations from the Government and well wishers.

Mr Speaker, in future, I hope that we will not experience this type of phenomenon ever in our country because when we differ as political leaders, the people who suffer the most are our grassroots and this is not being fair. When this country goes on fire, those people will have nowhere to run to, but us leaders can get in our vehicles or planes and fly out of the country. So we are doing a disservice to our own people. Therefore, I hope this will be a lesson for all of us, especially for leaders in this House and outside.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Ndalamei (Sikongo): Mr Speaker, when the President of Zambia was addressing the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in New York, he promised the people of Barotseland that the issue of the Barotseland Agreement will be solved amicably. May I find out from Her Honour the Vice-President when the people of Barotseland will see the promise of restoring this agreement fulfilled?

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, I want the hon. Member of Parliament to realise that Barotseland is part and parcel of the ten provinces of Zambia.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order!

Can we avoid running commentaries from both sides of the House? I will now begin inviting you to leave very soon.

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, if the hon. Member of Parliament for Sikongo denies this fact, he can only look at his National Registration Card (NRC) and then tell us which country his NRC belongs to.

Laughter

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, the President of this country, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, has indicated plainly and publicly that he is willing to dialogue over this matter of the Barotseland Agreement. He still gives that commitment and assurance and, therefore, I do not see how the hon. Member of Parliament doubts that stance of the President. He is going to solve the issue of the Barotseland Agreement together with the people of Barotseland and Zambia as a whole.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Phiri (Mkaika): Mr Speaker, does Zambia have enough food knowing that the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) did not buy a lot of maize this year?

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, this country has enough food and it will have enough food in the next season because of the adequate measures that the Government is putting in place. Currently, the Government has stopped the exportation of maize just as a precautionary measure until we know the status of the Food Reserves Agency’s (FRA) purchasing capacity before exports can be allowed. However, I can assure the hon. Member that we have adequate maize in the country and will also have maize next season.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Chibanda (Mufulira): Mr Speaker, my question is on our dealings with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Is Her Honour the Vice-President in a position to shed more light to this House and the Nation at large where we are regarding the negotiations with the IMF. We keep reading in the newspapers that there austerity conditions being suggested, but it is not clear whether this is coming from the IMF or ourselves. Would Her Honour the Vice-President please tell the nation where we are.

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, the Zambian Government has not yet engaged the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in discussions on our macroeconomic management. Currently the hon. Minister of Finance is in Washington attending the regular annual spring meetings of the IMF and the World Bank. So, when Cabinet has decided on a roadmap on how to engage IMF with the country’s own economic agenda the Nation will be informed. At the moment there are no discussions that the Government has entered into with the IMF.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Lufuma (Kabompo): Mr Speaker, I have a simple question which hedges on governance. It is unfortunate that I did not bring the Post Newspaper to the Floor today.

Hon. PF Members: Ah!

Mr Lufuma: Mr Speaker, on the front page of the Post Newspaper, the Director of Komboni Radio has been beaten up and brutalised by the Patriotic Front (PF) police.

Hon. PF Members: Ah!

Mr Sikazwe: Question!

Mr Ndalamei: Police state.

Mr Lufuma: Mr Speaker, not very longin the recent past, Muvi TV was muzzled up and closed; Itezhi tezhi Radio was muzzled up and closed so was Komboni Radio.

Sir, the President of the Republic of Zambia continually refers to this Nation as democratic and emphasises that we should practice good governance and democracy.

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order, order!

Mr Lufuma: Mr Speaker, unfortunately the happenings in the real world are contrary to the President’s proclamations. May I know why the fourth estate which is an essential tenet of democracy is being muzzled and intimidated? Is it because you want to silence the Opposition or do you have any regard whatsoever for democracy. Your Honour the Vice-President how do you reconcile these two situations that is the saying and the happenings.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, first and foremost, the PF has no police.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

The Vice-President: The police belong to the Government of the Republic of Zambia.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

The Vice-President: So, to insinuate that the PF sends police to beat up people and journalists for that matter, I think it is irresponsible.

Hon. Opposition Members: Mmmm.

Mr Kambwili: Yes.

Interruptions

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, I withdraw the word, irresponsible.

Hon. Opposition Members: Yes.

The Vice-President: I think it is …

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order!

Let us give the Floor to Her Honour the Vice-President.

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, to insinuate that the PF sent police to beat up a reporter is …

Mr Kambwili: Being childish.

Laughter

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, let me inform the hon. Member that as a matter of fact the story has been turned around because we are told that the reporter assaulted the policeman…

Hon. Opposition Members: Ah!

The Vice-President… and the police reacted. However, whatever turn it took, I do not condone police brutality whether on the reporter or any other person. That is a fact.

Mr Speaker, this Government really and truly is committed to the rule of law.

Hon. Opposition Members. Hmmm.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Livune: Question!

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, if individuals want to break the law with impunity, then there is no reason why they should not be arrested or punished for the crimes they commit.

Hon. PF Members: Yes.

The Vice-President: the Government must maintain law and order in a country.

Hon. PF Members: Ah!

The Vice-President: Lawlessness in the state should not be permitted.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

The Vice-President: I would like to inform the hon. Member that if this is the course that he or his colleagues are determined to pursue, the State security wings will take the necessary action.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chama: We are in charge.

The Vice-President: I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Hon. PF Members: Ah!

Mrs Chilumba (Kalulushi): Mr Speaker, in view of the difficulties that surround the interpretation of the Amended Republican Constitution, as seen in the recent past elections and of course the various lacunas as identified therein. Does the Government have any intention to review the Constitution?

Mr Mwale: Quality.

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, Constitutions are made or formulated to meet the aspirations of the people within that country. If there are serious lacunas in our revised Constitution the Government is obliged to revisit the Constitution. After all, our Constitution has been reviewed on several occasions since independence in 1964. There is no reason why, if there are certain provisions that are infringing on the freedoms of the Zambian people then it needs to be revisited.

I thank you Mr Speaker.

Ms Phiri (Kanyama): Mr Speaker, may I know from Her Honour the President…

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: It is a slip of the tongue.

Laughter

Mr Speaker: May the hon. Member for Kanyama please continue.

Ms Phiri: She is a Vice-President. The word President is there in her title.

Madam Vice-President, the people of Kanyama have been squatters for over fifty years but are living in the city. Is there any Government plan to legalise Kanyama.

Mr Malama A. B: Ema questions aya.

The Vice-President:Mr Speaker, Kanyama and all other unplanned settlements in our cities will be looked into and the hon. Minister of Local Government and Housing will come to the House to inform the Nation about the measures that the Government is taking to address the plight of our people settled in these unplanned settlements including Kanyama.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mutelo: Illegal squatters.

Ms Tambatamba (Kasempa): Mr Speaker, in line with the Link Zambia 8000km Road Project, which was initiated by the Government, Kasempa/Mumbwa Road was one of the urgent projectsto be considered being an economic gate way to the main markets. In 2015, His Excellency, President announced that the contractor was identified to start tiring that road.

 Interruptions

Ms Tambatamba: Sir, I would like to know from Her Honour, the Vice-President about the progress of this project and when it is going to start.

 Mr Speaker: Order!

 I will allow Her Honour, the Vice-President to respond to that concern.

 Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, yes, the Kasempa/Mumbwa Road is one of the strategic roads and was included in the Link Zambia 8000km Road Project. However, it was in a phase, where the Government has in fact engaged the contractors under the Private Partnership Programme (PPP) to ensure that this Road is constructed. Therefore, the works will soon start and the hon. Member will be informed accordingly.

_______

MOTIONS

SESSIONAL COMMITTEES-MEMBERSHIP

The Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry (Mrs Mwanakatwe) (on behalf of the Minister of Finance (Mr Mutati): Mr Speaker, I beg to move that the following hon. Members of Parliament do constitute the Public Accounts Committee for the First Session of the Twelfth National Assembly.

GENERAL PURPOSES COMMITTEES

Public Accounts Committee (9)

Mr M. Mbulakulima, MP
Mr C. Mweetwa, MP
Mr K. Simbao, MP
Mr M. C. Munkonge, MP
Mr A. Chiteme, MP
Mrs D. Mwape, MP
Ms B. M. Tambatamba, Mp
Mr H. Kunda, MP
Mr T. J. Kasonso, MP

Mrs Mwanakatwe: Mr Speaker, let me begin by commending the previous Public Accounts Committee under the leadership of the former hon. Member of Parliament for Luena, hon. Gertrude Imenda, who also made history as the first ever female Chairperson for the Public Accounts Committee.

Sir, the House is aware that the Fifth Session of the Eleventh National Assembly was short in terms of the sitting period for Committees. Despite this, the members of the Public Accounts Committee worked tirelessly to render the necessary reports to the House.  Allow me to pay glowing tribute to the men and women who served on the previous Public Accounts Committee for their admirable commitment and dedication to duty.

Mr Speaker, allow me also to thank the previous hon. Minister of Finance Hon. Alexander Chikwanda for the programmes and policies that he spearheaded in an effort to ensure prudent utilisation of public resources whilst he was in office.

Mr Speaker, I am aware that it is during his tenure that the Government approved a Cabinet memorandum on policy changes in the management of imprest aimed at eliminating abuse by public officers. In addition, the Government has also approved the Public Financial Management Strategy (PFMS), whose objective is to improve accountability and management of public resources in relation to:

(a) budgeting and planning;

(b) cash management, accounting and financial reporting;

(c) procurement;

(d) debt management;

(e) government investments;

(f)                     domestic revenue mobilisation

(g) internal audit and control;

(h)                    fiscal decentralisation; and

(i)   monitoring and evaluation.

Sir, it is commendable and no mean achievement. The new Minister of Finance wishes to register his commitment in ensuring that he builds on these successes. He has served on this committee before and he is very aware of some of the challenges it faces.

Mr Speaker, it is disheartening that year in year out, the Auditor General’s Report continues to highlight gross mismanagement of public funds. This is unacceptable. We must all raise the bar and perform to the expectations of our people and not tolerate financial mismanagement as a norm.

Sir, in this vain, I have no doubt that the hon. Members that I am proposing today will not disappoint this august House, let alone that Nation, but will discharge their duties diligently.

Mr Speaker, I note that there are two female hon. Members on the Committee. This, sadly, is a reflection of the inadequate number of female hon. Members of Parliament in this House. Thirty out of 167 is not even one third of the total membership. Nevertheless, I am certain that all the members will do a commendable job in holding the Executive to account.

Sir, my speech will be incomplete if I do not address the new hon. Members I am proposing today. The new members being appointed are expected to support the various reforms that the Government has initiated in order to improve public service delivery to the general public through robust public financial management systems in ministries, provinces and spending agencies.

Needless to say, the reforms are aimed at improving and enhancing planning and budgeting processes through the following:

(a) enactment of the Planning and Budgeting Act, which Bill will be presented to Parliament for enactment soon;

(b) strengthening integrated financial management systems and cash management in order to promote good corporate governance in public financial management  through the implementation of new innovations in receipting of and accounting for general revenues;

(c) strengthening of the electronic Public Procurement System;

(d) establishment of a treasury single account;

(e) review of the Public Finance Act of 2004 and all related regulations; and

(f) strengthening of internal control systems in order to promote transparency and accountability in the usage of public resources, among other objectives.

Mr Speaker, another area of focus that the new Public Accounts Committee must pay particular attention to is the outstanding issues contained in the various treasury minutes for the respective reports. Sir, I am alive to the fact that outstanding issues can become statute barred if they remain outstaying for too long hence, the need for the Committee to be engaging the controlling officers within reasonable periods in order to implement corrective measures. In this regard, the hon. Minister’s office stands ready to support this important activity.

Sir, the ultimate success of prudent utilisation of public funds rests with the controlling officers of the ministries, Government departments and spending agencies. In light of this, let me take this opportunity to warn all controlling officers that the hon. Minister will not tolerate the continued non adherence to laid down financial regulations, which has unfortunately remained a permanent feature in the Auditor General’s report over the years.

I implore the secretary to the Treasury to continue conducting periodic capacity building programmes in order to acquaint the controlling officers with the provisions of the relevant regulations.

Mr Speaker, as I conclude, it is my expectation that the hon. Members of this august House will support this non-contentious Motion on the Floor of the House. I wish the Public Accounts Committee and this august House a very successful Session.

 Mr Speaker, I beg to move.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker: Order!

Mrs Mwanakatwe: Mr Speaker, I just want to thank all the hon. Member of Parliament for unanimously supporting this non-contentious Motion.

 I thank you, Sir.

 Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Question put and agreed to.

MOTION

MOTION OF THANKS

(Debate resumed)

Mr W. Banda (Milanzi): Mr Speaker, I want to join my colleagues in congratulating you, Sir, and your two deputies for your deserved victory. I would also like to extend my congratulatory message to His Excellency the President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, and the Her Honour the Vice-President, Madam Inonge Mutukwa Wina, for their sweet victory.

Mr Speaker, I am grateful for the time you have allocated me to present my maiden speech in this august House. I am profoundly humbled to stand before you. First and foremost, I wish to thank the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, for the support given to me during the campaign period.

Allow me, Sir, at this juncture, to thank the Patriotic Front (PF) Central Committee for having confidence in me and eventually adopting me. I wish to extend my word of thanks to the provincial, district and constituency committees within the party for their collective effort in supporting my candidature. By virtue of me being here is evidence enough that they reaped what they sowed.

Mr Speaker, I am representing Milanzi Constituency. The constituency is in Katete District of the Eastern Province. Milanzi has an estimated population of 90,000 and more than half are women. Being a rural set up, Milanzi is one of the least developed constituencies in Zambia. However, radical improvements have been recorded in many areas even though more needs to be done.

Mr Speaker, I want to take this opportunity to thank the PF Government for the tremendous work done in the following sectors:

Mr Speaker, the lack of clean water and good sanitation was critical in my constituency and the masses were affected. The Government has put up many boreholes in some villages in Milanzi Constituency but many more need to be drilled. Most of the boreholes which were sunk are now dry due to the scanty rainfall season experienced in most areas of our country. Milanzi Constituency was not an exception.  Moreover, my constituency has a critical shortage of water dams for livestock.

Mr Speaker, I want to thank the PF Government for grading and constructing Mzime, Katawa, Mwandafisi and Walilanji Roads in Milanzi Constituency. These roads were, in the past, impassable.

Further, some bridges and culverts have also been worked on. More roads and bridges need to be constructed, especially those leading to Umodzi, Milanzi, Kalimeta, Chaduma and Bombwe Primary Schools.

Mr Speaker, agriculture is the main economic activity for the people in Milanzi Constituency. More than 90 percent of the population depends mainly on agriculture for their livelihood. The introduction of new farming methods such as conservation farming by the Government, through other partners, has continued to improve soil fertility and production of agricultural produce in the area. The agriculture sector has also been revamped following the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP).

The Government has embarked on a robust livestock programme of dip tank construction countrywide and Milanzi has benefited. However, more dip tanks need to be constructed in some areas.

Mr Speaker, it is no secret that the PF Government, through the Ministry of Health has really done well in the sector of health delivery in my constituency. Milanzi is a beneficiary of the 650 health posts being constructed countrywide. The constituency was allocated three health posts, namely, Kalimeta, Mwandafisi and Lunga.

Besides these, four more health posts have also been constructed using the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) and one is operational. The number of rural health posts has increased, making it easier for people to access medical attention. Some areas in Dole Ward, which is the most populated, still need additional health posts. It is gratifying to note that this problem has already been brought to the attention of the Government through the Ministry of Health. I am pretty sure that my working Government will adequately address this issue.

Mr Speaker, the PF Government through the Zambia Information Communication Technology Authority (ZICTA) has mounted towers in some areas of Milanzi Constituency to open up cell phone network. Some constituents in far-flung areas are however experiencing poor network and many more towers need to be mounted.

The Social Cash Transfer Programme has benefitted many people on Milanzi Constituency. The Patriotic Front (PF) Government has continued increasing the number of beneficiaries. However, there are some areas in the constituency where some people are not included in the programme. Hence, I am asking my working Government to consider including the remaining areas.

Mr Speaker, under the PF Government, some areas in Milanzi Constituency have been connected to the national grid. However, other areas also need to be connected. It is worth noting that this problem has already been brought to the attention of the Government through the Rural Electrification Authority (REA). I am sure that the Government will adequately address this issue.

Sir, in the education sector, the PF has scored a good number of achievements. Apart from community schools which have been upgraded to primary schools to add to the already existing primary schools in Milanzi Constituency, the Government has responded to the cry of the people over shortage of high schools by constructing and opening the state-of-the-art Kapoche Day Secondary School. Many primary and basic schools have continued to be renovated despite having shortage of desks and teachers in some schools. Additionally, a secondary school needs to be constructed in one of my wards, which is Katiula Ward. Another critical problem under this sector is that all teachers in Milanzi Constituency do not receive rural hardship allowance despite being in a rural set up. It is my belief that the Government will continue listening and responding to such problems.

Mr Speaker, last but not the least, let me thank the people of Milanzi for giving me their vote. I will not relent in working for them and I will continue delivering programmes from the Government of this Republic. Allow me to hasten and state that these development programmes are meant for all members of Milanzi Constituency whether they voted for me or not.

Sir, let me briefly turn to the President’s Speech. It was a very progressive one and really touched so many areas.I will start with agriculture. The decision to put agriculture on the fore is a very good decision because agriculture is a business venture. Like the President put it, through agriculture, food is brought on the table, school fees and medical fees are met. I urge the Government to look into the issue of marketing. Marketing has been a very thorny issue to our farmers in our rural constituencies and if the Government is going to look into marketing, this will make our agriculture sector viable. The introduction of co-operatives is also key in the agriculture sector. I wish co-operatives could share responsibilities. If some co-operatives can be assigned to do marketing, this can benefit the development of agriculture. Other co-operatives can look into issues to do with production. Doing this will boost our agriculture sector.

Mr Speaker, the formation of a new ministry, the Ministry of Water and Sanitation and Environmental Protection will really help us who come from rural constituencies. We have got so many challenges in as far as boreholes are concerned. We really need this ministry in order for us to get help.

Sir, in conclusion, I thank the President for his emphasis on the construction of economic roads. This is a welcome development. I also want to remind the Government that we have got one economic road in Katete and this is the Chadiza/Katete Road. The Government started working on it, but works were stalled. I am pretty sure that the new hon. Minister of Works and Supply will ensure that this road is worked on.  Let me also talk about the Great East Road, which the Government resurfaced. This is a very important road for the people of the Eastern Province. It was worked on very well, but the stretch from Sinda to Chimutengo Forest is not yet complete. I would like to remind the hon. Minister of Works and Supply to ensure that the contractor gets back on site to help the people of the Eastern Province.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sampa (Kasama Central): Mr Speaker, I thank you for giving me the Floor to address this august House.

First and foremost, let me take this opportunity to congratulate you on your re-election as Speaker of the House and I also take this opportunity to congratulate the two hon. Deputy Speakers. I equally extend my congratulations to His Excellency the President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu for his re-election as President of the Republic of Zambia and his running mate, Her Honour the Vice-President, Mrs Inonge Mutukwa Wina.

Mr Speaker, I congratulate all hon. Members who have been elected and nominated to this august House. I would be failing in my duty if I did not recognise all those who lost their elections both from the ruling Patriotic Front (PF) and all Opposition political parties as they put up a spirited fight.

Sir, I want to take this rare occasion to equally thank all those who supported me in my campaign namely, my lovely wife Tina, my beautiful children, His Excellency the President of the Republic, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, Her owner the Vice-President of the Republic of Zambia Mrs Inonge MutukwaWina, the hon. Minister of Defence, Hon. Davies Chama, the hon. Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Hon. Dr ChishimbaKambwili, the deputy spokesperson of the party, Father Frank Bwalya, the hon. Minister of  National Guidance and Religious Affairs, Hon. GodfridahSumaili, my brothers and sisters, relatives, friends, women from different church organisations, Kasama bishops, Kasama pastors and not forgetting the mighty PF  forsupporting me in my quest to lead the people of Kasama Central Constituency.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sampa: Mr Speaker, I must say that it was not easy for me to be absent from my family, especially my last born son Mutale who is so close to me. At the time I was needed as a husband and a father, I was never available due to this noble call.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwale: eh ma father!
Mr Sampa: The worries of my wife concerning what I ate when I was not at home really depressed her as well...

Laughter

Mr Sampa: ... but due to the prayers of my family and friends I thank God almighty that the journey finally came to an end on 11th August, 2016. I also wish to thank His Excellency the President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, again, and all the members of the central committee of the PF party...
Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order!

Mr Sampa: ... for having the confidence in my capabilities and thereby according me this great privilege to represent the people of Kasama Central Constituency. Their trust was not misplaced as I have delivered a resounding and magnanimous victory to the PF party which champions unity and togetherness.

Mr Mwale: Resounding!

Mr Sampa: Mr Speaker, my long journey to the National Assembly of Zambia has had its own episodes. Some people never believed in me while others thought I would quit along the way, but that did not distract me as I persevered by being focused, committed and determined. I finally brought glory, not only to my family and myself, but to the PF and the people of Kasama Central Constituency that stood by me with remarkable patience...

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sampa: ... first as an adopted candidate for a by-election that never saw the light of day and finally through the gruelling campaign of the 11th August, 2016, General Election.
Sir, the Kasama Central Constituency election has not been an ordinary election. It has left a landmark history in the arena of politics of Kasama and Zambia which will never be forgotten because it has been termed the ‘battle of the millennium’. Hence, I gained the title ‘jubilee MP’.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwale: Giant killer!

Mr Sampa: Sir, as a new entrant to this august House, I wish to add value to this House by bringing with me a new era of politics of respect, love and compassion for the sake of the development of our great nation. I strongly believe that the greatest expectation that our people have from us leaders is constituency-wide service delivery. They do not expect manipulation by corrupting them with money, thereby, forgetting the real reason of our existence...

Mr Mwale: shuwa.

Mr Sampa: ... and often times losing sight of our roles as leaders and hon. Members of Parliament.

Mr Speaker, Kasama Central residents have been deprived of their social and economic needs subjecting them to a sub-standard lifestyle for such a long time regardless of the support they have rendered to the previous Governments and hon. Members of Parliament. I want to assure the people of Kasama that they shall be represented adequately in this House and their voices shall be heard. I want to erase the notion which has been left in the minds of most Kasama Central residents that every time they elect a leader, he or she abandons them along the way. I pledge my loyalty to them and assure them that I will never abandon them as it is because of them that I am in this august House.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sampa: Sir, as I read through the great speech presented by His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia on the Opening of the First Session of the Twelfth National Assembly I saw a ray of hope for Kasama Central to come out of its socio-economic doldrums. The President’s speech was a fabric of love, unity and peace with a new horizon of hope for the people of Kasama Central Constituency and Zambia at large. The speech did not segregate against any region of our beloved country, but included all developmental spheres of our great nation. It further made emphasis on quite a number of notable economic issues such as agriculture and industrialisation.

Mr Speaker, I come from a rural constituency with abundant land and water, butitdoes not have industries. Agriculture could be used to empower my people financially and economically as well as scaling up crop production, implementing astutehusbandry and introducing animal farms within Kasama.

Sir, the President echoed the need to move away from silos as storage facilities to satellite depots as a way for providing easy access to the selling markets for our farmers. These will be established within their reach to avoid huge transport costs.

Mr Speaker, the President also spoke on energy which is the backbone of the development of any country in the 21st century and Kasama Central cannot do without it. If we have to introduce the use of technology in farming in my constituency there will be need for most areas to be electrified through the Rural Electrification Authority (REA).

Sir, last year, for the first time in the history of Kasama, the PF Government, under the leadership of His Excellency the President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, commissioned the 330 KV transmission line called Kasama Pensulo which will provide for the establishment of new industries and automated farming in Kasama Central. For industrialisation to take root manufacturing industries have to be established in Kasama Central. Electricity transmission will lead to job creation.

Mr Speaker, this transmission line has added value from the existing power generation of Chishimba falls hydro-power station to ensure that more power is being distributed to other avenues ,such as, some rural schools that have not been electrified since independence and yet, we have introduced Information and Communications Technology(ICT) learning in schools. Lack of electricity has disadvantaged most of our school going children as good teachers are not willing to be deployed to areas that have no electricity and good houses.

Sir, having been elected by the people of Kasama Central Constituency I wish to state that the people of Kasama are highly expectant to see me represent them in this august House without fear or favour. I come from a rural constituency that is yearning for development and economic empowerment of the local people. The constituency does not have recreational facilities and other social amenities for the young or the old. Hence, I am dedicating all my energy to the people’s aspirations as my number one priority because the people of Kasama Central have been robbed of development for such a long time.

Mr Speaker, I want to be remembered as a leader for the people of Kasama Central Constituency that will contribute, through this august House, to the transformation of the living conditions and standards of my people by bringing more job opportunities to the disabled and able bodied persons by way of lobbying equal opportunities based on merits such as:
(a) building of more health care facilities, construction of a district hospital, increasing the number of specialised doctors and staff, completion of the infrastructure of Kasama General Hospital and Saint Fidelis Mission Hospital in Chilubula;

(b) building of more better schools, including boarding schools, the establishment of Chileshe Chepela special school, construction of a University, a youth skills training centre and modern housing units for Government officers;

(c)                  upgrading of Kasama Water Treatment Plant and building of water reservoirs to meet the ever increasing demand  for water and  the sinking of boreholes in most rural schools for them to access clean drinking water;

(d) introduction of more private investors in manufacturing, agriculture and tourism so as to create jobs closer to the door steps of my people;

(e) rehabilitation of feeder roads and upgrade township roads to bituminous standards and

(f) construction of a youth sports academy and a football stadium.

Mr Speaker, some of these infrastructure projects will be achieved through the Public Private Partnership (PPP).

Mr Speaker, you may wish to know that my constituency habours the second highest revenue waterfalls collection from tourism, namely, Chishimba Falls, which is after the mighty Victoria Falls and yet, there is no significant infrastructure to host tourists at the site.

Sir, tourism would play a pivotal role of empowering my people economically if harnessed effectively. Kasama has beautiful scenery with rich historical monuments of the Mwela Rocks. The above mentioned are all money spinners if well advertised. I am aware of the upgrading of Kasama Airport by our Government to international standard and am sure once completed this will help improve aviation traffic for more tourist attraction.

Mr Speaker, Kasama needs a robust dedicated and aggressive leadership at all levels of development in order to translate theory into reality.

Sir, lastly, I remain committed with passion and conviction to serve my people so as to take Kasama to greater heights and be declared a city.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwale: Just like Chipata.

Mr Sikazwe (Mpulungu): Mr Speaker, I thank you for giving me this opportunity to deliver my maiden speech and also, to pass my remarks on the speech which was given to this House by His Excellency the President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu on 30th September, 2016.

Mr Speaker, on behalf of the people of Mpulungu Constituency, I would like to congratulate His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu and Her Honour the Vice-President, Mrs Inonge Mutukwa Wina on their election to positions of President and Vice-President, respectively.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sikazwe: Mr Speaker, let me also express my profound congratulations to you, the First Deputy Speaker and the Second Deputy Speaker on your election to guide the affairs of this honourable House. I also want to congratulate all the hon. Members of Parliament on their election to this august House. I hope that they will abide by the President’s words to this august House when he stated that,

“The people of Zambia expect us to discharge our duties with humility, dignity …

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order! Consultations on the left are rather loud.

Mr Sikazwe: Mr Speaker, the President said and I quote,

“The people of Zambia expect us to discharge our duties with humility, dignity, and that
our debates must resonate with the issues that matter the most to the electorates who have
sent us here.”

Mr Speaker, I also want to congratulate the Patriotic Front (PF) Central Committee led by His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, the Provincial Executive Committee led by Mr Felix Mfula and the Mpulungu District and Constituency Executive Committees for having adopted me on the PF ticket where I came out victorious.

Mr Speaker, my heartfelt gratitude also go to the peace loving people of Mpulungu who overwhelmingly supported the PF by voting for the President, the hon. Member of Parliament and others except for one councilor. All this is in appreciation of the works that the PF Government has done under the leadership of His Excellency the President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu to Mpulungu District.

Mr Speaker, I further want to congratulate the people of Mpulungu for having conducted a peaceful and issue-based campaign on our slogan, “Sonta apo wabomba” …

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sikazwe: …which confused the Opposition due to...

Mr Speaker: What does that mean?

Mr Sikazwe: Mr Speaker, it means, “Point where you have worked.”

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sikazwe: Mr Speaker, this is in line with the projects that the PF government has undertaken that has changed the face of the district in the last five years. The last five years of the PF governance has contributed to a lot of development in Mpulungu, in terms of construction of urban roads, district hospitals, boarding schools and health posts, upgrading of secondary schools, building of bridges and crossings. Most of these projects were undertaken in the valley that hosts the district Administration. I would like to inform you that due to all this development in the district, I have made a name of being the first hon. Member of Parliament to enter into the second term in Mpulungu.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sikazwe: Mr Speaker, my special thanks go to the former Kitwe Mayor, Mr Chileshe Figo Bweupe who came all the way from Kitwe to Mpulungu to work as my campaign manager. I also want to thank most sincerely, all those district and constituency committee members who remained and campaigned with me when some of their colleagues opted to go and campaign for the independent candidates. To you colleagues, I say, thank you very much and I will never let you down.

Mr Speaker, lastly, I want to thank my wife Mary, family members and all friends for the support they rendered to me during the campaigns.

Interruptions

Mr Sikazwe: Iwe, tekanya!

Laughter

Mr Sikazwe: Mr Speaker, Mpulungu Constituency constitutes the valley and the plateau. The people who live in the valley are mostly fishermen while the people on the plateau are farmers.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sikazwe: During this five year term, I intend to put more effort in ensuring that the people of Mpulungu start receiving clean piped water as this has been one of the challenges. The people who live on the plateau should receive boreholes. The programme to construct a water reticulation system in the district has already started and the contractor has moved on site. The boreholes that will be allocated to the people on the plateau will be sunk by the Ministry of Local Government and Housing.

Sir, my other priority will be to grade all the important feeder roads and repair the crossings and bridges on the plateau. This will help in the transportation of the faming inputs. I also wish to encourage the people to start the fish caging and fish farming using fish ponds in order to supplement the dwindling fish levels on Lake Tanganyika.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sikazwe: Mr Speaker, the expansion of the Mpulungu Harbour and the extension of Tanzania Zambia Railway Line (TAZARA) from Nseluka to the Port of Mpulungu will be one of my priorities as it will create employment for the people in the area.

Mr Speaker, I would like to report that this caring Government of His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, ...

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sikazwe: ... has gotten a loan of US$27 million under the Project Lake Tanganyika Development Projects specifically to improve the living standards of the people of Mpulungu and Nsama Districts who live along the shores of Lake Tanganyika. This money will be used to construct schools, health centres, markets, landing bays at the harbour, roads and to improve on the water and sanitation systems in the two districts.

Mr Speaker, I intend to push for the completion of the ongoing upgrading of the Mpulungu urban roads and the Mbala/Mpulungu/Kasaba Bay Road to bituminous standard while advocating for the construction of the bridge at Lufubu River. Additionally, we will need to push for telecommunication network in all chiefdoms.

Mr Speaker, allow me now to respond to the President’s speech delivered to this august House on 30th September, 2016. Once more, I want to congratulate His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, on his visionary speech which he delivered in this House.

Mr Speaker, listening to his speech, I was convinced as to why the people of Mpulungu overwhelmingly voted for this visionary President...

Interruptions

Mr Sikazwe: ... leaving the opposition crying foul.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sikazwe: Mr Speaker, the President spoke about the need for the PF Government to undertake austerity measures to stabilise the macro-economic situation. And further build greater investor confidence by ensuring that our macro-economic policies are consistent and predictable to enable the public and private sector plan effectively in the medium and long term.

Mr Speaker, for a long time, the people of Mpulungu in the valley have earned their living on fishing from Lake Tanganyika and this has always been a very big industry. However, due to the dwindling fish levels in the lake, the people are now changing from fishing to farming. We, therefore, welcome His Excellency the President’s pronouncement that agriculture, fisheries and livestock will be the main focus around which other sectors will be developed in an integrated manner under the Seventh National Development Plan (SNDP).

We, therefore, again, urge the Government to open up feeder roads like Vyamba/Chinakila Road, Kalongola/Musakanya Road, Mpulungu/Chitimbwa Road, Iyendwe Road and many more. This will help the farmers in the transportation of the farm inputs and delivery of their produce to the markets.

Mr Speaker, the PF Government, under the leadership of His Excellency, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, has upgraded the Lunzua Hydro-Power from 1MW to 15MW.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sikazwe: Having achieved this, there is, need for the Government to extend the grid to the plateau side of the constituency to attract more farmers to settle in the area. The Government will also need to empower farmers with tractors and other modern farming tools thereby fulfilling the 2015 African Union (AU) Summit major programme of banishing the hoe to the museum.

Mr Speaker, the upgrading of Lunzua Hydro-power has resulted in improved power supply to the district and all surrounding areas where load-shedding is now a thing of the past.

Mr Speaker, the move by the Government to use co-operatives as an effective business mode to spur development, particularly in rural areas is a welcome idea. As it will allow for shared risks and joint ownership of farm equipment such as tractors and planters which many of our ordinarily people find difficult to acquire individually.

Hon. PF Member: Hear, hear!

Mr Sikazwe: Mr Speaker, on page twenty-six and paragraph 111 to 115, the President explained how this hardworking Government is handling the issue of poverty in rural areas where the proportion of the population living below the poverty line is nearly three times higher than in urban areas. By increasing the budgetary allocation to the Social Cash Transfer (SCT) Programme from K150 million in 2015 to 250 million in 2016 and also spreading the programme to over seventy-eight districts, this PF Government of Edgar Chagwa Lungu has shown that it cares for everyone in the country.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sikazwe: Mr Speaker, it is worth mentioning that the SCT programme has been introduced to Mpulungu District in my constituency and my people have started to benefit.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sikazwe: Mr Speaker, as I conclude, allow me, once again, to thank His Excellency the President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, and the Patriotic Front party for the support rendered to me during my campaign for election to Parliament by providing me with campaign materials and some money...

Laughter

Mr Sikazwe: That I have never seen...

Hon. UPND Members: Ulula!

Mr Sikazwe: ... in any campaign.

Laughter

Mr Sikazwe: During our campaign, Mpulungu was painted green and white.

Interruptions

Mr Mwiimbu: You will be petitioned.

Mr Sikazwe: I cannot be petitioned.

Hon. Opposition Members: Ah!

Mr Sikazwe: I won cleanly.

Laughter

Mr Sikazwe: Mr Speaker, finally, I want to thank the President for continuously condemning violence and reiterating his call on all Zambians to embrace a spirit of co-existence and tolerance premised on our important motto of One Zambia...

Hon. PF Members:  One Nation.

Mr Sikazwe: My special thanks go to the sweet people of Northern Province...

Hon. Members: Ah!

Mr Sikazwe: ... Muchinga Province, Luapula Province, Lusaka Province, Central Province and Eastern Province for having conducted issue based campaigns and voted based not on tribal lines but on what they heard.

Interruptions

Mr Sikazwe: Mr Speaker, I beg to move.

Laughter

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker: Order!

Mr Siwale (Mafinga): Mr Speaker, I thank you for according me the opportunity to present my maiden speech in this august House.

Mr Speaker, first and foremost, it is only befitting for me to start by congratulating our nation’s sixth President, His Excellency Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, and Her Honour the Vice-President, Mrs Inonge Mutukwa Wina, for being successfully elected to serve their first term of office.

I also wish to congratulate you, Sir, our duly elected Speaker of the National Assembly, the First Deputy Speaker, Hon. Catherine Namugala, and the Second Deputy Speaker, Hon. Mwiimba Malama, for being successfully elected to serve in this august House.

Hon. PF. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Siwale: Mr Speaker, I would like to congratulate the current ruling party which was freely and fairly elected into power by the respective citizens of the Republic of Zambia.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Siwale: Mr Speaker, the sacrifices and labour of the Members of the Central Committee of the Patriotic Front (PF) have duly paid off and congratulations to them. I would also like to congratulate cabinet hon. Ministers on their recent appointment and it is the confidence in their ability to serve that shall favourably speak on their behalf. Let me also congratulate my fellow hon. Members of Parliament on our diverse victories and on our appointments to live up to the title ‘honourable’ as it so entails. Lastly, mighty congratulations to us as citizens for upholding peace during this trying time. We were threatened by what makes us different from one another and by adversity, but if I may borrow the words of our President in his inaugural speech, “we as citizens realise that what unites us is by far greater than what seeks to divide us and hence have lived up to the motto of One Zambia, One Nation.”

Interruptions

Mr Siwale:Mr Speaker, allow me at this point to express my heartfelt gratitude first to my predecessor Hon. Catherine Namugala, the former hon. Member of Parliament for Mafinga Constituency …

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Siwale: … for being available and supportive during and after the election period. To my wonderful family and friends, words may not be enough to express my deep appreciation. I thank them for being on my side, for their support and for sharing my dreams and sometimes beyond their strength and their invaluable help. Above all, I thank the Almighty God for the many blessings he has continued to bestow on me.

Sir, today marks a special day for all of us, and if I may be allowed to speak for myself, a very special day for me in that, I have been entrusted by the residents of Mafinga to represent their interests in the National Parliament of our republic. It is needful to say that, my election would not have been possible without the approval of the Members of the Central Committee and the Party President of the PF, His Excellency the President Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, and to all of them I am truly and sincerely grateful.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Siwale: Mr Speaker, allow me to give a brief geography lesson to remind us of where Mafinga Constituency is located. Mafinga Constituency is found in Muchinga Province on the eastern part of Isoka District. The district borders Chama North Constituency on the south and the Malawian Border to the east. Mafinga Constituency is composed of eleven wards. For the sake of my tribal cousins who may fail to pronounce the names, the wards are Kalanga, Luhoka, Mahobe, Kakoma, Bemba, Mululu, Thendele, Mukutu, Nthonga, Mafinga and Msipizi.

Sir, today is a day when we take up the responsibility of speaking on behalf of the people we represent in our various constituencies. It is a day when I accept to become a beacon of developmental hope for the people I represent, and a day I become the bridge that links the Government to even the very least of our constituency members. Being that bridge, it is my duty to bring the Government and the people closer together so as to create a steady pathway of the development and progress that we know the places we call home, that we have left. My duty is to highlight and continuously echo the development that was started by our party’s founding father His Excellency the Fifth President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, may his soul rest in peace …

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Siwale: … and continued upon by our current President Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, so that the people …

Mr Speaker: Order!

Business was suspended from 1045 hours until 1100 hours.

[MR SPEAKER in the Chair]

Mr Siwale: Mr Speaker, before tea break, I was saying that my duty is to highlight and continuously echo the development that was started by our party’s founding father His Excellency the Fifth President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, and continued upon by our current President Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, so that the people of Mafinga may truly see that where we are right now as a constituency is remarkably different from where we are coming from. Some of the projects that are currently running which clearly highlight the progress that has been made so far in Mafinga Constituency are as follows:

Sir, the road network from Isoka to Chama via Muyombe is being constructed. There are two companies, namely China Civil and Avic International, who have been contracted to ensure that the road from Isoka to Chama is developed. So far, over 70 km of the Isoka/Mafinga Road has been raised to bituminous standard.

Mr Speaker, under the health sector, two hospitals have been commissioned. The construction of Mafinga District Hospital has also commenced and pertaining to Muyombe Hospital, tenders have already been submitted and what is left is the announcing of the successful bidder. In this regard, seven clinics were also commissioned in various parts of the district, with a few of them having reached a completion point.

Sir, with regard to housing, the construction of the Government offices and housing units for staff is underway and explicitly, the District Commissioner’s offices, the civic centre and the post offices have been completed. Additionally, a few houses have been built which includes the District Commissioner’s house.

Mr Speaker, in terms of education, some schools have been constructed whilst other primary schools have been upgraded to secondary schools such as Muyombe, Thendele and Mulekatembo.

Sir, regarding electricity, another project that can be noted is that of the power purchase agreement between the Governments of Zambia and Malawi. This is to enable us get power from Malawi so that electricity can also be made available to the residents of Mafinga. Additionally, the Zambia Electricity Supply Co-operation (ZESCO) has delivered a number of truck loads for electricity poles.

Sir, in the agriculture sector, there has been an increase in the packs of the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) by the Government from 19000 packs to 32000 packs for the 2016/2017 farming season. Additionally, the Zambia National Farmers Union (ZNFU) has registered its presence through many information centres namely Thendere and Muyombe Information Centres. All these are, but merely, examples to show that it goes without saying that there has been a huge change spearheaded by the Patriotic Front (PF) under the leadership of His Excellency President Edgar Chagwa  Lungu. It is without doubt that I radically believe that this is only the beginning of a memorable period for us the people of Mafinga Parliamentary Constituency.

Mr Speaker, if after witnessing such eminent progress, there are a few individuals in Mafinga who doubt the competence of the current Government, it is my duty, as Member of Parliament, to iron every feeling of indifference by delivering the development that the people expect our Government to provide. These are, but a few examples of areas that need to be attended to in Mafinga Parliamentary Constituency.

Sir, firstly, due to the importance of road infrastructure to meaningful, social and economic development, there are five crucial feeder roads that need to be worked on. These are Mulekatembo to Mweniwisi via Nachisitu to Mpangala. This is a very critical road, which if worked on, can bring development to our constituency.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Siwale: Sir, the other roads are Musanta to Kapembe via Jombo, Bundi and Chitapo. Sunngo to Nyika National Park via Kasakalawe, Katete, Tubale and Matendo. They interconnect between Muyombe and Matendo via Chifunda. Kaseya to Chipakama via Wiya. These roads, if well-developed would be a conduit to effective delivery of goods and services.

Mr Speaker, regarding health care, as promised during the campaign, it is imperative to reduce the distance that people have to travel to access a basic necessity as health care. This entails putting up rural health centres every after 5 km as stated in the PF Manifesto.

Sir, it has been noted with sadness that the Government workers, especially those in the education and health sectors in remote areas continue to live in houses that are below human habitable standards. This calls for urgent action to build decent houses for our people in schools and clinics.

Mr Speaker, with regard to education, the undoubted below average performance of some of our students in rural areas can, in a large sense, be attributed to the unconducive learning environment that students in rural areas face every day of their academic lives. Creating conducive learning environments can help to change the normal ‘daily grind’ mentality of students to a more motivated attitude towards education. Who knows, the next Republican President may be hiding somewhere in our constituency. If we do not provide an environment that will cultivate their intelligence, a profitable brain might just end up being water under the bridge.

Mr Speaker, there has been an agreement signed between the Governments of Zambia and Malawi to provide electricity for the people of Mafinga. This is a step in the right direction as it will ensure that every school and health facility will have power, including the region from Katanga to Mwenimpangala.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Siwale: Sir, due to the large population of people that live across the water bodies, there is need, to construct a number of bridges in different areas so as to, aid in accessing services that are on the other side of any bridge. For instance, people from across Bemba Bridge cannot be reached due to lack of bridges during the rainy season.

Mr Speaker, I would like to inform the House that in Mafinga, there are a number of people in need of aid in terms of the Social Cash Transfer (SCT), hence the need to increase the number of beneficiaries of the programme. In this case, SCT officers, councillors and village headmen need to collaborate and identify people in need of Social Cash Transfer.

Sir, concerning the construction of four major markets and bus stations to create easier access to local produce for people located in the four major areas, there is need to allocate markets and bus station lots in the following areas, Muyombe, Thendele, Mulekatembo and Mweniwisi.

Mr Speaker, in conclusion, there will be times when it will seem tiresome when pressure increases, times when we shall be required to sacrifice our own comfort for the greater good of the people we represent. There will also be times when we will feel as though results are not being achieved. It shall be in such times when I shall personally remember the words of one of the most tactful politicians to have ever lived on this earth, Winston Churchill who said,

“We shall not fail or falter; we shall not weaken or tire. Neither the sudden shock of battle nor the long-drawn trials of vigilance and exertion will wear us down. Give us the tools and we will finish the job.”

Sir, let me now add my voice to the Presidential Speech. The speech was inspiring and progressive.

Hon. Government Member: Hear, hear!

Mr Siwale: Mr Speaker, I wish to support the motion on the benefits of a well developed agriculture sector in our beloved country, Zambia. Agriculture is the backbone of the economic system of a given country. In addition to providing food and raw materials, agriculture also provides employment opportunities to a very large percentage of the population, thereby reducing the high rate of unemployment in the country. Therefore, boosting the agriculture sector will greatly improve the livelihood of the rural population as approximately 70 per cent of the people directly rely on agriculture as a means of living. One of our promises as the PF is to put more money in people’s pockets. Therefore, increased employment opportunities in the agriculture sector will result in the national income level, as well as improve people’s standards of living, hence fulfilling our promise.

Mr Speaker, a well developed agriculture system in our country will greatly empower our ever hard-working small-scale and peasant farmers in our constituencies and a country as a whole. This will in turn reduce the total dependency on the Government. The real cause of hunger is the powerlessness of the poor to gain access to the resources they need to feed and sustain themselves.

Sir, the provision of farm mechanism to our farmers will greatly increase productivity and the nation’s food security. The main requirement of any country is food security as it prevents malnutrition.  This has traditionally been believed to be one of the major problems faced by developing countries.

Sir, I beg to move.

Laughter

Mr Speaker: The Motion has already been moved and seconded. I am stating this for the umpteenth time.

Mr Samakayi (Mwinilunga): Mr Speaker, I thank you for according me this opportunity to deliver my maiden speech today on the Floor of this august House. Allow me to join the many hon. Members who have spoken hitherto to congratulate you and your team for having the opportunity to preside over the affairs of this House.

Mr Speaker, I have no iota of doubt that this country is deeply divided by bad political players and deliberate mitigation measures have to start in earnest for us to continue enjoying peace. It is, therefore, my sincere hope that you would use your executive influence on the political players in this House to commence the healing process of our great country.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Samakayi: Sir, allow me firstly to humble myself and thank the almighty God for availing me this opportunity to register an indelible mark on the politics of Mwinilunga in particular and Zambia in general.

Mr Ngulube: End of quote.

Mr Samakayi: Secondly, Mr Speaker, allow me further to express my sincere gratitude to my party, the United Party for National Development (UPND), and our great leader, his Excellency Mr Hakainde Hichilema (HH) …

Hon. Government Members: No! Question!

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Samakayi: … for according me this rare opportunity to represent the UPND and the good people of Mwinilunga. In addition, let me extend my sincere thanks to our UPND structures for the overwhelming support they gave me in the recent elections. Special thanks go to my dedicated campaign manager and the entire team and electorates in general for the excellent performance in the last elections. To my family and friends, I say, “A big thank you to you all for your unflinching support before, during and after elections”.

Mr Speaker, may I also thank my predecessor, Hon. Stephen Katuka, who formed part of the political history of representing the people of Mwinilunga. The people of Mwinilunga can be assured that I will start from where Hon. Katuka left and my work in the next five years forms part of the accumulative building blocks towards developing our constituency.

Mr Speaker, basic services in Mwinilunga Constituency are at their lowest ebb. Mwinilunga is serviced by one tarred road from Solwezi covering 290 km and seven feeder roads covering 620 km connecting the six chiefdoms and agricultural productive areas in the constituency. These roads are Makangu/Nkenyaule, Lumwana West/ Kambimba, Mwinilunga/Ntambu Sachitolu, Mwinilunga/Kanyama, Mwinilunga/Kanzenzi, Mwinilunga/Kamafanda and Lwakela/Kakoma.

Mr Speaker, there is only one hospital in the constituency which was built in 1967 when the population was only 11,000 and now the population of Mwinilunga stands at 150,000 people. Today health dynamics have changed, resulting in increased disease burden on people.

Mr Speaker: Order!

Hon. Member, just a moment. Hon. Member for Kabwe Central, you have not met our dress requirements.

Mr Ngulube: Most obliged, Mr Speaker.

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: No, just remedy it. I believe that is not a tie you are wearing. Is it, hon. Members? I am quite at a distance. Is that a tie?

Mr Ngulube: Mr Speaker, I am coming straight from court.

Mr Speaker: Oh, no. From court you dress up for Parliament. Please, do the needful.

Mr Ngulube left the Chamber.

Mr Samakayi: Mr Speaker, Mwinilunga Constituency has a depressing shortage of school infrastructure. There are only four secondary schools with quality infrastructure, ten secondary schools with low quality infrastructure, seventeen secondary schools with inadequate infrastructure and thirty-three community-induced primary schools, all not meeting the required infrastructure standards.

Sir, the main agricultural activities of the people of Mwinilunga is growing crops like maize, beans, rice, pineapples, cassava and finger millet. There is also small-scale ranching taking place there.

Mr Speaker, Mwinilunga has been on thermo-generated power since the 1960s. I note that the township has now been connected to the national grid. However, there is need to complete Mujila, Kabompo and Kasanjiko Hydro-power Stations in order to attract investment in mining, agriculture and tourism.

Mr Speaker, there are many communities and schools without clean water in all the six chiefdoms in Mwinilunga Constituency. Further, Mwinilunga has a big area which is not connected to any phone network and some of these areas are high risk places because they are bordering the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Angola. Mwinilunga is vast with nineteen wards and six chiefdoms. This constituency was earmarked for delimitation by the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to create Mwinilunga South, Mwinilunga North and Mwinilunga West.

Sir, one of our aspirations is to grade the feeder roads to grave standard to not only enable people to travel efficiently, but also to give them a sense of belonging to the country they call home. We also want Mwinilunga District Hospital to be extended to create capacity that would absorb the ever increasing population due to urban migration in search of better livelihood. There is also need to construct health posts in densely populated settlements like Kasenga, Kamafanda, Kanzenzi, Kalumbinga, Kasampula, Mukumba, Nsweta and Munwa in Chief Kanyama’s area, Kamafanda and Ntambu Sachitolu in Senior Chief Kanongesha’s area. Staffing levels in our health posts are not enviable as in some cases untrained staff administer medicines to patients. This is a very risky undertaking by the Government.

Mr Speaker, in order to improve education standards for our children, I urge the Government to employ a phased approach to upgrading the school infrastructure in secondary schools such as Ntambu, Lwawu, Katemwa, Kakoma, Lumwana West and Samuteba. The community-induced schools need urgent attention in upgrading their infrastructure in order to positively contribute to developing intellectual capacities and skills required for our industries. The community-induced schools are a reflection of the Government policy of providing learning infrastructure every after 5 km and so the Government is encouraged to fulfill this policy direction. The other challenge confronting our schools is inadequate teaching staff. There are schools which are served by one teacher and I wonder what we expect from such a school.

Mr Speaker, we cannot fight poverty and its offshoots of hunger and disease burden without positively subsidising agricultural production of crops like maize, soybeans and cowpeas. The rural people have all the means of production except financing. If they are empowered, they could extricate all of us from the shackles of perpetual poverty. The Government needs to rethink and reconfigure its social, economic and political landscape and avoid window dressing issues and concentrate on matters that would better the lives of the majority Zambians and not littering the country with lopsided inefficient loans.

Mr Speaker, specific agriculture issues in Mwinilunga include the construction of three dams in chief Chibwika, Senior Chief Sailunga, Chief Ntambu and Chief Kakoma to facility the growing of crops under irrigation and fish farming for nutritional purposes.

Mr Speaker, I encourage the Government to find resources and complete the Muzila Hydro- Power Station project so that investors could be attracted to the area. The Government is also urged to assist the Copperbelt Energy Company to find financing partners so that Kabompo Hydro-Power Station could progress. There is need to consider chief Kakoma, Senior Chief Sailunga, Chief Ntambu and Chief Chibwika to have electric power like many other chiefs in Zambia.

Sir, Mwinilunga has a genuine case for seeking to be connected by mobile network providers because we have two volatile borders and yet commercially viable. For both security and commerce we need these areas to be connected. In this regard, I urge the Government to facilitate the connecting of the following areas to communication network Kanzenzi, Kamapanda, Kanongesha, Sailunga, Kambimba and Kasampula.

Mr Speaker, people of Mwinilunga are frustrated with the past Governments because their constituency is too vast and very little development takes place compared to other areas. The Government is being urged to implement the recommendations of Electoral Commision of Zambia (ECZ) to create Mwinilunga West, Mwinilunga North and Mwinilunga South constituencies.

Sir, I am done with my Maiden Speech and I now move on to the President’s Speech to this august House.

Sir, the speech by the President is as traditional as the past President’s Speeches. I see policy inconsistencies synonymous with the Patriotic Front (PF) and lack of empirical evidence on the milestones achieved regarding post policy directives, particularly the last year makes me reserve my anxiety. I would have been excited had the President indicated the performance on his policy directive of providing 500 jobs in the previous year. This would have created confidence that even the 1000 jobs would be achieved.

Interruptions

Hon. PF Members: 1 million.

Mr Malama: Taulemona iwe.

Mr Samakayi: 1 million jobs.

Sir, in the absence of deliverables on all our past performance there is no guarantee that we will walk the talk as per a slogan which has become part of the PF’s wish list.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Ngulube: Question.

Mr Samakayi:  Mr Speaker, hon. Members are aware that we have the National Decentralisation Policy which was approved in 2002, where identified functions are being devolved to councils. The PF in its wisdom short changed the policy trajectory and established about thirty-two districts in defiance of our policy pursuit through devolution. This policy by pass translates into huge cost constant or recurrent expenditure in personal emoluments whose resources crowd out infrastructure development and service delivery.

Sir, circular number ten regarding the decentralisation policy has identified functions under schedule two of the revised national decentralisation policy that ought to be transferred to councils .Among the  functions identified are:

(a)        primary schools, early education and adult literacy;

(b)        agriculture fisheries, veterinary and livestock services;

(c)        environmental management;

(d)       water and sanitation;

Under housing we have infrastructure development and maintenance,

Mr Speaker, the decentralisation policy entails that core operations of the identified mandates will be carried out by councils and the Central Government remains with skeleton staffing levels to perform policy formulations and standard setting and enforcement to guarantee uniformity nationally.

Sir, I am wondering why the PF should create ministries whose functions have been devolved to councils such as Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing, Water and Sanitation and Environmental Protection. I would encourage them to establish departments which are already there anyway, for the purposes of policy direction and standard enforcement.

Mr Speaker, I further urge the PF to avoid duplication of roles and functions and resources for a stressed economy like Zambia. The Ministry of Presidential Affairs and the Ministry of Religious Affairs and National Guidance are totally unnecessary for a depressed economy which is in the intensive care unit.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Samakayi: Sir, the functions of the proposed Ministry of Presidential Affairs are in the able hands of Cabinet Office. The Ministry of Religious Affairs and National Guidance requires interaction between the three mother bodies of Christian Fellowship of Zambia (CFZ), Council of Churches of Zambia (CCZ) and Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ) which should act as advisory bodies.

Mr Speaker, for areas like Mwinilunga, which may not capture the attention of the masters in terms of development, our reliance is on Constituency Development Fund (CDF). Arising from the submissions by the hon. Member of Parliament for Ikeleng’i that CDF has not been released the last three years gives me a cause for worry. In this regard, I urge the Government to make CDF an inescapable expenditure so that it is released annually without fail.

I thank you Mr Speaker.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker: Before we progress, I just want to provide some guidance.

The word Excellency is a title or form of address for certain officials of the State. In our politics this address or title by convention is restricted to the Republican President.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker: Please take note as we continue with the debate.

Mr Sikazwe: Ema Chairman.

Mr Ngulube (Kabwe Central): Mr Speaker, first of all, I would like to congratulate you and your two Deputies on the election as Presiding Officers in this august House. Secondly, I wish to congratulate his Excellency the only President of Zambia…

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Ngulube: … for a well delivered speech to this august House that was shunned by others.

Mr Speaker, on behalf of the people of Kabwe Constituency, I wish to state that this working Government of the Patriotic Front has brought back the life of a town that was once thought to be a ghost town.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Ngulube: Sir, as I speak now, Kabwe boasts of being the host of the third as well as the fourth largest universities in the country. These are the Mulungushi and Nkrumah universities respectively. The House may wish to know that these universities were not there before the PF Government came into power.

Mr Livune: Question!

Mr Ngulube: Mr Speaker, we are aware that Kabwe ranks amongst the ten most polluted towns in Zambia because of the lead pollution in that town. I am also aware that with the interventions by this working PF Government, Kabwe Central Constituency will change for the better.

 Sir, allow me to also thank the electorates, party official as well as the men and women of God that offered prayers not only to me, but also to most of the candidates that won in the August, 11th 2016, General Elections.

Mr Speaker, let me now come to the President’s Speech.

Sir, His Excellency, the President indicated that there was need to enhance tourism and the recreation industry. In this case, Kabwe Central Constituency boasts of the presence of the Mukuyu Tree, which I believe everybody learns about and is part of the history subject in the school curriculum. Apart from that, it is the same Mukuyu Tree that we find on our bank notes. This tree can be a good source of income generation for the tourism industry if only measures can be put in place to enhance its appearance.

Mr Speaker, Kabwe would also greatly benefit if the skull of the Broken Hill Man that was shifted to the United Kingdom (UK) could be returned to Zambia. I believe, therefore, that if the museum could be built in Kabwe, tourism attraction of our central town would be enhanced.

Mr Speaker, allow me to also state that the working Government of the PF has embarked on a programme of expanding the Great North Road into a dual carriage way. As I am speaking to you, Sir, there is a contractor that is expanding the road which passes through Kabwe town.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Ngulube: We are therefore, hopeful that if these roads works will be extended to the township and other feeder roads then, we will know that it will make life very easy for the people of Kabwe Central.

 Sir, I am also aware that 90 per cent of the companies that were operating in my constituency retrenched thousands of their employees. Some of the companies that laid off workers are Zambia Railways Limited (ZRL), Zambia Consolidated Copper Mine (ZCCM), Kabwe Industrial Fabrics Company (Kifco) Packaging, just to mention a few.

Mr Speaker, we are also alive to the fact that the speech given by His Excellency, the President of Zambia inspires hope for the people of Kabwe. Allow me now, Sir, to end my speech by correcting two impressions that might have been created if I got them well.

Sir, first of all, during our campaigns, which we all greatly benefited from in terms of campaign material, I wish to correct the impression that monies were given from the campaigns.

Mr Speaker, I also wish to state the voting pattern that was alluded to by other speakers to as being a protest, the people of Kabwe Central would like to state that they will vote for leaders that will deliver. Therefore, they will not vote in protest or as a sign of bitterness.

 I thank you, Mr Speaker.

 Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr M. Jere (Livingstone): Mr Speaker, allow me to join those who have spoken before me in congratulate you, Sir, for your deserved re-election for the position of speaker of this august House. I would also like to congratulate Hon. Namugala and Hon. Mwimba Malama for their election for the positions of First Deputy Speaker and Second Deputy Speaker, respectively. Further, I would like to congratulate my Hon. Colleagues in this august House for their deserved victory.

 Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr M. Jere: Sir, as I begin my season of service, I wish to state that I am a bearer of the message from the special people of Livingstone Parliamentary Constituency, and that, the message covers a wide range of issues of great concern.

Mr Speaker, before I deliver my message, which I am just a carrier, I would like to sincerely thank my President, Mr Hakainde Hichilema for demonstrating and upholding the true “One Zambia, One Nation for adopting me …

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr M. Jere: … and the UPND leadership at all levels of the party structures for giving me a rare opportunity and support to represent the people of Livingstone in this august House. I shall forever remain indebted.

Sir, the confidence and trust that the people of Livingstone have in me shall not be in vain as I shall deliver to their expectations. Further, I would like to thank my dear wife, Anita, who endured various hardships during my campaign period. I also want to thank my children, friends and relatives for their spiritual moral, material and financial support, which they rendered to me during the campaign time. Lastly, I pay special tribute to Mr Kayumba, Mr Muhila and my campaign manager, Mr Siamwenya for their support and guidance rendered to me during the campaign. Above all, I would like to   thank God for his abundance grace and blessings.

Mr Speaker, let me begin my debate with the message from the people of Livingstone Parliamentary Constituency.

Sir, the people of Livingstone believe that they have had a raw deal in terms of their conditions and standard of living as evidenced by the following; incomplete infrastructure, unemployment and high poverty levels, poor water reticulation and sanitation, poor road infrastructure, poor health care, insecurity, lack of access to quality education by all children who qualify to be in school, poor governance and infringement of rights on the citizens.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Infrastructure Development

Mr M. Jere: Mr Speaker, prior to the hosting of the 20th Session of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) General Assembly in Livingstone, the Government had embarked on the construction of modern markets and ultra-modern inter-city bus terminus. Sadly, the above mentioned projects are not yet complete four years down the line. If completed, the above infrastructure would boost the revenue collection for the local authority and create the enabling environment for the traders who have waited all this long.

Sir, I am reliably informed that in order to complete the modern markets and the ultra-modern inter-city bus terminus, we need an additional amount of K26 million. In addition, we need to complete the Malamba Stadium so that we are able to tap new talents among the youths.

Mr Speaker, despite Livingstone Parliamentary Constituency being a tourist Capital of Zambia and home of one of the seven wonders of the worlds, the Might Victoria Falls, it  is characterised by high levels of unemployment and poverty. Thousands of our people particularly the youths are unemployment. As a result, these youths are engaging in all sorts of vices, notably, the consumption of alcohol, drug abuse and smuggling. As the English saying goes “an idle mind is the devil’s workshop”.

Sir, high levels of unemployment has led to most of our people becoming poor when this country is endowed with abundant natural resources. Clearly, this is a contradiction, which we should address urgently through our collective efforts and wisdom. We should keep in mind the words of the Greek philosopher Aristotle, who said:

 “Poverty is a parent of revolution and crime.”

Mr Speaker, let us create jobs by revamping the manufacturing sector of our economy by opening the textiles, wood processing industry and diversifying into agriculture. The Government should transfer cash to our people for poverty reduction through co-operative and community-based enterprises.

Mr Speaker, my constituency is both urban and peri-urban. In the peri-urban areas like Sinde, Simonga, Songwe, Nateli and Mahururu, people cover long distances to fetch water. Some parts of the constituency receive water between 1000 hours and 1200 hours while others receive no water at all.

Sir, it is said that water is life. Therefore, I want to appeal to the Government to urgently address this problem by sinking boreholes and helping the Southern Water and Sewerage Company (SWASCO) to improve its water distribution network in order to meet the ever-increasing demand for portable clean and safe drinking water.

Mr Speaker, Livingstone Constituency is characterised by poor roads. In Dambwa North, Dambwa Site and Service, Linda, Libuyu and Highlands, the roads are in such a bad state that mere patching up will not help. They require complete construction and rehabilitation to bituminous standard.

In addition, when the famous Libuyu Bridge gets flooded during the rainy season, Libuyu Township gets cut off from the rest of the town. Also, the Sakubita Bridge, which is in a deplorable state, is a death trap. The two bridges require quick intervention and I am requesting the Government to do something before the on-set of the rains.

Mr Speaker, I want to remind this House and the Nation that a healthy people are a prerequisite for a given society and country that indeed desires to develop. In some parts of my constituency namely, Kasia, Mahururu, Simonga and Sakubita health care is poor, and worse still, clinics close at 1800 hours. Surely, no one can programme illness. Further, there are no maternity facilities. When an expectant mother is due for delivery, she has to be taken all the way to Livingstone Central Hospital or Malamba General. This problem needs urgent attention. I, therefore, submit, through you, that the Government should allocate sufficient funds to the Ministry of Health so that maternity wards can be constructed at the places I have mentioned.

Mr Speaker, there is so much insecurity at night and during the day in the tourist attraction sites and compounds. Innocent people are attacked, injured or have their valuables such as money, cell phones, cameras and ipads stolen. This problem is attributed to lack of street lighting and the absence of police posts.

Dambwa Central Police Post, which was established to serve a small community, is now overwhelmed by a large community. I am requesting this Government, through the Ministry of Home Affairs, to seriously consider establishing a tourism police section which should have expertise in handling complaints from both local and foreign tourists. Increasing the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) to about K2.5 million per constituency and further dividing my constituency into Livingstone East and Livingstone West, would be a quick response and solution to some of these highlighted problems, as Livingstone is one of the fastest growing cities in Zambia.

Mr Speaker, I now want to make a general observation on a number of issues which impact negatively on the daily lives of our people in different parts of the country. Our people out there have cried and continue to cry that ever since the country attained its independence in 1964, they have not benefited much from our abundant resources especially inthe past few years of the Patriotic Front’s (PF’s) rule.

Mr Speaker, the majority of our people are poor and have no jobs. Even the few who are employed are paid meager wages and salaries. Let us share the national cake equally, regardless of one’s political affiliation or tribe. For example, the marketeers in Livingstone have not benefited from the Presidential Market Fund. The youth have also not benefited from the buses empowerment scheme.

Further, the people lack decent shelter and live under poor sanitary conditions. They lack sufficient portable and clean drinking water. I can only attribute this miserable situation that our people find themselves in to the quick spread of corruption which is an injustice. To fight corruption, we need concerted effort by all well-meaningful Zambians to a level where people shall not have animus furandi. To emphasise this point, it is said that abundant wealth lies in the backyard of the poor but injustice takes it away.  

Sir, our people are faced with yet another vexing and depressing problem in the tourism sector. Despite the announcement by the Government that licences and fees will be revised and reduced, the reality is that the average tourism business in Livingstone, for instance, requires more than thirty various licences and permits to operate. As if this is not enough, the planned introduction of a tourism levy on accommodation, food and beverage from 1st January, 2017 will be another cost to businesses which will translate to 13.5 percent more expensive than our direct competitors in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.

It is suggested that an increase in licences and permit fees, where and if applicable, should be done in consultation with the stakeholders in the industry, as it is these businesses that pay taxes and create jobs, but still have to pay high fees in the end. Therefore, it is suggested, with urgency, that a high level public-private sector committee be formed to investigate the above to collect accurate and auditable statistics, which can be used to draft a Livingstone Tourism Development Plan 2030.

Mr Speaker, business opportunities have been taken away from our people by some foreign nationals. For example, they are mining and selling sand and blocks while others are selling vegetables in markets.

Further, Zambian contractors are given little business while foreign contractors are given the lion’s share. As a result, the proceeds from these huge projects are externalised. This situation is depressing and unacceptable. Our loyalty and commitment must be to our people. We owe them a debt of duty. If we are to shape the future of our children, policies made by the Government shall be meaningless if they do not impact on our people’s lives positively.

Mr Speaker, it is sad that after fifty-two years of independence our children are still learning under trees and in classrooms without desks. Education is a cornerstone for any country’s development. I, therefore, propose that more money be allocated to the Ministry of General Education in the 2017 Budget in order to enhance the teaching and learning environment.

As I conclude, I want to add my voice on good governance and democracy. Sir, in this democratic dispensation, the rule of law takes the centre stage. The law serves many purposes and functions in our society. It establishes standards which are guide posts for minimally acceptable behaviour in society. Some activities are crimes because society through a legislative body has determined that it will not tolerate certain behaviours such as injuries or damages to persons or their property.

For example, under the Penal Code, it is a crime to cause physical injury to another person. Sadly, during the just ended general election, a lot of our people, especially the youth, were assaulted and some are still incarcerated. The law exists to maintain order and hence establish standards. Some semblance of order is necessary in a civilised society and is therefore reflected in the law. The law, if enforced by unbiased police and Judiciary, provide order and peace consistent with society’s guidelines.

Further, disputes are unavoidable in a society made of persons with diverge needs, wants, values and views. The law must provide formal means of resolving disputes through the impartial judicial system.

Sir, the law exists in order to protect liberties and rights. The Constitution, to be specific, under Part III, provides for various liberties and rights. These are fundamental rights and freedoms given to human kind by the Almighty God, for example, the right to life, right to liberty, freedom of conscience, freedom of expression, and freedom of assembly, association and movement. The purpose and function of the law is to protect these various liberties and rights from violation or unreasonable intrusion by persons, organisations or the Governments.

Mr Speaker, lastly, I concur with many colleagues who spoke before me, who emphasised the importance of upholding the One Zambia, One Nation motto. The concept of Zambia as a unitary State first appeared in the preamble to the 1974 Constitution, which stated inter alia as follows:

“In pursuance to our determination to uphold our inherent and invaluable rights to decide, appoint and proclaim the means and style whereby, we shall govern ourselves as a united and invaluable sovereign state under the banner of our motto, One Zambia, One Nation.”

Sir, may God bless us all today and in many days to come.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker: Order!

ADJOURNMENT

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

Question put and agreed to.

_________

The House adjourned at 1156 hours until 1430 hours on Tuesday, 11th October, 2016.