Debates - Thursday 13th October, 2016

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Thursday 13th October, 2016

The House met at 1430 hours

[MR SPEAKER in the Chair]

NATIONAL ANTHEM

PRAYER

__________

MINISTERIAL STATEMENT

CONSTRUCTION OF 650 HEALTH POSTS

The Minister of Health (Dr Chilufya): Mr Speaker, thank for granting me this opportunity to update the House and the nation on the construction of the 650 health posts countrywide.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Chilufya: Sir, as the House may be aware, 650 health posts were to be constructed at a cost of US$55.9 million. The project is financed through a US$50 million concession loan from the Indian Government and US$5.9 million contributed by the Zambian Government. The loan agreement was signed on 29th March, 2012.

Mr Speaker, the project involves:

(a) construction of 650 prefabricated health post buildings, and the accompanying staff houses and ventilated improved pit (VIP) latrines.

(b) provision of basic medical equipment to the health posts; and

(c) provision of solar power, sinking of boreholes and installation of hand pumps.

Mr Speaker, to facilitate the easy management of the project, the 650 health posts were split into three lots and awarded to three contractors to minimise the risk of failure or delay inherent in awarding such a big project to one contractor.

Mr Speaker, the contracts were signed on 3rd July, 2013, and construction of the facilities commenced in April, 2014. The contracts were awarded as follows:

Contract Description Contractor Contract Sum (US$)

Lot 1 Construction of Prefabricated Jaguar Oversees Limited 19,468,236.00
 structures, and supply and
 installation of essential
 equipment for 208 health
 posts in Central, Copperbelt
 and Eastern provinces

Lot 2 Construction of prefabricated Angelique International  18,100,735.00
 structures, and supply and Limited
 installation of essential
 equipment for 247 health
 posts in North-Western,
 Northern, Muchinga and
 Luapula provinces 

Lot 3 Construction of prefabricated  Megha Engineering and  18,387,160.00
 structures, supply and Infrastructure Limited
 installation of essential
 equipment for 195 health posts
 in the Western, Southern and
 Lusaka provinces

Mr Speaker, the project was initially expected to be implemented in two years, from April, 2014, to April, 2016. However, it suffered a major setback, namely the termination of the contract for Angelique International Limited in December, 2015, following a recommendation from the Indian Government, which necessitated an extension of the implementation period. Despite that challenge, the following progress has been made:

(a) of the 650 sites, 547, representing a coverage of 84 per cent, have been handed over to contractors across the country;

(b) 326 super structures have been completed countrywide, of which 253 are fully-functional facilities that have been handed over to the Ministry of Health; and

(c) of the 247 health posts under the Angelique International Limited contract, 201 have been recommended for certification of completion by the Zambia National Service (ZNS). Preliminary assessments and recommendations of requirements have also been made towards the completion of the facilities and the Ministry of Finance is sourcing funds to enable the ZNS to commence the work immediately.

Mr Speaker, the construction of the health posts is intended to take health care services as close to the family as possible, especially in rural areas, where, currently, only 46 per cent of the population is within a 5 km radius from to a health facility. Once completed and operational, the health posts will extend the coverage to 80 per cent. So, this is a critical investment in primary health care, as it will increase the percentage of mothers delivering in health facilities and enhance child survival programmes. My ministry has also recruited and deployed the following categories of health workers to offer services at the health posts across the country:

Category Number

Environmental Health Technologist 200

Enrolled Nurses 250

Enrolled Nurse Midwives 200

Community Health Assistants 263

Mr Speaker, let me end by assuring the House and the nation at large that the Government remains committed to delivering this project, as per assurance, and that it has scaled up the training of health workers to match the expansion of infrastructure.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Speaker: Hon. Members, you are now free to ask questions on points of clarification on the statement issued by the hon. Minister of Health.

Mrs Chonya (Kafue): Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister has referred to 650 health posts. What is the cost of one health post? Further, why did the Government not consider awarding the contracts to the Zambia National Service (ZNS) if we had internal capacity? I ask this because after Angelique International Limited could not execute the job, the works were passed on to the ZNS.

Mr Speaker: Before you respond, hon. Minister, I wish to remind hon. Members that they are permitted to ask only one question on a given statement.

Hon. Minister, you may respond.

Dr Chilufya: Mr Speaker, one of the conditions of the loan concession was for us to give the construction and equipment contracts to Indian contractors.

Sir, we are not able to tell the House the unit cost of each health post because it varies from area to area due to various factors, but the total cost is US$55.9 million.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Dr Kalila (Lukulu East): Mr Speaker, understandably, we had to award the contracts to Indian contractors because the loan was provided by the Indian Government. However, the hon. Minister has said that following the termination of the contract awarded to Angelique International Limited, the works have been given to the Zambia National Service (ZNS) and that the Ministry of Finance is looking for money to give to the ZNS. Why is more money being sourced for those works when the loan fully catered for all the health posts?

Dr Chilufya: Mr Speaker, the loan from the Indian Government was US$50 million, yet the full contract sum was US$55.9 million. The US$5.9 million was counterpart funding from the Zambian Government. Therefore, the amount being sourced by the Ministry of Finance is part of the US$5.9 million.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Lufuma (Kabompo West): Mr Speaker, I appreciate the update on this long outstanding project by the hon. Minister of Health. However, could he tell me the status of Angelique International Limited’s project in the North-Western Province and how many of the health posts earmarked for construction there have been built.

Dr Chilufya: Mr Speaker, Angelique International Limited completed seventeen health posts in the North-Western Province before its contract was terminated.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Livune (Katombola): Mr Speaker, normally, there are clauses in contracts that spell out penalties to a contractor who fails to meet performance benchmarks. Was Angelique International Limited sanctioned for failing to execute the contract?

Dr Chilufya: Mr Speaker, Angelique International Limited did not fail to execute the contract, but there were some misunderstandings between the company and the Indian Government that led to the recommendation of termination of the contract.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Mukata (Chilanga): Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister referred to the recruitment of health personnel and I can confirm that the ministry ran an advertisement to that effect, but restricted the recruitment to Chongwe, Luangwa and Kafue. Could the hon. Minister inform the House, the people of Chilanga and me why Chilanga Parliamentary Constituency was omitted in the exercise?

Dr Chilufya: Mr Speaker, we did not overlook any part of this country that has health posts. We advertise for the positions according to the number of facilities that are ready to be operationalised. We have recruited a number of health workers and the process is ongoing.

Sir, with the indulgence of the House, let me say further that although the Zambian Government awarded the contract to Indian contractors, it allowed the Indian contractors to sub-contract Zambian companies. Therefore, Zambian contractors also participated in the project.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Nkhuwa (Chingola): Mr Speaker, could the hon. Minister shed more light on why the Indian Government decided to terminate the Angelique International Limited contract.

Dr Chilufya: Mr Speaker, there were administrative challenges between the Indian Government and the Angelique International Limited. However, I am not in a position to go into the details of the misunderstandings.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Ms Chisangano (Gwembe): Mr Speaker, when is this project expected to be completed? The people in Gwembe are wondering because nothing has been done in the constituency so far.

Dr Chilufya: Mr Speaker, the construction of health posts in Gwembe is ongoing. In fact, I thought the hon. Member of Parliament would start by thanking the Patriotic (PF) Government and His Excellency …

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Chilufya: … the President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, for building a state-of-the-art district hospital in Gwembe.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Chilufya: Mr Speaker, there are other health centres outside the project that have been constructed in Gwembe with support from our co-operating partners, and I thought that would be the preamble of that question. Nonetheless, I assure the hon. Member for Gwembe that Mega Engineering and Infrastructure Limited has given us a schedule that shows that the works in Gwembe will be completed before April, 2017.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Ngulube (Kabwe Central): Mr Speaker, are there any legal proceedings following the termination of the contract for Angelique International Limited? If so, how much compensation will the Zambian Government pay?

 Ms Lubezhi: Hear, hear!

Dr Chilufya: Mr Speaker, the contract was terminated on mutual agreement. So, there are no costs to the Zambian Government.

 Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Simfukwe (Mbala): Mr Speaker, first of all, I commend the hon. Minister of Health for building 326 health posts in two years. That is no mean achievement.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mrs Mwanakatwe: Ema MP, aba!

Mr Simfukwe: However, I come from a constituency that has not yet seen any of the health posts built, I would like to hear from the hon. Minister …

 Laughter

 Mr Simfukwe: … what happened to the balance of the US$18 million that Angelique International Limited signed for, since the contract was terminated after a few posts had been built in the North-Western Province? Is it still available for use by the Zambia National Service (ZNS)?

Dr Chilufya: Mr Speaker, allow me to appreciate the preamble of that question.

 Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Chilufya: Sir, I heard Hon. Mwanakatwe shout, “Ema MP, aba” before the question went sour.

Laughter

Dr Chilufya: Mr Speaker, Angelique International Limited mobilised in the Northern Province and started work in Kasama. However, the contract was terminated before it could mobilise to Mbala. That is why we have not seen works in Mbala. However, the ZNS has assured the Government it will go there as soon as it gets the resources. Therefore, the hon. Member will certainly see works in Mbala before the end of the year.

I thank you, Sir.

Ms Tambatamba (Kasempa): Mr Speaker, as you enter Kasempa District, there is a poster indicating where the district hospital is supposed to be built. However, we do not know when that hospital will be built. Further, of the seventeen health posts allocated to Kasempa in this project, not a single one has been built. What mechanism has the ministry put in place to ensure that each district has one or two hospitals instead of none?

Dr Chilufya: Mr Speaker, the Government of His Excellency the President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, has embraced equity as one of its guiding principles in the distribution of public resources.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Chilufya: Sir, most health posts are being constructed in areas where access to health facilities is most inadequate. In the North-Western Province, the Government plans to build seventy-four health posts. However, our 2015/2016 Infrastructure Operational Plan does not provide for the construction of Kasempa District Hospital. So, I do not know the project to which the hon. Member has referred.

Sir, as to the question on the progress of the implementation of the project in Kasempa, the answer is the same as for many other towns in the province. The contract was terminated before the contractor could mobilise from Solwezi. However, in our quest to ensure access to health services for all citizens, we have embarked on a robust programme of building facilities in districts where there are none. The hon. Member of Parliament for Kasempa should, therefore, be assured that as we plan for health infrastructure expansion, Kasempa will be considered.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Kunda (Muchinga): Mr Speaker, I commend the hon. Minister of Health for his statement.

Mr Livune: Question!

Laughter

Mr Kunda: Mr Speaker, what is the time frame in which the remaining health posts are expected to be completed?

Dr Chilufya: Mr Speaker, the construction of all health posts will be completed in April, 2017.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Kasune (Keembe): Mr Speaker, we have not seen any new health posts being built in Keembe Constituency. Is there a plan for the construction of a general hospital there, given the fact that Keembe has been a district for a very long time?

Dr Chilufya: Mr Speaker, I will take the hon. Member of Parliament for Keembe on an orientation tour of her constituency …

Laughter

Dr Chilufya: … so that she can see where we have built some of the health posts.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Livune: Question!

Dr Chilufya: I commissioned one of the health posts in that constituency in the presence of the former Member of Parliament.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kabanda (Serenje): Mr Speaker, I think that the construction of health posts across the country is unprecedented and that we need to pat His Excellency the President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, …

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kabanda: … on the back for this development. However, despite the recruitment advertisements that have been running, some of the health posts in Serenje District seem to be understaffed. Why is that the case?

Dr Chilufya: Mr Speaker, the recruitment of health workers is ongoing. Under the 2016 Budgetary allocation of K73 million, the Government has recruited 2,000. The Ministry of Health is also in discussions with the Ministry of Finance for permission to vary some Budget lines so that it can recruit a few more. Further, I assure the hon. Member that as part of our broader agenda to invest in primary health care, we will focus on rural health centres when deploying new staff. Therefore, the health posts in Serenje will be appropriately staffed.

Sir, let me emphasise that the recruitment that started in July, 2016, is valid and ongoing. In that regard, I would like to use this opportunity to dispel the rumours about the recruitment under that exercise having been nullified. 

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Jere (Livingstone): Mr Speaker, we all know that in order to motivate our health workers or entice them to work in rural areas, we need to provide decent accommodation for them. I understand that this project has three components, namely prefabricated structures, solar panels and boreholes. How soon does the ministry intend to construct the housing units?

Dr Chilufya: Mr Speaker, the third component of the project is actually housing. We are building prefabricated health posts, staff houses, and incinerators and sinking boreholes. Admittedly, the houses being built are not adequate, but this is the starting point and we will continue to build on it.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Chabi (Chipili): Mr Speaker, it is a huge relief to the people of Chipili for them to hear that the contract initially awarded to Angelique International Limited has since been given to the Zambia National Service (ZNS). You may be aware that none of the five rural health centres that were supposed to be constructed in Chipili Constituency has been built.

Hon. UPND Members: Ah!

Mr Chabi: My question is: When exactly can the people of Chipili Constituency expect the new contractor to move on site? I ask about that because it will be a source of additional relief for them.

Dr Chilufya: Mr Speaker, I see that my colleague in Chipili needs an orientation in his constituency, too.

Laughter

Dr Chilufya: Mr Speaker, works started at two sites in Chipili. Just before the contract was terminated, excavation was done and civil works had started. So, there is no zero progress in Chipili.

Sir, the ZNS have given us a time line for the implementation of the project. So, as soon as resources are mobilised, the works will continue in all the districts. I equally assure the people of Chipili that works will commence before the end of 2016. The ZNS will pick up from where Angelique International Limited left off.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Mbulakulima (Milenge): Mr Speaker, the termination of the contract for Angelique International Limited was a welcome move. However, I am concerned about the capacity by the Zambia National Service (ZNS) to execute the works. The hon. Minister said that 2,000 health workers have already been employed in anticipation of the operationalisation of new health centres. We also know that the transfer of the Rural Roads Unit to the ZNS has taken up much of the project implementation capacity of the latter. Therefore, the added pressure for it to construct over 200 health posts might lead to a failure to achieve this objective. So, what measures has the ministry put in place to ensure that the ZNS achieves this mammoth task?

Dr Chilufya: Mr Speaker, I assure the House that the Ministry of Health engaged the ZNS on that matter and it is convinced that the latter has adequate capacity to execute any construction work in this country. In fact, the health posts will be completed earlier than anticipated. 

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Samakayi (Mwinilunga): Mr Speaker, can the hon. Minister give me a break-down of the number of health posts that have been allocated to the North-Western Province? I am particularly interested in knowing the allocation to Mwinilunga District.

Dr Chilufya: Mr Speaker, the North-Western Province was allocated seventy-four health posts while Mwinilunga was allocated nine.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Musonda (Kamfinsa): Mr Speaker, why has one completed health post in Kamfinsa remained unequipped?

Dr Chilufya: Mr Speaker, the project contractor on the Copperbelt Province, Jaguar Oversees Limited, has informed the ministry that while it has completed some super structures, it has not yet installed some equipment. Some equipment has already arrived while other equipment is in transit. However, I assure the hon. Member that the contractor has assured us that all the super structures that have been completed will be equipped and the health post in Kamfinsa will certainly be opened before the end of November, 2016.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mweetwa (Choma Central): Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister has talked about equipping the health posts. Can he comfort me by giving me a reason to believe that he will, indeed, equip the health posts. I ask this because in the last Parliament, he constantly sang about unprecedented developments, the 650 health posts and all the good that he allegedly was doing yet, last week, I heard from the hon. Member from Kantanshi that the reason he knocked out a Patriotic Front (PF) giant in the last election was the poor equipment of health infrastructure in the constituency. For example, he stated that one clinic only had one thermometer. Why should I believe what he is saying now?

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Chilufya: Mr Speaker, I reiterate that the PF Government, under His Excellency the President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, has significantly invested in health infrastructure.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Chilufya: For the benefit of the hon. Member of Parliament for Choma Central, let me say that hospitals have been built in the Southern Province, specifically in Kazungula, Kalomo, Choma, Gwembe and Namwala, in the last five years. Additionally, sixty-seven health posts have been completed in the province under the current project and all the remaining works will be completed in the next three months.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Chilufya: Mr Speaker, Livingstone Hospital was a general hospital for a long time, but it is now a central hospital, thanks to this Government. It has been modernised and can now provide computerised tomography (CT) scan and renal dialysis services instead of referring patients to Lusaka for those services. What else does the hon. Member of Parliament for Choma Central want this Government to do?

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Chilufya: Mr Speaker, I can go on lecturing the hon. Member of Parliament for Choma Central on the development programmes on which this Government has embarked and what it has achieved so far. However, in the interest of saving time, I will just inform him that the hon. Member of Parliament for Kantanshi has not yet visited all the facilities in his constituency. This Government is modernising facilities on the Copperbelt, and Ronald Ross Hospital is one of the hospitals that have been provided with new laboratory and ward equipment. It is unfortunate that the hon. Member of Parliament demeaned this Government by talking about one thermometer when the quality of care at Ronald Ross Hospital has improved in the last five years because of the investment that this Government has made there.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

SECURITY SITUATION SINCE THE 11TH AUGUST, 2016, GENERAL ELECTIONS

The Minister of Home Affairs (Mr Kampyongo): Mr Speaker, I am grateful for the opportunity you have accorded me to issue a statement on the security situation in the country since the 11th August, 2016, General Elections. This statement is essential in light of the unprecedented post-election political violence that occurred in some districts in the run up to and after the declaration of the presidential election results.

Sir, I wish to set the record straight with regard to the security of people and property in our country since those unfortunate events. I will also touch on my Government’s governance record, particularly on respect for the rights of individuals and the rule of law.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kampyongo: It is important for me to do so because some politicians are making statements aimed at downgrading our human rights record and democratic credentials.

Sir, from the outset, let me state in no uncertain terms that the Republic of Zambia is currently stable and peaceful.

Hon. Opposition Members: Question!

Mr Kampyongo: All law-abiding citizens and residents are going about their business peacefully.

Hon. Opposition Members: Question!

Mr Kampyongo: Sir, our law enforcement institutions operate within the law, and respect and uphold individual liberties.

Sir, allow me to also state that there are no political prisoners in our correctional centres.

Hon. Opposition Members: Question!

Mr Kampyongo: Therefore, all those who are remanded are suspects in serious criminal cases.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kampyongo: Our human rights record is unblemished and our democratic credentials are still highly esteemed both at home and abroad.

Mr Livune: Question!

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, my statement is divided into five parts, namely:

(a) Post-Election Political Violence, and Fires in Markets and other Public Places;

(b) Impact of the Political Violence and Fires;

(c) Visits to Remandees;

(d) Measures Taken to Consolidate Security of People and Property; and

(e) Future Security Outlook.

Post-Election Political Violence

Sir, our country experienced unprecedented levels of political violence in the run-up to the declaration of the 2016 General Elections results, particularly between 14th and 18th August, 2016, with fifty cases being recorded throughout the country. However, 76 per cent of them were reported in three provinces, namely the Southern, Central and Lusaka provinces, which recorded 40 per cent, 26 per cent and 10 per cent, respectively. Within the provinces, the violence was concentrated in a few districts and locations, for example, some locations in Choma, Mazabuka, Monze, Namwala, Pemba and Sinazongwe districts in the Southern Province, and Itezhi-tezhi District in Central Province. The violence included aggravated robbery, arson, assault, unlawful wounding, malicious damage to property, looting and rioting. In response, the Zambia Police Force sent additional officers to the Southern Province to contain the situation. That measure was not deemed necessary in other provinces.

Mr Speaker, the fifty cases of political violence recorded resulted in the arrest of eighty-seven suspects by police, seventy-seven of whom are appearing before the courts of law in their respective districts while the ten suspects arrested in Mongu have been acquitted on a nolle prosequi, although investigations are still ongoing. The police might re-arrest the ten and others in accordance with the law.

Sir, while peace, and law and order have been restored throughout the country, some politicians have continued to incite members of the public ...

Mr Livune: Question!

Mr Kampyongo: ... against a legitimate ...

Laughter

Mr Kampyongo: … and popular Government elected on the 50 Per Cent plus One majoritarian benchmark.

Hon. Opposition Members: Question!

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kampyongo: They have also continued to provoke law enforcement agencies by wilfully violating our laws. Let me warn them that ...

Interruptions

Mr Kampyongo: ... my Government will not tolerate lawlessness any longer because ...

Mr Livune: Question!

Hon. Government Member: You even say, “Question!”?

Mr Kampyongo: … we have a duty to protect people and property, and preserve peace and order.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, lately the country has also witnessed a number of fires in our markets and other public places in which traders have lost goods worth millions of Kwacha. These incidents are suspicious because fire outbreaks are not common in our communities at this time of the year. So, although investigations to establish who might be behind them are still underway, I warn the suspected perpetrators that their days are numbered and that once they are arrested, they will face the full wrath of the law.

Mr Livune: Question!

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kampyongo:

Impact of Post-Election Political Violence

Sir, the post-election political violence resulted in the loss of public and private property, and displacement of people whose houses and business premises were either ransacked or burnt. The displacement of people occurred mainly in Sinazongwe, Namwala and Itezhi-tezhi. While the looted or destroyed property can be replaced, the damage to relationships between our people who, to that point, had lived in peaceful coexistence as compatriots, might not be repaired easily. This is particularly because some of the displaced people were so traumatised that they refused to be reintegrated in the villages and settlements they had called their homes, in some cases, for more than fifty years. Such have had to begin their lives afresh in Lusaka, Nchelenge and Chipata, to mention just a few places.

Mr Speaker, the political violence was shameful and contrary to our national motto of ‘One Zambia, One Nation’.

Mr Livune: One Zambia, one side.

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, divisive politics and its offshoot of political violence should not be tolerated in this country, and the political extremists who have been preaching tribal hatred and the disintegration of our Republic should not be given the chance to poison the minds of our people.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kampyongo: I, therefore, call upon all patriots, irrespective of their political persuasion, to join in in condemning violence and declaring that it has no place in our democratic dispensation.

Visits to Remandees

Mr Speaker, there have been false claims that the Government and the Correctional Service authorities have been preventing some people from visiting remandees in our correctional centres. The truth is that correctional centres, formerly known as prisons, being restricted places, have regulations that govern their operations. While remandees have the right to be visited, that right is restricted to close family members and friends who have to be so declared in advance by the remandees on admission into the facility.

Hon. Opposition members: Aah!

Mr Kampyongo: Therefore, people do not have an automatic right to visit remandees as they please.

Mr Ngulube: With cadres.

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, the Zambia Correctional Service (ZCS) authorities have been very liberal in authorising members of the public and the leadership of the United Party for National Development (UPND), in particular, to visit their members who are in remand for serious criminal offences, such as aggravated robbery and arson. The records at the Lusaka Central Correctional Centre, for example, show that five UPND leaders, including the President and the Vice-President, visited remandees at the facility on 21st September, 2016, while others did so on 4th and 30th September, 2016, and as recently as 11th October, 2016. So, claims of UPND leaders not being allowed to visit their members in remand are not based on facts.
 
Ms Lubezhi: Aah!

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, the ZCS will continue to allow visitors to the correctional centres in accordance with the laws and regulations that govern them without discrimination or favour.

Measures Taken to Consolidate the Security of People and Property

Mr Speaker, the post-election political violence threatened peace and security in our country, and put the unity and solidarity of our people at risk. So, the promoters of hatred and violence should not be given space to spread their hatred and undermine the unity of our country. My Government is, therefore, investing in the modernisation of the law enforcement agencies through in-service staff training, and provision of equipment and technologies essential for modern policing. The police has also intensified motorised and foot patrols, especially in politically volatile areas. We are also engaging key local stakeholders to ensure love and peace prevail over hatred and bitterness. Furthermore, we are promoting zero-tolerance for criminal conduct in our communities. Accordingly, we are arresting and prosecuting law-breakers regardless of their status in society. Additionally, despite the politically-motivated provocation and violence perpetrated by some politicians, my Government has remained steadfast in its respect for individuals’ liberties and upholding of the rule of law. 

Future Security Outlook

Mr Speaker, with the measures my Government has taken to curb political violence and lawlessness in our country, I am confident that we shall preserve peace and security of persons and property of our land. Those bent on destabilising our country shall face the full wrath of the law.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, the people of Zambia will not allow themselves to be hoodwinked by demagogues or let the latter hide among them. There is, therefore, no room for criminal activities under the guise of individual liberties and democracy in our country.

Mr Speaker, I thank you and my hon. Colleagues for your attention. I look forward to working with everyone in our country to secure our peace, as security is the foundation of stable socio-economic development.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker: Hon. Minister, before you depart the Floor, please, be guided that the word ‘demagogue’ is unparliamentary. If you may, please, withdraw it from your statement.

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, with no reservations, I withdraw the word and replace it with ‘disgruntled politicians’.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker: Hon. Members, you are now free to ask questions on points of clarification on the statement issued by the hon. Minister of Home Affairs.

Dr Kalila: Mr Speaker, my question is in relation to the human rights situation in Zambia. The United States Human Rights Report on this country is in stark contrast to the picture that has been painted by the hon. Minister of Home Affairs today. The report expresses grave concern on the deteriorating human rights situation in Zambia, which is characterised by severe restriction of freedom of movement, particularly on political opponents of the Ruling Party; extra-judicial killings, such as the Kampasa incident, to which the hon. Minister has not referred; severe restrictions on freedom of the press, including the closure of some media houses; police brutality; and an abuse of the Public Order Act. How does the hon. Minister reconcile that with the rosy picture that he painted in his statement?

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, first of all, I am surprised that the hon. Member has opted to cite an American report on a local situation. It is very difficult for me to react to the report to which the hon. Member has referred because we have institutions in this country that provide us with information. So, what I have stated is what is obtaining in the country. We respect human rights, as is evidenced by the hon. Member’s ability to come and discharge his functions in this House.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Ngulube (Kabwe Central): Mr Speaker, will this working Government tolerate undisciplined politicians who incite the nation to rise against the legitimate Government of President Edgar Lungu?

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, the hon. Member competed with other candidates for Kabwe Central Seat. He is here today because he was the winner declared in accordance with the law. No one else can come into this Chamber and claim to be the Member of Parliament for Kabwe Central. Similarly, there is only one person who was declared President in this country. Therefore, it is criminal for anyone else to masquerade as the President of this country.

Interruptions

Mr Kampyongo: So, I assure the hon. Member, like I have stated in my statement, that we will not allow that situation to continue. I must make it very clear to the nation that members of the public have an obligation to respect the Government that they legitimately elected. No one should mislead them. As for the law enforcement agencies, we shall remain alert, firm and decisive in dealing with perpetrators of any kind of violence.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Sikazwe (Mpulungu): Mr Speaker, the role of the police, as the hon. Minister has explained, is to maintain law and order. However, in this country, every time the police try to do its job, it is accused of harassing the law-breakers. At which point is the police expected to do its job without being accused of harassing the law-breakers?

Hon. PF Members: Ema question, aya. E quality, iyi.

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, out of the uniform, every police officer is a human being as much entitled to human rights as any other person. So, as police officers discharge their functions, their rights must also be respected. I agree with the hon. Member that sometimes we drive police officers to the edge. In their duty to deal with different situations, especially violent ones, they, like law enforcement officers anywhere in the world, are permitted to use minimum force and the measure of the minimum force is situation-specific. For example, if a police station is besieged, should police officers be expected to just watch as they are overrun when they are permitted by law to use whatever means necessary to defend themselves and control disorderly situations? So, I assure Hon. Sikazwe that police officers are expected to exercise minimum force, but not to abuse any citizens in the same manner they are not supposed to be abused.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Mweetwa: Mr Speaker, for a very long time, Zambia has enjoyed not relative, but real peace and political violence has never been as pronounced as it is today. In the twenty-year rule of the Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD), there was some degree of political violence, but not to the extent we are now witnessing.

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order!

Mr Mweetwa: In my opinion, ...

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order!

Continue, hon. Member.

Mr Mweetwa: … the political violence escalated when disgruntled politicians took over the reins of power in this country, ...

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mumba: Question!

Mr Mweetwa: ... to use the words of the hon. Minister.

Laughter

Mr Mweetwa: Mr Speaker, the Zambian Constitution provides that people who have not been proven guilty by a competent court of law are presumed innocent and should, therefore, enjoy their rights, except those that are circumstantial to their situation, such as the right to movement. Is the hon. Minister in a position to share with me the circumferences of the law he is using to determine that suspects can only visited by close relatives, not by members of the public, for example, Mr Hakainde Hichilema (HH) and Mr Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba (GBM)? 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, the hon. Member for Choma Central is privileged to be very conversant with the laws of this country, both as a lawyer and a former senior police officer.

Laughter

Mr Kampyongo: So, he should be aware that suspects in civil cases are treated differently from suspects in grave criminal cases. How would it be for the nation to allow an armed robber or a murderer to enjoy liberties like any other citizen while awaiting their trial? So, there is a distinction depending on the charges brought against the suspects.

Mr Speaker, in the cases to which the hon. Member has referred, people staged James Bond-style armed robbery in broad daylight in the guise of being political cadres. Those are the people we have confined in our correctional services pending the decision of the Judicial System on their fate, and we will continue to treat them as grave criminal suspects whose liberties will be limited until the courts decide otherwise.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Nkombo (Mazabuka Central): Mr Speaker, I was following the hon. Minister’s statement very closely and heard how apprehensive he is about mending social relationships once they are broken. Conspicuously, his statement was void of what the country generally believes to have been crimes perpetrated by the Patriotic Front (PF) Zambia Police Force. The example I cite is the cold-blooded murder of Mapenzi Chibulo, who was on her way to a political rally in Chawama. She was shot at close range by the hon. Minister’s police and, as we speak, she is six feet under the soil. Another example is that of Malesu Mukonka, who was killed in cold blood. Can the hon. Minister sincerely state that the police operates within the confines of the law by, using his words, “using minimum force” when confronted with challenging situations? It is cases like the examples I have cited that have earned Zambia the low human rights rating about which Hon. Dr Kalila spoke in pointing at dictatorial tendencies. There is no brand mark on anyone’s forehead, including the hon. Minister’s forehead, that can distinguish a dictator from a good leader. Fortunately, no dictator has lived in perpetuity.

Sir, in the hon. Minister’s heart of hearts, does he not think that it was atrocious of the police to kill two innocent youths in cold blood and go scot-free ever since?

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, listening to the hon. Member for Mazabuka Central, you would think you were listening to a priest who …

Mr Speaker: Order, hon. Minister.

Please, resume your seat.

Mr Nkombo: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Speaker: Hon. Minister, I do not think we should take that route. There is no need. You are in a ministerial position.

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Just answer the questions objectively.

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, thank you for your guidance but, in my response, …

Mr Nkombo: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Kampyongo: … I want to emphasise that I will not take the route of giving a catalogue. The hon. Member has given a catalogue of allegations, most of which are under investigation or active in the courts of law.

Sir, a young female teacher was killed in cold blood because she was suspected of being a Patriotic Front (PF) supporter …

Interruptions

Mr Kampyongo: … on account of her name. However, we do not want to become emotional about such cases because, just like those to which the hon. Members has referred, they are criminal activities.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker: Order!

Mr Kampyongo: The hon. Member talked about an incident in Chawama. Our officers are analysing video footage of the incident and, at an appropriate time, what happened on that fateful day will be known. No one takes pleasure in seeing someone’s life lost, and our Head of State has made that very clear. However, we will not dramatise or politicise these occurrences, but rather treat them as criminal events that deserve to be investigated thoroughly. If the perpetrators are identified, they will certainly be brought to book. So, I assure my brother there (pointing at Hon. Nkombo) that we are here to serve the nation fairly.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Mwashingwele (Katuba): Mr Speaker, can the hon. Minister tell us the specific law that he is quoting, especially on the visitation of friends and relatives in remand. Further, he said that only friends and relatives are allowed to visit detainees. Who is a friend? I believe that a person with whom I share political affiliations is supposed to be my friend. However, the hon. Minister seems to have a totally different definition of a friend.

Mr Nkombo: I think State Counsel can help.

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, when we respond, our colleagues should pay particular attention to what we say. I did not define friendship …

Mr Lubinda: No!

Mr Kampyongo: … or cite any law that provides for friendship.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker: Order!

Mr Kampyongo: So, let me repeat what I said for the sake of the hon. Member for Katuba.

Sir, there are rules and regulations under which our correctional services operate. If they say you can only visit at 0800 hours, then, the visitation can only be done at 0800 hours. You cannot wake up and go there at 1900 hours ...

Ms Siliya: It will not happen.

Mr Kampyongo: … because you are visiting people with limited liberties. So, I cannot define who your friends or mine are. There is no law on that and I did not say there was.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Lufuma: Mr Speaker, we appreciate that law and order must be maintained in order to have a state of peace. However, the absence of conflict does not necessarily amount to peace. That said, in responding to the question asked by the hon. Member for Lukulu East, the hon. Minister on the Floor denied that there are human rights violations in the country. Now, can he tell me what the following incidents amounted to, and I will catalogue:

(a) the shooting to death of Mr Mushaukwa in Mulobezi by …

Hon. UPND Members: His neighbour.

Mr Lufuma: … his neighbour;

(b) Lesa …

Mr Kampyongo rose.

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order, hon. Member for Kabompo West!

Let me provide some guidance.

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order, on the left!

Hon. Member for Kabompo West, we will run into difficulties if we continue making the kind of references that we are making because these matters are subject to context. The hon. Minister of Home Affairs has issued a statement and we are now supposed to ask questions on points of clarification on the statement. If we descend into matters that require substantiation, especially when you begin singling one another out here and levelling accusations, we will run into difficulties.

Laughter

Mr Speaker: You may say that X did this and X will want to defend him or herself. I do not want to convert this House into a court.

Mr Sing’ombe: His neighbour at home.

Mr Speaker: Of course, earlier, there were some cases to which reference was made and the hon. Minister acknowledged them, perhaps, because of their notoriety or confirmation by investigations. However, I cannot take it for granted that all the matters that we are now trying to go into share the same degree of notoriety. In any case, we do not debate ourselves.

Hon. UPND Members: Which neighbour?

Mr Speaker: Some policy issues have been outlined in the statement. So, I think that it will be more productive if you engage the hon. Minister on policy issues.

Continue, Hon. Lufuma.

Mr Nkombo: Hear, hear!

Mr Lufuma: Mr Speaker, thank you very much for that guidance.

Sir, I want to make the correction that Mr Mushaukwa of Mulobezi was shot dead by an unknown person …

Laughter

Mr Lufuma: … but, presumably, a Patriotic Front (PF) cadre.

(b) last Friday, I asked Her Honour the Vice-President a question on this case. A woman by the name of Lesa Nyirenda was brutalised by six male police officers;

Ms Lubezhi: Eish!

Mr Lufuma:

(c) a few months ago, just before we adjourned sine die, a lady was undressed and beaten on Youth Day while police officers police officers watched; and

(d) media institutions, among them, The Post newspaper, Muvi Television, Itezhi-tezhi Radio and Komboni Radio, were closed in what amounts to muzzling of the media.

If the hon. Minister does not consider these incidents human rights violations, what, then, are human rights violations?

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker: Order!

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, I find that catalogue of issues loaded. For example, how does the media become a concern of the Ministry of Home Affairs? I cannot respond to that issue because it is outside my mandate. Suffice it for me to say that some media houses have had challenges honouring their tax obligations. I do not know if asking someone to pay their taxes has now become a violation of human rights when tax obligations are recognised the world over.

Sir, let me acknowledge that we have had a number of cases relating to political violence and I have said that each of them will be investigated and action taken depending on the outcomes of the investigations. The courts of law will decide what is to be done. However, we do not want to become petty and trivialise these matters. For instance, it is publicly known that my life has been threatened by some people who have vowed to break my ribs and all, but I do not want to stoop so low as to start raising such things on this Floor because we have a nation to run. We are here to serve the people of this country, and ensure that their liberties are respected and protected regardless of their social status.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Speaker: Let me provide further guidance.

Hon. Members, many crimes have been committed in this country. Even as we speak, unfortunately, more crimes are being committed. So, I do not think that it is proper, in the context of these proceedings, to go into an inquisition and hold the hon. Minister of Home Affairs to account on those individual cases. He has made a generalised ministerial statement on the post-election security situation. This was a largely policy statement and you are supposed to interrogate the public policy issues in his statement, such as the review, measures and outlook of the post-elections security situation. If we go into the archives and begin asking for answers on the many crimes that have been committed in the past, then, it will be very difficult for us to get the answers. In any case, you are mainly supposed to ask questions on points of clarification on the statement issued by the hon. Minister.

Mr Chisopa (Mkushi South): Mr Speaker, ...

Mr Nkombo: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Speaker: I am not allowing points of order for now. Otherwise, I should have announced earlier.

Mr Chisopa: Mr Speaker, before I ask the hon. Minister of Home Affairs a question, may I take this opportunity to congratulate our new Provincial Chairperson, Hon. Chanda Mutale.

Hon. Opposition Members: Aah!

Mr Chisopa: Sir, during the campaigns leading to the last general elections, we witnessed and heard about violence in Namwala, Itezhi-tezhi, Sinazongwe and Choma. Could the hon. Minister explain why the Southern Province recorded 46 per cent of the cases of post-election violence and the displacement of some non-Tongas, who were referred to as foreigners?

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, I thank the hon. Member for Mkushi South for that question.

Sir, it is very difficult to explain why the Southern Province recorded that many cases of political violence but, regrettably, the cases seem to have been sparked by tribal sentiments. My appeal is that we provide leadership to our people and ensure that they all live in harmony. As a ministry, we will do our part in ensuring that the law is enforced and order is maintained. However, it is also important that leaders from the province provide the necessary guidance to our people and help them to appreciate the need to co-exist with others. I know that the leadership there is capable of doing that.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Kufwakwandi (Sesheke): Mr Speaker, could the hon. Minister give us a breakdown of the political affiliations of the 1,000 remandees.

Mr Speaker: Well, I am very reluctant to request the hon. Minister to answer that question. However, if he has the information, then, he may respond.

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, unfortunately, I do not have a bonus answer to the hon. Member’s question. I also do not want to mislead the House by giving figures that may not be accurate. However, if need be, I can come back to the House with those figures.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Speaker: Hon. Members, I am on record saying that hon. Ministers are not encyclopaedias. If you ask the hon. Minister of Home Affairs about remandees, you are asking about all the remandees in the entire country, and I do not even know whether the Department of Correctional Services maintains records on political affiliation.

Laughter

Mr Mukata (Chilanga): Mr Speaker, my question is harmless.

Sir, in his statement, the hon. Minister emphasised a very cardinal issue relating to the need to preserve peace, which is really his and our collective responsibility. However, and he can dispute this, there is an undeniable element in human beings that makes us naturally prone to conflict. Therefore, excepting cases bordering on criminal activity, what is he doing to water down conflicts, especially those arising from electoral processes? What deliberate and overt steps is he taking to reach out even to the misguided youths, to bring harmony and peace to the country?

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, I sincerely thank the hon. Member for Chilanga for his very important question and observation.

Sir, let me repeat what I just said in response to the question asked by the hon. Member for Mkushi South. My ministry is charged with the responsibility of protecting people’s liberties and property, and ensuring coexistence and equity among people through maintenance of the rule of law. However, beyond that, leaders, including all of us here, are collectively responsible for safeguarding and building peace. We are the people’s representatives because the over 17 million people in this country cannot all sit in this House to represent themselves. So, they have placed their trust and faith in all of us seated here and we owe it to them to help them to coexist and agree to differ, just as we are able to do so in this House. We differ in opinions, but we all still realise that, in this institution, we are one. So, when we meet our people, we should inculcate a sense of coexistence in them. That is very important.

Mr Speaker, let me reiterate that it is only us who can provide leadership to our people. If we, PF and UPND hon. Members can share a cup of tea, why should youths from the two parties not do the same? We need to start breaking those barriers instead of burying our heads in the sand and expecting someone to come from somewhere and do it for us. So, we should provide leadership.

I thank you, Sir.

Some hon. Members indicated.

Mr Speaker: Order, hon. Members!

Not long ago, I announced a list of hon. Members I have given the Floor, and I am still following it.

Laughter

Dr Malama (Kanchibiya): Mr Speaker, I just want to mention that the Zambia Police Force is not a Patriotic Front (PF) police force. That said, I also want to say that if at all the operations of the police are found wanting, the law provides for the lodging of grievances with institutions like the former Police Public Complaints Authority, which is now a commission. That is the observation I wanted to make.

Thank you, Sir.

Mr Speaker: Let me just give some guidance.

Hon. Members, when you rise, it should be in a bid to ask a question on points of clarification, not to make observations.

Laughter

Mr Speaker: Of course, we have just started a new life in this House and are still learning. So, let us take this as a learning point. There is no provision for making observations or comments during this segment.

Ms Katuta (Chienge): Mr Speaker, I thank the hon. Minister for informing the House that there will be zero tolerance towards law-breakers. However, where will law-breakers be kept in my constituency, where we only have a small police cell for all suspects regardless of their sex?

Laughter

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, I acknowledge the hon. Member for Chienge’s concern and assure her that the ministry has embarked on a massive infrastructure roll-out programme. We will not only build new facilities, but also rehabilitate and modernise the old ones so that we can accommodate all offenders.

Sir, the hon. Member has rightly alluded to the fact that offenders range from juveniles to adults and males to females, and all those classes have the right to be confined separately. So, we designed the facilities we are building with that in mind. We have just finished some infrastructure at the border and are now going to Chienge to address the very important concern that she has raised.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Speaker: I will take the last questions from the hon. Members for Chikankata, Namwala, Serenje and Mangango, in that order.

Mrs Chonya: Sir, the hon. Member for Kafue also indicated.

Laughter

Mr Speaker: Sorry, hon. Member for Kafue, for not mentioning you. In fact, you were the last on the previous list. I was just making an announcement for the final list on this statement.
 
Go ahead, please.

Mrs Chonya (Kafue): Mr Speaker, the cases of violence that the hon. Minister mentioned included arson. Last month, hon. Members may have read a screaming headline about a case of arson in Kafue Constituency at Mphande, which was attributed to us, members of the United Party for National Development (UPND). As a responsible and concerned Member of Parliament, I went to do my own investigation and discovered that what had been reported in the media was totally false. In fact, I am relieved that the hon. Minister has said that the police is still investigating a number of the cases that were reported to have arisen from political violence. In fact, my findings were that …

Mr Speaker: Order, hon. Member!

Are you asking a question or making a report?

Mr Chonya: Mr Speaker, my question is a simple because I just want to find out what advice the hon. Minister can give to the Government-run media, through the hon. Minister of Information and Broadcasting, against issuing alarming media reports on matters that are still under police investigation.

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, indeed, it is important that the media, which is the mirror of society, reports issues in a measured and reasonable manner because reporters are all professionally-trained to do so. We should always try to discourage those who want to veer off their professional ethics by exaggerating their stories because in some countries where order has broken down, the records show that the media fanned the flames of conflict. It is very important that our media organisations do their work responsibly and avoid misleading the nation. So, the concern of the hon. Member is very valid and it is only prudent that, as lawmakers, not only we, the hon. Ministers, sensitise the media houses on the need for them to perform their duties responsibly to preserve peace and order in this country.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mwiinga (Chikankata): Mr Speaker, I have a situation where I come from, in Chikankata. Last week, I visited my …

Mr Speaker: Order, hon. Member!

Please, focus on the statement and ask on a point of clarification on the statement.

Mr Mwiinga: Sir, last week, when I went to Chikankata, I found out that some man had been shot at by a known police officer. Is that the minimum force to which the hon. Minister referred?

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, I will start by encouraging my colleague, who is just starting his work as a legislator, that, here, we only deal with facts. If what he has said is factual, he did not have to wait to raise the issue in Parliament. Instead, he should have reported the matter to the necessary authorities. The allegation he has made is very serious and might send wrong signals to the outside world. So, if there is some element of truth in what he has said, we will follow it up.

Sir, I did not elaborate when I said “minimum force.” So, let me emphasise that there is an element of proportionality to that concept. If the alleged victim was an armed robber, certainly, we cannot expect our officers to go and confront him with a sjambok.

Laughter

Mr Kampyongo: Their minimum force would have to be proportionate to the force at the disposal of the man. So, we shall follow up that matter and determine whether there is some element of truth in what he has said.

I thank you Mr Speaker.

Mr Kabanda: Mr Speaker, I acknowledge that the issues we are discussing in this House are quite emotive and sensitive. However, going forward, I still want to find out from the hon. Minister of Home Affairs what the Government is doing to bury the hatchet and move forward. Maybe I can use a Bemba adage …

Laughter

Mr Speaker: Order, hon. Member!

I think you have asked your question clearly enough already.

Hon. Minister, please, respond.

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, at the expense of repeating myself, we must understand that there is a Government in place, with a legitimately elected Head of State, …

Mr Livune: Question!

Mr Kampyongo: … and we must all respect that. Additionally, we must understand that the enjoyment of our individual liberties and rights must start with respecting other people’s liberties and rights. Once we get to appreciate that, as a people, all will be well because the Government is people. So, let us learn to respect the authorities because they do not exist in a vacuum. People choose the powers that govern them.

Mr Mwamba: Hear, hear!

Mr Kampyongo: That is where the rule of law starts from.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Ms Lubezhi (Namwala): Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister talked about visitations to correctional centres. When the United Party for National Development (UPND) President …

Interruptions

Ms Lubezhi: … my president, visited Kamfinsa Correctional Centre, the Officer-in-Charge told him that …

Mr Mwamba: Ulelanda bwino.

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order!

Mr Sing’ombe: It is English she is using.

Mr Speaker: Continue, hon. Member.

Ms Lubezhi: Mr Speaker, unfortunately, I speak English.

Interruptions

Ms Lubezhi: Sir, when my party president, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, visited Kamfinsa Correctional Centre, …

Mr Livune: The winning president.

Ms Lubezhi: … he was told that he needed to get permission from the hon. Minister of Home Affairs. May I find out from the hon. Minister, …

Mr Speaker: Order!

Business was suspended from 1615 hours until 1630 hours.

[MADAM FIRST DEPUTY SPEAKER in the Chair]

Ms Lubezhi: Madam Speaker, before business was suspended, I had informed the hon. Minister that when the UPND President, my president, visited Kamfinsa Correctional Centre, he was told by the Officer-in-Charge that he needed permission from the hon. Minister of Home Affairs to visit his incarcerated colleagues. Can the hon. Minister confirm whether that is the procedure for visiting remandees.

Mr Kampyongo: Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Member for Namwala for that question.

Madam Speaker, I indicated in my statement that correctional services have rules and regulations. My ministry has more than twenty-one portfolio functions, one of which is that of the correctional services. However, it is not the policy of the ministry to micro manage the service. Assume that as I am on the Floor of the House, someone wanted to visit a relative in any of our more than twenty correctional centres in the country and needed my permission to do so, would the correctional services function? So, it is not true that the Officer-in-Charge said that because he knows the procedures. If it is true that he said what he is alleged to have said, then, it was because the situation necessitated his consultation of his superiors because the service has its own chain of command, which goes all the way to the Commissioner-General. So, it is not the duty of the hon. Minister to determine who visits remandees or inmates in our correctional centres.

Madam Speaker, what I was told is that the leadership of the UPND leadership visited the Kamfinsa facility with a large entourage and, I think, our officers did not deem it conducive to admit such a huge number of people at once and needed to consult his superiors in the hierarchy.
 
I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Mwene (Mangango): Madam Speaker, how much did the ministry spend on managing the said political violence?

Interruptions

Mr Kampyongo: Madam Speaker, unfortunately, I do not have the figures with me right now. It would have helped if the hon. Member was specific because the question he asked is too general. In any case, violence can occur at any time. Therefore, it will be difficult for me to determine the cost of every incident.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

UPDATE ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE HIGHER EDUCATION LOANS AND SCHOLARSHIIPS BOARD

The Minister of Higher Education (Prof. Luo): Madam Speaker, I thank you for according me this rare opportunity to issue a statement to this august House on progress in the establishment of the Higher Education Loans and Scholarships Board.

Madam, as the House may be aware, this initiative arose from a realisation by the Patriotic Front (PF) Government that the proportion of our school leavers who were able to access university education was very low. Further, only students from the Copperbelt University (CBU) and the University of Zambia (UNZA) could access that student finance. In other words, for a long time, Zambia has been providing support “vulnerable students”, but not all the vulnerable students, as only students enrolled at the CBU and UNZA have been supported. Additionally, it is common knowledge to all of us that there has been a lot of disenchantment with the support that was provided through the Bursaries Committee, which was responsible for the decision to only sponsor students at the two universities and exclude a large number of those in other public and private universities and colleges. We also realised that there was no mechanism for recovering loans that had been given to some students starting in 2004. Furthermore, the bursaries provided generated a sense of entitlement among the students, which usually spurred them to engage in civil unrest whenever their allowances were delayed.

Madam Speaker, prior to the dissolution of the last Parliament in May, 2016, the House had approved the Higher Education Loans and Scholarship Bill No. 31 of 2016 to establish the Higher Education Loans and Scholarship Board. This afternoon, I am glad to report that the Bill was assented to. The Act abolishes the Bursaries Committee and provides for the establishment of a Higher Education Loans Boards and Scholarships. It further provides for the establishment of a revolving fund and appointment of a fund manager.

Madam, the Higher Education Loans and Scholarship Act will enable more students from vulnerable homes to enter universities and colleges. Thus, the Government will respond to Zambians’ demands for this support to be targeted at all vulnerable students. The Act will also enable the Government to recover loans that have already been given out.

Madam, after I was appointed Minister of Higher Education, I put all my energies into the operationalisation of the Higher Education Loans and Scholarship Board, and putting the board under a division to be called the Human Resource Development Division (HRDD). That is one of my priorities.

Mr Ngulube: Hear, hear!

Prof. Luo: Madam Speaker, the HRDD will be responsible for guiding the ministry on the skills needs of the nation. It will house a skills database that the Higher Education Loans and Scholarships Board will use to target its programmes in line with the value addition economic development agenda of this nation. To this end, I have initiated the process of appointing members of the board so that this important body can start its work before the end of 2016. The ministry will soon engage Cabinet Office and the Ministry of Finance on the establishment of the HRDD.

Madam, once the board is appointed, its major preoccupations will include:

(a) designing a loan recovery system;

(b) establishing an up-to-date skills database to assist in targeting loan beneficiaries in line with the Government’s skills development agenda;

(c) designing and adopting its operational manuals;

(d) advising the Government on the seed resource needed for the revolving fund;

(e) designing a mechanism for managing students studying abroad, including retention schemes; and

(f) facilitating any other processes to ensure the efficient, transparent and equitable administration of higher education loans and scholarships for effective skills development.

Madam Speaker, although the Higher Education Loans and Scholarships Board will start its work before the end of 2016, the revolving fund for the higher education loans is only expected to be operational at a late stage because the board will need to adopt a number of administrative manuals to guide its operations. Most importantly, the board will rely on the revolving fund for loan disbursements. So, it will, in its first year of operation, wait to see how much money will be recovered from loan beneficiaries who have graduated since 2008. Further, the board will have to establish a database on the skills needs of this country.

Madam, hon. Members may be asking what the implication of all this will be? The answer to that question is that the Government will continue providing meal and project allowances, and accommodation refunds until the revolving fund is sufficiently built up and other administration procedures have been finalised to facilitate a smooth transition from the current arrangement to the new one. As I have already stated, the ministry is working frantically to phase out the old system, as it has proved to be inefficient, discriminatory and, generally, not in tune with the skills development needs of this country. In this regard, a number of reforms will be undertaken in the higher education sector to encourage alternative models of student financing.

Madam Speaker, given the interest that the general public has in this matter, I will, from time to time, give progress briefs to the House.

Madam, I thank you.

 Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Nkombo: Madam Speaker, it is my first time to be in this House while you are in the Chair. Congratulations. Your position suits you well.

Laughter

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order!

Mr Nkombo: Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Minister of Higher Education for her statement, which indicates a shift from the traditional paradigm of providing an incentive for our children to excel in school.

Madam, the hon. Minister said that the board will determine the eligibility of would-be loan and scholarship beneficiaries and establish the loan recovery system. However, 90 per cent, if not more, of Zambians are vulnerable while the graduates we are producing from higher learning institutions are not being absorbed by the job market. Is the hon. Minister able to give me an example of what the board will be looking at in the loan recovery system? As I alluded to earlier, there are no jobs in this country and the situation has been worsened by the decision of the hon. Minister’s party, the Patriotic Front (PF), to raise the retirement age from fifty-five to sixty and sixty-five, which means that the window through which people have been coming out of employment and creating space for others on the labour market has been narrowed.

Mr Chiteme: How many questions?

Mr Nkombo: You see now?

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order, hon. Members!

Let us maintain order.

Mr Nkombo: Madam, they shifted the …

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order, hon. Member for Mazabuka Central!

Remember that you are supposed to ask only one question on this statement.

You may continue.

Mr Nkombo: Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker, the increment of the retirement age now means that people will remain in employment ten years longer than they did in the previously. So, how will the board determine the repayment mode when children will not get jobs immediately after graduating?

Prof. Luo: Madam Speaker, let me use this opportunity to provide a little more information to help the hon. Member for Chikankata.

Interruptions

Prof Luo: I beg your pardon, the hon. Member for Mazabuka Central.

Madam, our learning institutions have focused on training people for in white-collar jobs. That should change. The world over, emphasis is been placed on training both those who will be white-collar workers and others who can employ themselves and, in the process, employ others.

Madam Speaker, I will issue a statement on the changes that will be effected in the education of our people. Currently, we concentrate on the education of those who drop out in Grade 10 and those who enter universities or colleges and are expected to pass mathematics and English. However, we also need to tackle the middle ground so that there will be no unemployment, as everyone will be trained to earn a living. The current statement is on those who will be expected to enter colleges or universities.

Furthermore, Madam Speaker, I said that the HRDD will build a skills database. This means that we will go across the country and take an inventory of the skills sets that have been benefitting from loans, so far, and those that have not been benefiting. Let me give you an example. Today, the mines say that they will bring in expatriate geologists because this country does not have that skills set. Additionally, many people have been given scholarships to study law, yet there are very few lawyers who work for the Ministry of Justice. That exemplifies our need for a paradigm shift. So, when we give out the loans, we will target the skills sets that we need in this country.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Kabanda: Madam Speaker, what criterion is used to screen students for eligibility for bursaries? Some students have had the privilege of going to pre-school and middle class, and to go to expensive schools like Icengelo or Lusaka International Community School (LICS) for their secondary education, yet when they are getting into university, they suddenly become impecunious. How come, Mr Speaker?

Mr Nkombo: Madam Speaker.

Mr Kabanda: I beg your pardon. How come, Madam Speaker?

Madam First Deputy Speaker: I am sure that this mistake of calling me “Mr Speaker” will continue.

Laughter

Madam First Deputy Speaker: It is expected. However, we will endeavour to keep reminding one another that I am ‘Madam Speaker’.

Hon. Minister, you may respond.

Prof. Luo: Madam Speaker, my ministry will liaise with the Ministry of Community Development and Social Welfare on the establishment of a robust system in the HRDD that will enable social workers in our sister ministry to go to the homes of our people and identify children in need of support. We will monitor homes and keep files on them.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Dr Chanda (Bwana Mkubwa): Madam Speaker, first and foremost, I commend the hon. Minister for her very progress statement, which I think is long overdue. Having been a beneficiary of the bursary system, I agree that it has become very inefficient. That is why the Patriotic Front (PF) Government promoted a paradigm shift on that system.

Madam, my question is on the skills database, which is very welcome because, as a country, we have never taken an inventory of the skills that we have and those that we need.

Interruption

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order, on my left!

Dr Chanda: Every year, we see advertisements from foreign countries offering generous scholarships to Zambian students. How will those countries be guided so that they offer scholarships in skills that we need as a country? We have seen many scholarships for courses that are not relevant to our development.

Prof. Luo: Madam Speaker, having worked with co-operating partners for many years, I know that they do what you want them to do. So, once we have the database, we will guide them on the courses in which they should offer scholarships. We will share our manuals and skills database with our co-operating partners so that they know our systems and procedures, and the areas in which we need scholarships in a particular year.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Mukata: Madam Speaker, the trajectory the hon. Minister took in recognising and underpinning the problems associated with the employment-to-education mismatch is very important.

Madam Speaker, considering that millions of youths will scramble for the loans, I think there will probably be a problem. Will an attempt be made in the near future to involve corporate institutions, perhaps via the enactment of an apprenticeship Act? I think that such an Act would be quite critical in facilitating the employment and training of some youths by corporate institutions so that we reduce the number of youths who will want to get educational loans from the Government.

Prof. Luo: Madam Speaker, our agenda for the reform of the ministry is premised on the theme, “The Youth Badge and Demographic Dividends” in recognition of what the hon. Member has said. We will have more than apprenticeship, but I will elaborate on that in another statement.

I thank you, Madam.

Ms Mwashingwele: Madam Speaker, the old bursary system was more of a privilege for students in the public universities. I want to believe that the new loan system will also cater for students in trades training institutes, who will be the blue-collar workers whose skills we definitely need in the country.

Prof. Luo: Madam Speaker, I think that I mentioned that in the past, the bursaries scheme only benefited students from two public universities and that we want to change that. Now, we want all students to benefit, including those in colleges. Again, I will discuss the alternatives of financing education in trades training institutes and colleges in another statement, and I do not want to pre-empt that discussion. 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Lumayi (Chavuma): Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Minister of Higher Education for her statement, which is inspiring. I think there is hope in her, unlike in those who are threatening people here.

Interruptions

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order, hon. Members!

Ask your question, hon. Member.

Mr Lumayi: Madam Speaker, all the systems that the hon. Minister of Higher Education is trying to implement should be about improving teachers’ jobs and lives. Currently, District Education Board Secretaries (DEBSs) forward names of those they recommend for employment to Lusaka, but the names are replaced. How will the hon. Minister tackle that problem, which has caused the teachers in the villages to remain unemployed?

Prof. Luo: Madam Speaker, there are two hon. Ministers responsible for education. One is Prof. Nkandu Luo, the hon. Minister of Higher Education, the other is the hon. Minister of General Education. So, the hon. Member may wish to direct that question to the hon. Minister of General Education, as I am responsible for lecturers, not the teachers about whom he has asked. There is a big distinction between a lecturer and a teacher.

I thank you, Madam.

Hon. Opposition Members: Question!

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order!

Hon. Members, the hon. Minister of Higher Education delivered a very clear statement on the establishment of the Higher Education Loans and Scholarships Board. Can we stick to that statement.

Mr Mung’andu (Chama South): Madam Speaker, what measures has the hon. Minister put in place to avoid, for example, the whole of Luapula Province becoming an education region. I ask this question because students in the private sector will also benefit from this scheme, and private colleges and universities have mushroomed. Those institutions will start fighting to access the Government loans for their students. So, what measures has the ministry put in place to ensure that only worthy institutions will be able to access the loans for their students?

Prof. Luo: Madam Speaker, in my ministry, there is a Higher Education Authority (ZHEA) led by a very renowned professor who is working round the clock to ensure quality in higher education in this country. So, some private tertiary education institutions will be closed because merit resides in quality, not quantity.

I thank you, Madam.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Ngulube: Madam Speaker, in my constituency, we have private teachers’ and nurses’ colleges. Will their students be eligible for Government loans?

Prof. Luo: Madam Speaker, I mentioned that we do not want to be discriminatory. Rather, we want all those who will fit the criteria we shall put in place to access the loans. However, I want to emphasise that during my tenure of office, we will emphasise quality, not quantity. So, any institution, public or private, that is not delivering to our expectations will not be tolerated because we are not training students only for Zambia, but for the global world. When the people we train go to work elsewhere in the world, people should be able to see that they received quality education in Zambia. So, there will be a very stringent criterion for eligibility. If one opens a small institute in what used to be a bar, it will not be considered.

I thank you, Madam.

Mr Jamba (Mwembeshi): Madam Speaker, do we have statistics on people who have got Government loans in the past? Further, will the new system not be the same as the old one in which people got loans, but did not pay back?

Prof. Luo: Madam Speaker, we have the statistics and names of people who have accessed the loans since 2004. What we did not have was a system for loan recovery. As I indicated, we will not implement the loan scheme in January, 2017, because we want to do a little more work. We want to make an inventory, have operational manuals, and ensure that we have a system for recovery and retention so that we do not train people who will not contribute to the development of this country. However, as I have said, I will update the House on that in another statement.

I thank you, Madam.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mulowa (Senanga Central): Madam Speaker, which skills would the hon. Minister, me, as renowned training provider, to target so that my students can become beneficiaries?

Prof. Luo: Madam Speaker, I think the hon. Member heard me loud and clear when I said that we would carry out research. One of the things I will bring to this House is investment in research because when we start appreciating research and basing our activities on research data, we will not always run to others for answers. The answer lies in research and I provide the data for which he has asked.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Musonda (Kamfinsa): Madam Speaker, one of the reasons the hon. Minister has cited for the abolition of the old Bursaries Committee was that of inefficiencies. She indicated that the board that will be appointed is intended to increase the number of loan beneficiaries. Will she increase efficiency by situating the board across the country? 

Prof. Luo: Madam Speaker, I have said that the reason we will not implement the scheme in January, 2016, is that we need to do some work first. When we reached an advanced stage, at which teething problems will be minimal, I will issue a statement to this august House on the finer details. It is a little too early for me to explain those details now. There are many ideas that are saturating my mind right now, but I do not want to pre-empting them.

I thank you, Madam.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kambita (Zambezi East): Madam Speaker, I have noticed that the old Bursaries Committee and the new scheme are almost identical. Could the hon. Minister catalogue, if she can, the salient features of the new scheme that will make it more advantageous to the students than the old system?

Prof. Luo: Madam Speaker, one of the salient features of the old system is that it only benefited University of Zambia (UNZA) and Copperbelt University (CBU) students. The other feature is that it was not targeted. Rather, it was what we call ‘chela mushuke’ in Bemba, ...

Hon. Opposition Members: Meaning?
 
Prof. Luo: ... meaning that it was chanced by those who were lucky.

Madam Speaker, another important feature is that it was not based on the skills needs of the country. Let me refer to the Speech by His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, where he said that he wished to see economic growth in our country based on diversification into agriculture and tourism. For many years, we have been dependent on copper, yet we do not have the skills sets to support its production and have kept hiring expatriates to manage our copper production. In the proposed system, we will conduct research on the skills sets we need to be able to grow our economy.

Mrs Mwanakatwe: Hear, hear!

Prof. Luo: Madam Speaker, another important feature is that the selection of the beneficiaries will not be done by the staff of the Ministry of Higher Education. Rather, it will be done by external people. We do not want a situation in which people will say, “This one is related to this one or that one”.

Prof. Luo: The selection will be done by professionals using the manuals that we will develop.

Madam Speaker, the list of differences is endless. In case the hon. Members did not hear me correctly and thought I was speaking French, Russian or Japanese, in which case I would have said, “Domo arigato gozaimasu.” I repeat: This will be different.

I thank you, Madam.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

_____________

MOTIONS

MOTION OF THANKS

(Debate resumed)

Mr C. M. Zulu (Luangeni): Madam Speaker, I thank you for according me this time to make my maiden speech to this august House.

Madam Speaker, I give all thanks, praise, glory and honour to the Almighty God for my re-election to this House. I also thank God for this day because without Him, I would not have been here addressing this august House.

Hon. Government Member: Amen.

Mr C. M. Zulu: Madam Speaker, in the same line of thought, I heartily congratulate His Excellency the Sixth President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, on his thunderous victory in the 11th August, 2016, elections.

Interruptions

Mr C. M. Zulu: Madam Speaker, I also congratulate Her Honour the Vice-President, Madam Inonge Mutukwa Wina, on becoming the first woman to hold that office. With her permission, I will call her ‘Iron lady’.

Madam Speaker, allow me to also congratulate you and the Second Deputy Speaker on your election to your positions. I strongly believe that you are both equal to the task. Unfortunately, we will miss your debates because you used to be the voice of the indigenous Zambians. 

Madam Speaker, let me also congratulate myself, famously known as nkhunzi, meaning the Eastern Bull or amadoda, on winning the Luangeni Constituency Seat. I also congratulate all the hon. Members on their victories.

Madam Speaker, I made history in Luangeni Constituency by being the first Independent Member of Parliament in more than four decades even though people had said that no Independent candidate would win there. I have done it again by becoming the first Member of Parliament to win a second term in the constituency. I, therefore, congratulate myself.

Laughter

Mr C. M. Zulu: Madam, my victory would not have been possible without the love and support of the people of Luangeni, whom I love dearly, too.

Madam Speaker, allow me to express my sincere gratitude to His Excellency the President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, and the PF Executive for adopting me as their preferred candidate. They chose their best.

Madam Speaker, my special appreciation go to the Eastern Province PF Chairperson, all the councillors and the ward officials for the support they gave me, which led to that thumping victory.

Madam Speaker, I thank my wife for unwaveringly standing by my side during the campaign period. As they say, “Behind every successful man is a woman.”

Interruptions

Mr C. M. Zulu: Do you want to give me another wife?

Laughter

Mr C. M. Zulu: Madam Speaker, I also thank my campaign team for their tireless work and devotion during the campaigns. My special gratitude also goes to my children, brothers and sisters for their help. I also thank my parents for the wisdom and guidance they have always given me. Finally, I thank all those who supported me in every way, be it financially, morally or materially. May God bless them all.

Madam Speaker, Luangeni is a vast constituency in Chipata District in the Eastern Province of Zambia. It is situated on the Zambia-Malawi Border and has five Ngoni Chiefs. I am a Ngoni Bull. One of the chiefdoms is that of Paramount Chief Mpezeni. So, you can imagine how the constituency is. The other chiefs are Senior Chief Nzamane, Chief Maguya, Chief Saili and Chief Chinyaku. The constituency has five wards and is surrounded by other constituencies, namely Kasenengwa, Chipata Central, Vubwi, Chadiza and Milanzi. It is also home to the famous Nc’wala Ceremony.

Madam Speaker, in 2011, I was elected as an Independent Member of Parliament, like I have already mentioned. During my five years in this House, I was appointed Deputy Minister by His Excellency the late President, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, may his soul rest in peace. Again, when His Excellency the current President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, was elected into office, I was appointed in the same capacity. I, therefore, thank His Excellency the President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, for the support and confidence he extended to me then. I also thank the hon. Ministers, such as Hon. Dora Siliya, Hon. Yaluma and Hon. Yamfwa Mukanga, and all the staff with whom I worked. May God to bless them all.

Madam Speaker, in the five years I have been in this House, Luangeni has achieved a lot of development in the health, education, agriculture and social sectors due to the hard work of the PF Government. During the time that the PF Government has been in power, the whole country has benefited more than it ever did before.

Mr Livune: Question!

Mr C. M. Zulu: Madam Speaker, Luangeni has also achieved a lot because I have been a very hardworking Member of Parliament. Every weekend, I go to my constituency and the people there have benefited immensely. Electricity, water supply, road and dam projects have been implemented. Additionally, the launch of the fight against early marriages by the then First Lady, Dr Christine Kaseba, was done in Luangeni, and women’s social clubs were funded and are very actively engaged in keeping goats, poultry and piggery.
 
Madam Speaker, most parts of the constituency were electrified and even people living in grass-thatched houses have electricity. That project was initiated by His Excellency the President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu. Most schools and clinics were also connected to the national electricity grid. The electrification of the constituency has made it possible for entrepreneurs of all sizes to operate hammer mills, salons, barbershops, grocery shops and bars.

Madam Speaker, more than ten community schools were built in Luangeni and more are under construction to shorten the distances that children walk to school. Additionally, about forty schools received computers and all the forty-eight of them were re-painted. So, they look very beautiful. That is why the people retained me as their Member of Parliament.

Madam Speaker, football and netball clubs were provided with team jerseys and more than 100 balls were donated to various clubs. This move had a positive impact on reducing vices like theft, drug and alcohol abuse, and early marriages because the sports activities kept most of the people occupied.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr C. M. Zulu: Madam Speaker, they say, “Give a man a fish, …”

Interruptions

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Hon. Member, please, resume your seat.

Hon. Members: Hon. Members, we are all people’s representatives here and every hon. Member has the right to be heard. That right is undermined when you pass running commentaries. You disturb the flow of the debate and deny the hon. Member on the Floor the right to be heard. Can we all agree that we will maintain order because we are all supposed to be dignified and honourable.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Madam First Deputy Speaker: The people we represent look up to us to provide decent and credible leadership. So, let us afford one another the room to debate and be heard.

Hon. Member for Luangeni, you may continue.

Mr C. M. Zulu: Madam Speaker, I thank you for your protection.

Madam Speaker, it is said, “Give a man a fish and you will feed him for a day, but teach a man how to fish and you will feed him forever.” In Luangeni Constituency, Ma’am, we have started stocking fish.

Hon. Opposition Members: ‘Ma’am’?

Mr C. M. Zulu: Yes, ‘Ma’am’.

Laughter

Mr C. M. Zulu: Madam Speaker, so far, …

Hon. Opposition Members: Yes!

Mr C. M. Zulu: … we have stocked 60,000 fingerlings in one dam in accordance with the President’s advice. I sponsored that community initiative and we have now started the process. We have ten dams and expect the whole constituency to feed from them. We have done that in order to empower the people. Very soon, we will start selling fish in town and be able to raise funds to build community schools. We will not even depend much on the Constituency Development Fund (CDF).

Interruptions

Mr C. M. Zulu: Madam Speaker, the PF Government, of which I am a part, has taught the people of Luangeni to fish and we shall continue to empower them in this term. This brings me to my response to the President’s Speech delivered to this august House on 30th September, 2016.

Madam Speaker, let me start by saying that if a leader has no vision, the people he leads perish.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr C. M. Zulu: When His Excellency the President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, made his Speech, he gave us his vision.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr C. M. Zulu: It is a vision everyone in the House ought to commit to, ...

Mr Livune: Question!

Mr C. M. Zulu: ... as it is a vision for all, going by the theme: “Building an Integrated Multi-Sectoral Approach to Development that Enhances Inclusiveness in Development without Leaving anyone Behind”.

Madam Speaker, the hon. Members of Parliament have described the Speech in all sorts of ways, including “sweet,” “progressive,” “inspiring” and “beautiful.” Two or three hon. Members tried to criticise it, but failed.

Madam Speaker, the reflections and connotations of the Speech align with the PF Manifesto. In accordance with the Speech’s theme, all ministries and sectors of the economy should work in sync. As one famous author put it, “As a vehicle moves, it is not only the tyres or the steering wheel that turn. Everything works hand in hand.” Equally, all activities should be interconnected, as the goal of all sectors is to build our country in the spirit of One Zambia, One Nation.

Hon. PF Member: Hear, hear!

Mr C. M. Zulu: Madam Speaker, one issue in the President’s Speech is the creation of new ministries, which I strongly second, as it will ensure the smooth operations of the Government. The creation of the Ministry of National Guidance and Religious Affairs is a welcome move, as we are a Christian nation.

Ms Lubezhi: Amen!

Mr C. M. Zulu: Madam Speaker, the creation of the Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Environment is a brilliant idea, as it will ensure that we expand agricultural activities, especially fish and livestock farming.

Madam Speaker, the creation of the Ministry of Presidential Affairs is also a welcome move, as it will facilitate dialogue between the Office of the President and the people. The Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure is also welcome because it will ensure the vision of providing decent accommodation for our people is realised. All these ministries are strategic in ensuring that the vision of the President’s Speech is achieved.

Madam Speaker, as regards electricity supply, the President stated that we must re-think our approach to the energy sector, which I strongly believe is of great importance, as it will give rise to growth in most, if not all, sectors of the economy, especially in manufacturing, mining and agriculture through activities like irrigation. That will, in turn, enhance revenue collection and boost the Government coffers so that we are able to build more roads, hospitals and schools.

Madam Speaker, I urge the Government to ensure that renewable energy is harnessed. Our country enjoys six to eight hours of sunshine daily and plenty of wind. We also enjoy springs and waterfalls in some parts of the country. However, only less than 1 per cent of that potential is used for renewable energy.

Madam Speaker, though Zambia is landlocked, it is referred to as a power-linked country. With our eight neighbours facing energy deficits, we can be the hub for energy exports in the region, especially given the natural resources we have. This perspective can be extended to all sectors, including agriculture, fisheries and livestock.

Madam Speaker, for us to succeed in our endeavours, as a country, we all must unite and ensure that the vision shared by our leader is implemented. As the saying goes, “An army of sheep led by a lion will always defeat an army of lions led by a sheep.”

Madam Speaker, I believe that we are all lions led by a lion.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr C. M. Zulu: Madam Speaker, I urge all hon. Members of Parliament to unite in this august House for the sake of our country and work together for the betterment of the people in our constituencies.

Hon. PF Member: Emphasise!

Mr C. M. Zulu: We have seen people come here and start representing themselves instead of the people who elected them.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr C. M. Zulu: Madam Speaker, I would like to remind the House that what we are doing now is not for us or for the next elections, but for future generations. We are where we are now because of what other people before us did. Let us leave a good legacy for posterity.

Madam Speaker, I have heard many people say that we must think outside the box, and the President spoke of ministries coming up with new ideas. Instead of thinking outside the box, I recommend that we do away with the box altogether and throw it into the dustbin. Let us forget about the box and move on.

Madam Speaker, with those few words, I thank you.
 
Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Hon. PF Member: Ema speech, aya!

Mr Bwalya (Lupososhi): Mr Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity to make my maiden speech. As I do so, I will also comment on the issues that were raised in the President’s Speech.

Madam Speaker, I would like to take this chance to congratulate His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, on his re-election. I also congratulate Her Honour the Vice-President on her ascension to her position.

Madam, allow me to also congratulate the Speaker of the National Assembly on his re-election, and you and the Second Deputy Speaker on your election. In addition, I congratulate all the Cabinet and Provincial Ministers on their deserved appointments.

Madam Speaker, I am proud that Lupososhi Constituency re-elected me and that it has continued to be a stronghold of the Patriotic Front (PF). In that regard, I thank all the candidates from different political parties for giving me a good run. I wish to invite them to work with me through the PF Government so that, together, we can take development to Lupososhi. I further thank those who competed with me during the intra-party adoption process because they, obviously, enriched the internal democracy in the PF.

Madam, this year, the PF has entered its second term in Government under the effective leadership of His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu.

Mr Livune: Question!

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Bwalya: Undoubtedly, with this in mind, the people of Lupososhi Constituency expect not only to have their fair share of the national cake, but to also enjoy the quality leadership of His Excellency the President.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Bwalya: Madam Speaker, the people of Lupososhi are in dire need of road infrastructure, such as bridges; schools; and health facilities. This is more so given the fact that Lupososhi is not an ordinary constituency, being the first one won by the PF in 2001.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Bwalya: Madam Speaker, let me also pay tribute to the voters in Lupososhi Constituency for yet again entrusting me with the authority and responsibility to represent them in the National Assembly and Parliament of Zambia. I will perform my task to the best of my ability and represent them efficiently both in and outside the House. As I express my gratitude, I am guided by the words of Mr John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States of America (USA), who said that:

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”

Madam, allow me to thank His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, who is also the PF President, for giving me the chance to stand on the PF ticket and for supporting me before, during and after the elections.

Mr Sikazwe: Hear, hear!

Mr Bwalya: I further thank all the PF Central Committee Members for the confidence they showed in me by allowing me to stand on the PF seat. I would be failing in my duty if I did not extend my sincere gratitude to the Northern Province, Luwingu District and Lupososhi Constituency PF Executive Committees for supporting me before, during and after the elections.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Bwalya: To my campaign team, with whom I travelled far and wide in Lupososhi Constituency, say, you are my pillar and a force to reckon with.

Madam Speaker, I congratulate all the hon. Members and welcome them to the House.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Bwalya: Let me also extend my gratitude to all the Chiefs in Lupososhi Constituency for supporting me and maintaining peace during the campaign period.

Madam Speaker, allow me to remind all of us here that we have a duty to diligently, peacefully and efficiently serve the people of Zambia who have committed their trust and interest to our charge.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Bwalya: Madam Speaker, allow me to sincerely thank my wife, Connie Siamujaye Bwalya, …

Hon. UPND Members: Aah! 

Mr Bwalya: … and my children, Lloyd, Gift, Makina, Chungu, Namulima and Mutinta, for their support during my tour of duty.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Bwalya: Madam Speaker, all the Tongas there (pointing at hon. UPND Members) are my mulamus. So, they need to support the PF.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Bwalya: Madam Speaker, I cannot forget to thank my friends, relatives, brothers and sisters for the immense support they gave me before and during the campaigns.

Madam Speaker, Lupososhi is a vast rural constituency with thirteen wards and a population of 72,790, according to the 2010 Census of Population and Housing Report. Of the 72,790 residents, 33,455 are registered voters, according to the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) voters register, as updated in 2016. The constituency is predominately a farming area and it shares borders with a number of constituencies, among them Chilubi, Chipili, Pambashe, Chifunabuli, Bahati, Mansa Central and Lubansenshi, which is in the same district as my constituency.

Madam Speaker, I wish to place it on record that the constituency has had its fair share of development in school, road and health infrastructure, and the Social Cash Transfer Scheme using money from both the Central Government and the Constituency Development Fund (CDF). However, the constituency also has a number of challenges, among them a poor road network, particularly the Luwingu/Kasaba via Chungu Road, which connects Luwingu and Samfya, and the Luwingu/Nsombo/Chaba/Chilubi Road, which connects Luwingu to Chilubi. A lack of bridges on river crossings and poor feeder roads are yet another big hindrance to development in the constituency. Additionally, the delayed commencement of the construction of Bangweulu General Hospital has caused a lot of anxiety among the people and a speedy execution of that project by the Ministry of Health will be greatly appreciated by the people of the Bangweulu region, in general, and Lupososhi, in particular. It is my sincere hope and trust that the challenges I have mentioned and many others too numerous to mention will be given the necessary attention by this hard working PF Government.

Madam Speaker, having spoken about my constituency, let me now contribute to the debate on the Motion on the Floor of the House. As I do so, I wish to echo the words of the late Nelson Mandela, may his soul rest in peace, who says:

“We have not taken the final step of our journey, but the first step on a long and even more difficulty road.”

Madam Speaker, in his Speech, the President raised pertinent issues regarding the wellbeing of the people of Zambia vis-à-vis the growth of the Zambian economy. He has set the tone that is expected to be emulated by all well-meaning Zambians, especially those who are charged with the responsibility of implementing public policies.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Bwalya: Madam Speaker, as portrayed in Mandela’s statement, implementing this public policy will not be easy, especially given the fact that the global economy is struggling, and climate change is negatively affecting our planet and Zambia is not immune to its negative effects.

Madam Speaker, allow me to take this opportunity to commend the President’s industrialisation and housing policies, which are very good and a step in the direction to prosperity.

Madam Speaker, the industrialisation policy has brought with it a new legal framework that will allow the private sector to be the drivers of change. Further, the newly-created Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure Development will help in addressing the housing deficit that is currently prevailing in Zambia. It is my sincere hope that these policies, which will be sustained by an enabling legal framework, will stimulate the private sector, especially the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to invest in housing.

Madam Speaker, it is my hope that the Movable Property Security Interest Act No. 3 of 2016 and the Agricultural Credits Act No. 35 of 2010 will be speedily implemented, as stated by His Excellency in his Speech, so that an avenue is created for enhancing access to cheaper financing using movable assets as collateral. That will, in turn, help the SMEs to grow and contribute to job creation. However, I wish to point out that Zambia has had good policies in the past that have failed due to poor implementation and inadequate funding. The same policies that have failed in Zambia have been adopted and effectively implemented by other countries in our region to the benefit of their citizens. For example, the housing policy of our Ministry of Local Government and Housing was adopted Angola and, today, the people of Angola can boast of sufficient housing. Similarly, the CDF was adopted by Kenya and efficiently implemented. Today, the programme is flourishing in that country and taking development to communities. Here, in Zambia, we are still politicking around the CDF.

Madam Speaker, the President and the people of Zambia are banking on the people charged with the responsibility of implementing public policies to remain steadfast, responsible and committed, and be pro-active so that the policies benefit the citizenry in Zambia.

Madam Speaker, industrialisation and job creation have been a core focus for the PF Government. Our commitment to this cause is evident in our pledge on page 65, Chapter 19 of the PF Manifesto. This policy direction by His Excellency sends a wind of hope to the people of Lupososhi Constituency. It sends the wind of hope for jobs; hope to wake up and contribute, work even harder, produce more and attain industrialisation in Zambia, in general, and Lupososhi, in particular.

Madam Speaker, the infrastructure development that the country has experienced over the past five years needs commendation and the people of Lupososhi glow with smiles at the sight of the Mansa/Luwingu Road and its bridges on the Lupososhi River near Chipili District.

Hon. Government Member: Hear, hear!

Mr Bwalya: The commissioning of that road by His Excellency the President in July, 2016, was a joyous occasion for us. Unlike in the past when it used to take us four hours to travel on that road, it now only takes us an hour.

Madam Speaker, His Excellency the President committed himself to continuing on the path of development on page 29 of his Speech, where he says:

“My Government will continue to ensure that Zambia has adequate, modern and well-functioning social and economic infrastructure. This includes housing, roads, airports and aerodromes, rail and inland waterways.”

Madam Speaker, only a committed visionary and disciplined leader can make such a pledge as the President has made. The PF Manifesto, on page 50, Chapter 11, makes the same pledge and the re-affirmation of the policy by His Excellency the President enhances the confidence the people of Zambia already have in the PF Government.

Madam Speaker, let me remind this House that there are men and women who struggled and sacrificed their comfort, privacy and dignity in their quest to attain Independence for this country, and toiled to keep this country a peaceful and dynamic State.

Hon. Government Member: Hear, hear!

Mr Bwalya: Madam Speaker, those men and women risked their lives for mother Zambia back in the 1960s. Therefore, no one in this or any other generation should ever attempt to divide this peaceful country on ethnic, political, religious or any other parameter.

Mr Lubinda: Kamba futi.

Mr Bwalya: Zambia is a peaceful nation and it is our responsibility to keep it that way. Let us preach love and unity because resentment and hate are not part of the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of this great nation, Zambia.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Bwalya: Madam Speaker, coined by our founding father, Dr Kenneth Kaunda, the motto of One Zambia, One Nation was accepted by Zambians in the 1970s in acknowledgement of the fact that we are one large family consisting of different individuals with divergent views. Therefore, we need to cherish that motto and take advantage of every platform to promote unity. Every leader or ordinary Zambian must use every opportunity that he or she gets to sing the song of One Zambia, One Nation.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Kasanda (Chisamba): Madam Speaker, I thank you for giving me this opportunity to deliver my maiden speech to this august House. In doing so, allow me to congratulate the Hon. Mr Speaker, you and the Second Deputy Speaker on your election to your positions. I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate all hon. Members of Parliament on emerging victorious in their respective constituencies, as this was one of the most competitive elections.

Madam Speaker, firstly, allow me to thank the Almighty God for making it possible for me to stand in this august House today as a Member of Parliament for Chisamba Constituency. It is not by my strength or wisdom, but by that of the Almighty God, through his favour and grace towards me.

Madam Speaker, secondly, my special gratitude goes to my political mentor and adviser, Hon. Gary Nkombo, who guided me to the political path ...

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Kasanda: ... and opportunities, just as my late father, Hon. Richard Chambo Kasanda, the former Member of Parliament for Chisamba, did.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Kasanda: Madam Speaker, I would be failing in my duties if I did not recognise and appreciate my party president, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, his running mate, Mr Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba, and the United Party for National Development (UPND) ....

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Kasanda: ... for according me the privilege to be their candidate. I also appreciate the support they rendered me.

Hon. UPND Member: Hear, hear! GBM.

Ms Kasanda: Madam Speaker, my victory in the just-ended election is a clear indication of the confidence and trust that the people of Chisamba and the country have in the UPND under the leadership of our president, Mr Hakainde Hichilema.

Mr Sikazwe: Question!

Ms Kasanda: Madam Speaker, I also thank the district, constituency, ward and branch officials for believing in me. Further, I thank my campaign manager, Mr Joel Mboyoma, and my campaign team, which was led by Hon. Vitalis Mooya, for leaving the comfort of their homes to camp in various parts of the constituency and provide the profound support that they rendered me.

Ms Lubezhi: Hear, hear! Hammer!

Ms Kasanda: Madam Speaker, I would like to recognise my late mother, Mrs Joyce Kasanda, to whose honour I stand here today. It is she who instilled in me the spirit to fight for what is right. So, she brought out the woman that I am today. In the same vein, I thank my brother, Mr Sydney Kasanda, my sisters and the entire family. My gratitude also goes to my friend, Maureen Zulu, and my sons, Kaseba and Lubona, for their support and understanding.

Madam Speaker, let me take this opportunity to also thank my religious guides, Bishops Benson and Joyce Banda of Christ Dominion Embassy, for upholding me in prayer. Let me also thank in a big way all those who supported me in this cause. I am also grateful to my predecessor, Hon. Moses Muteteka, for the time he represented the people of Chisamba Parliamentary Constituency. I wish him well in his future endeavours. Last, but not the least, allow me to take this time to thank the great people of Chisamba in a special way.

Madam Speaker, I stand here today to enter the public records as the first female Member of Parliament for Chisamba since Independence in 1964.
 
Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Kasanda: Madam Speaker, this is a rare privilege that I will handle with care and humility. In this regard, I pledge to the people of Chisamba that I will honour their trust, work closely with them, respect them, and defend the values and traditions that have made this country great. I will implement the decisions and developmental projects that will fall under my jurisdiction.

Madam Speaker, I assure the people of Chisamba Parliamentary Constituency, my party and the nation at large that I will diligently serve them all, including those who did not vote for me, in order for us to facilitate the development that has been lacking for many years in the constituency.

Madam Speaker, I have come to this House to encourage women to take up active politics without fear of intimidation ...

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Kasanda: ... so as to be part of the law-making and decision-making processes for the good of our country.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to note that my party has taken the role of responding to the needs of the youths and women by placing them in strategic decision-making positions in the party. Yes, we, women, face serious challenges, but I will not drop the ball because I have respect for the people who put me in this position and I am very proud to have the task of tackling all the challenges that my constituency might face.

Madam Speaker, I remind the people of Chisamba and the House that the elections are over. Therefore, it is time to unite and take development to the people.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear! Tell them.

Ms Kasanda: It is time to put aside political affiliations …

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Kasanda: … because Chisamba and Zambia are bigger than any of us.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Kasanda: The only success story we can relate is that of development, commitment and team work.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Kasanda: Madam Speaker, my plea to the House is adopt a non-partisan approach to dealing with issues affecting our people, …

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Kasanda: … such as poverty, unemployment, illiteracy and health, as these problems do not recognise any political affiliation.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear! Tell them.

Ms Kasanda: We will defeat the purpose of our being here if we preoccupy ourselves with partisan agendas, hate speech, violence and tribalism.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Kasanda: Madam Speaker, it is sad to note that we are slowly moving away from the good politics that we once enjoyed and what the people tasked us to do.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Kasanda: The examples I can give are denying people their freedoms of assembly, speech and movement, and ...

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Kasanda: ... today’s voting pattern.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Kasanda: For instance, when people from the Eastern Province vote for the Patriotic Front (PF), it is justified on the basis of the region being a PF stronghold, but if the Southerners vote for the UPND, it is called tribalism.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Interruptions

Ms Kasanda: My prayer is that we may uplift the interest of our people and of the nation above our selfish motives.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Kasanda: Madam Speaker, our country is the product of a struggle for human rights, good governance and democracy. Human rights are, therefore, indigenous and should not be viewed as a foreign concept. Most of our constituencies have underdeveloped, peasant-based and …

Mr Livune: Even Kampyongo.

Laughter

Ms Kasanda: … subsistence rural economies, which results in acute inequalities manifested through unequal access to social services, such as health, education, water, sanitation and food. The poverty across the country is excessively high, and that is why we need to prioritise issues of conflict prevention, reconciliation, promotion and sustenance of collaboration, and establishment of strong public institutions that promote democracy and good governance.

Madam Speaker, social policies cannot be implemented without a strong economy. So, a strong economy is the ultimate for social policy because with it come job opportunities, higher standards of living and fulfilment of aspirations. Indeed, it seems that one of our roles, as civic leaders, is to repair the national balance sheet and restore a framework that encourages productivity and growth. In that regard, one area that is critical is the taxation policy, which means that we need to attract foreign investment. We equally need to attract the best talent and, more importantly, we need to retain our own talent. That requires a competitive taxation system, not a populist one.

Madam Speaker, I am here to influence the development of my constituency, which is now district, yet it is still underdeveloped. Therefore, I request the Government to take development closer to the people in order to eliminate poverty of my constituency, which has numerous challenges. For example, fifty-two years after this country’s Independence, it is sad to note that clean water points are inadequate and our people still have rivers like Mwomboshi as their only source of water.

Madam Speaker, the allocation of fertiliser under the Farmer Input Support Programmes (FISP) is very selective and should be spread more evenly. The allocation per farmer should also be increased, especially since the population of Chisamba is increasing at a fast rate, which means an increase in the demand for food.

Madam Speaker, long distances to schools give no hope to a child and discourages the parents. Teachers’ accommodation has also been a challenge, resulting in some schools not having teachers. Long distances to health centres, and insufficient medical staff and drugs, on the other hand, have resulted in many deaths.

Madam Speaker, Chisamba’s agricultural produce is quite high, but its farmers find it difficult to transport their inputs and produce due to the bad state of the roads. The feeder roads are impassable and a journey that should take two hours takes six hours instead. Let me also take this opportunity to request the Government to consider completing the tarring of the road from Chisamba through Chipembi, Chamuka Palace, Lifwambula and all the way to Kabwe.

Mr Ngulube: Hear, hear!

Ms Kasanda: Madam Speaker, damaged bridges in the constituency, which are a hazard during the rainy season, need to be repaired. We have lost children trying to cross rivers while others have not been able to go to school at all. This situation equally affects farmers. We also need dip tanks in Chisamba to guarantee the good health of our animals as a preventive measure against common diseases.

Madam Speaker, I am aware that the Ministry of Health had started constructing a clinic in Nalufwi in 1995 and the first block was laid by the late President, Mr Michael Sata, may his soul rest in peace. Unfortunately, the project has not been completed to date.

Madam Speaker, being a woman, I have my fellow women at heart. Therefore, I intend to work closely with them to ensure that they are empowered through women’s clubs by obtaining certificates that will enable them to access funds from the Ministry of Community Development and Social Welfare, and the private sector. It is a fact that when you empower a woman, you empower the nation. It is also my duty to work closely with the youths of Chisamba to reduce poverty levels, thefts, prostitution and excessive alcohol consumption so that they avoid contracting HIV/AIDS. I also intend to lobby for skills training centres offering courses like tailoring and carpentry. That will empower youths to determine their future. We need to continuously nurture the young. Further, youths have the right to dignity and they can build this country if given the opportunities. There are youths in this country renting houses, but are desperate to own homes. They have rolled their sleeves up in readiness to take up jobs.

In my view, Madam Speaker, the best path to our collective prosperity involves giving individuals, families, businesses and communities the freedom, opportunity and encouragement to build and secure their own future. So, I am here to create the best atmosphere possible in which people can pursue their aspirations; an atmosphere that values, protects and nurtures the family as the foundation of our society. Basic fairness and compassion imply the need for a strong social safety net, but I want as few people as possible to rely on such a mechanism. In particular, we need to break the bonds of inter-generational welfare dependency, a problem tragically apparent in some of our communities. So, we need to encourage self-reliance and flexibility by empowering our women and youths.

Madam Speaker, I also intend to promote different sporting activities and develop active sports facilities.

Madam Speaker, my office will promote gender and child development, and fight gender-based violence (GBV), and child pregnancies and abuse. Early marriages will not be tolerated. In that regard, I am delighted to inform this House that His Royal Highness Chief Chamuka of Chisamba is an advocate in this noble cause.

Mr Shabula: Hear, hear!

Ms Kasanda: Madam Speaker, as I conclude, on behalf of the people of Chisamba and on my own behalf, I implore the Government to build more schools to provide education to our children, especially the girls. I also urge the Government to build more health centres and consider upgrading Chisamba Clinic to a hospital that will come to the aid of the people of Chisamba, and work on the mortuary refrigeration unit, which has not been functional since they were installed. Finally, let me remind all my colleagues who participated in the 11th August, 2016, Elections that this is a democratic country in which competition is the order of the day, and that at the end of the day, we can only have one winner. I am not saying …

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Interruptions

Ms Kasanda: … that I am better than those who lost, but that it was the will of the people …

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Kasanda: … and that of God.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Livune: Question!

Ms Kasanda: I, therefore, urge them to not be bitter, but that we unite and work together …

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Kasanda: … for the common goal of serving the people of Zambia.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Kasanda: Madam Speaker, I will, as Member of Parliament for Chisamba and Vice Chairperson for the Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum (SADC-PF) Committee, be an advocate of the people of Chisamba on local, national and international fora as I look forward to playing my part in building a better Zambia.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Interruptions

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order, hon. Members.

Ms Kasanda: Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear! Quality!

Mr L. N. Tembo (Kaumbwe): Madam Speaker, allow me to start by congratulating you on your well-deserved election.

Mr Ngulube: Ulelolesha straight kuli TV.

Mr L. N. Tembo: I ‘get’ your pardon.

Madam Speaker, may I start by congratulating you and the Second Deputy Speaker on your well-deserved election to your positions. You will guide the affairs of this august House during the next five years.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr L. N. Tembo: Your election is a clear demonstration of the confidence that this House and the nation at large have in you. I whole-heartedly congratulate you on this rare fate and sincerely appreciate your gesture of allowing me to deliver my maiden speech to this august House after my election as Member of Parliament for the newly-created Kaumbwe Constituency on the Ruling Party’s ticket.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr L. N. Tembo: Madam Speaker, you may wish to know that I am twenty-eighty …

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr L. N. Tembo: … years old and, therefore, the youngest among your hon. Members. As such, it is befitting for me to sincerely thank His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, and the Patriotic Front (PF) for investing their trust, hope and confidence in me by making me the voice of Kaumbwe.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr L. N. Tembo: Madam Speaker, I also thank the Almighty God for the unmeasured love he has shown in my life. Without him, I would not be who I am today. In this regard, I also put on record my sincere gratitude to all the churches in my constituency for praying for peace and unity, and offering free spiritual guidance and encouragement during the campaigns. Furthermore, I thank the provincial, district, constituency, ward and branch structures of the PF for seeing to it that I become the voice of the people of Kaumbwe in this august House.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr L. N. Tembo: Additionally, I am grateful to Chieftainess Mwanjabanthu, and her sub-chiefs and headmen for their guidance during the campaigns. I would be failing in my duties if I forgot to salute our peaceful and patriotic PF youths, ‘relent’ …

Interruptions

Mr L. N. Tembo: I ‘get’ your pardon.

Interruptions

Hon. PF Members: Hammer, mufana!

Mr L. N. Tembo: I would be failing in my duties if I forgot to salute the peaceful and patriotic youths of the Ruling Party for ‘relent’ …

Hon. PF Members: Relentlessly.

Mr L. N. Tembo: … relentlessly campaigning with us in song and dance, …

Interruptions

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr L. N. Tembo: … especially using the song ‘Ng’ombe ni matole.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order, hon. Member!

What is the meaning of that?

Interruptions

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order, hon. Member!

Can you, please, translate what you just said.

Mr L. N. Tembo: Madam Speaker, it means that the calves are the cattle and it is an affirmation of the youths as future leaders.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Interruptions

Mr L. N. Tembo: Madam Speaker, let me not forget to thank the people of Kaumbwe for peacefully voting me as their representative in the 11th August, 2016, General Elections.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr L. N. Tembo: Madam Speaker, I would also be failing in my duties if I did not thank my lovely and dear wife, Mrs Dabile Tembo, and my two children, Tukuza and Constance, …

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr L. N. Tembo: … who are partly the reason the people of Kaumbwe had confidence in me.

Madam Speaker, let me also thank my very caring mother, and my sisters and brothers for the total support they rendered me in my campaign to enter the annals of history as the first Member of Parliament for Kaumbwe.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr L. N. Tembo: Madam Speaker, Kaumbwe was formerly part of Kapoche Constituency in Petauke District, the Eastern Province. It is a rural constituency whose ‘enconomy’ …

Laughter

Mr L. N. Tembo: … is ‘predomita …’ … ‘predominitally’ agriculture-driven.

Mr Sikazwe: Hear, hear!

Chaya, mufana!

Interruptions

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order, hon. Members!

You are drowning out the hon. Member on the Floor.

Mr L. N. Tembo: Madam Speaker, as can be expected, there is nothing much to be said about a new constituency like Kaumbwe in terms of infrastructure development and support services. However, and without prejudice to the foregoing, Kaumbwe’s major resource are the people themselves. In this regard, you may wish to note that the people of Kaumbwe are self-driven and that they passionately strive to succeed in their undertakings. It is in view of this that Kaumbwe takes much pride in some of its most successful people, such as the former Chief Justice, the Hon. Justice Ernest Sakala, and the current Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) Director-General, Mr Richard Mwanza.

Mr Sikazwe: Oh!

Interruptions

Mr L. N. Tembo: In view of this, the people of my constituency stand ready to work with my party and the Government in developing Kaumbwe.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr L. N. Tembo: We will, therefore, use our comparative advantage, especially in maize, groundnuts, sunflower and soya beans production, to improve the Kaumbwe ‘enconomy’.

Laughter

Interruptions

Mr L. N. Tembo: As the President stated in his address to this august House on 30th September, 2016, we will use these as raw materials for the local market and export to other areas to ensure more money in our people’s pockets.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr L. N. Tembo: Madam Speaker, as the first Member of Parliament, I will ensure that the building of the necessary …

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order!

Business was suspended from 1815 hours until 1830 hours.

[MADAM FIRST DEPUTY SPEAKER in the Chair]

Mr L. N. Tembo: Madam Speaker, when business was suspended, I was saying that as the first Member of Parliament for Kaumbwe Constituency, and with the support of my party and Government, I will ensure that the necessary projects are implemented.

Madam, my confidence is based on the fact that I am a product of His Excellency the President, Mr Lungu’s trust in young people’s potential to greatly contribute to Zambia’s social and economic development.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr L. N. Tembo: I, therefore, truly re-affirm my resolve to work with the people of Kaumbwe in our quest to take development closer to our much-cherished voters.

Madam Speaker, in order for us to move forward, it is incumbent upon me to first take note of the challenges currently faced by the people of Kaumbwe. I believe that it is only in doing so that one can plan more effectively for the future. In that regard, the following are the areas that require attention to set Kaumbwe on a firm developmental path:

Water and Sanitation

Madam Speaker, indeed, water is life. Therefore, whether rich or poor, all living things cannot survive without water. I had difficulties during my campaigns because every area of the constituency is faced with the same challenge of insufficient sources of water. My area has only one dam, which is not enough for every farmer and livestock, as it is vast. In that respect, there is a need to drill boreholes and build more dams or water reservoirs in my constituency.

Rural Electrification

Madam, Kaumbwe is one of the areas that have benefited from the Government’s countrywide rural electrification projects. However, the tariffs charged by the utility company are above what the people can afford. A reduction in the electricity tariffs in that rural setup will greatly enhance the emerging small-scale farmers’ desire to use electricity for the expansion of their agro-businesses. If that cannot be achieved immediately, the solar plants that have already been introduced by the Government should be expanded. To that effect, the Government has started the construction of solar milling plants. We are, therefore, grateful to His Excellency the President for his initiative of putting up three solar milling plants in my constituency. As I speak, three co-operatives have benefited from this project and works are at the slab level.

Women and Youth Empowerment Funds

Madam Speaker, much has been said about the women and youth empowerment funds by officials from Government ministries and institutions. My appeal is that there be more transparency and a well-laid out framework in the distribution of money under the respective schemes. In the absence of that, I cannot see how hon. Members of Parliament will ensure the success of this important scheme. There is much to learn from the Social Cash Transfer (SCT) scheme, which has been a very welcome move by the PF Government to kick-start development at the grassroots level. In this regard, I am happy to report that Kaumbwe has also benefited from this scheme. Nonetheless, it is only fair for me to appeal to this listening Government to continue with this initiative because many people still need to access funds from it.

Road Infrastructure

Madam, my constituency still faces some road infrastructure development challenges because most of the roads have not been worked on since Independence. The bridges on the Menyane/Matonje and Mankungwe/Chizanda roads are in a bad state. Therefore, they require quick repairs in order to avoid incidents like last year’s disaster in which we lost a teacher who died while trying to cross a bridge on the Menyane/Matonje Road during the rainy season.

Education

Madam Speaker, there is an undeniable lack of access to education facilities, especially high schools, in Kaumbwe, and the only solution to this problem is the construction of high schools. It is unfair that fifty-two years after Independence, our children continue to endure the hardship of going to other constituencies to access high school education when some constituencies in the district have more than two high schools.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr L. N. Tembo: As such, the people of Kaumbwe have asked me to liaise with the hon. Minister of General Education on the possibility of building primary, secondary and tertiary schools in the area, which will underpin the human resource development that the President emphasised in his speech. It is also important to build technical and vocational skills training facilities in order to promote self-employment, particularly among the youths, and effectively grow the economy. 

Madam Speaker, allow me now to debate His Excellency the President’s Address to this House.

Madam, as a starting point, let me take this opportunity to convey my gratitude to His Excellency the Republican President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, and the PF, for favourably considering my candidature and fully supporting youth representation in this House.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr L. N. Tembo: I also congratulate him and Her Honour the Vice-President, Mama Inonge Mutukwa Wina, on their victory in the just-ended elections.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr L. N. Tembo: Madam Speaker, the President deserves the highest commendation for delivering a historical Speech with well-articulated parameters for our country’s economic goals.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 Mr L. N. Tembo: Key among other goals was prioritisation of agricultural development in our economic diversification agenda. The President targeted our people, especially in the rural areas, who largely depend on the land for their livelihood, such as payment of schools fees and health care bills, and putting food on their tables. It is, therefore, befitting that one of the most hardworking hon. Ministers in this Government has been entrusted with that responsibility, and it is our intention to fully support her for the benefit of my constituency and the country as a whole.

Madam, in health care, I appreciate the President’s desire to build two functional health posts in rural areas like Kaumbwe. I also look forward to having a first-level hospital in the constituency because, currently, patients have to travel between 45 and 65 km from different corners of the constituency to access medical care from Petauke General Hospital.

Madam Speaker, throughout the speech, it is clear that with President Edgar Chagwa Lungu at the helm of the Government, one cannot doubt that the voters made the right decision when they voted for him and gave him the majority of hon. Members of Parliament because that will enable him to …

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr L. N. Tembo: … bring the development the country has yearned for since Independence.

Lastly, Madam Speaker, I extend a golden invitation to all hon. Members of Parliament to work together and ensure that the policy guidelines contained in the President’s Speech manifest in the implementation of the Seventh National Development Plan. After all, we are One Zambia, One Nation.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr L. N. Tembo: May the Almighty God bless us all in this august House as we continue to pursue Zambia’s development agenda. Ng’ombe ni matole!

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Laughter

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutaba (Mwandi): Madam Speaker, I thank you for according me this opportunity to deliver my maiden speech. First and foremost, allow me to join my colleagues in congratulating you on your election as First Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly. Similarly, I congratulate the Second Deputy Speaker, Hon. Malama, on his election.

Hon. PF Members: Volume!

Mr Mutaba: Madam Speaker, I thank the Almighty God for clearing my path to this august House. It is a privilege and honour to stand on the Floor of this House. In that regard, allow me to express my sincere gratitude to my party president, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, …

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutaba: … for his good leadership during the entire adoption process and for adopting me out of the seven contenders who vied for this position. That wise decision was not easy, and I assure my party leadership that it will not regret having settled on me as its preferred candidate.

Madam Speaker, allow me also to thank the National Management Committee (NMC) of the United Party for National Development (UPND), and the provincial, district and constituency committees. Additionally, I thank Madam Mopu and the Provincial Chairlady, Madam Josephine Mukampaila, Mr George Simulilo, Mr Kelvin Mushaukwa and Mr Clement Mulonda, my Campaign Manager. We really made an effort to sell our party’s principles to the electorate in Mwandi. So, a big thumbs-up to the entire campaign team because without its effort, I would not have made it to this august House.

Mr Livune: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutaba: Madam Speaker, now that the campaigns are over, it is time to deliver on our campaign promises to the people. In that regard, I assure the people of Mwandi that I will be there for them throughout my term of office.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutaba: Madam Speaker, let me also take this opportunity to thank my wife, Mrs Barbara Kunda Mutaba, my two children, my parents and the entire family. My special gratitude also goes to my friend, Mr Maybin Sichula Malikana. He is a friend indeed and I appreciate his commitment throughout the campaign period. 

Mr Livune: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutaba: Madam Speaker, as you are aware, Mwandi Constituency is located in the southern part of the Western Province of Zambia. It shares boundaries with Sesheke, Mulobezi and Katombola constituencies to the west, north-east and east, respectively.

Mr Livune: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutaba: It covers a surface area of about 8,000 km2 and has an international boundary with Namibia in the south. It is also important to note that the constituency was declared a district in 2012. Four years down the line, however, the Patriotic Front (PF) Government has failed to build …

Hon. PF Members: Question!

Mr Mutaba: … infrastructure befitting a district there.

Madam Speaker, a check at Lutaba, the place earmarked for construction of the district administration offices, left much to be desired. The works have stalled due to a lack of funding from this Government.

In terms of security, Madam Speaker, the people of Mwandi are vulnerable to crime because from the time Mwandi was declared a district, only one police post has been set up. It is difficult for the available eleven police officers to effectively police the entire district. The mobile telecommunication challenges being faced in the area also make the security problem worse because people cannot communicate effectively with the police in times of need due to poor network. This situation calls for the Zambia Information and Communication Technology Authority (ZICTA) to erect more towers in the constituency so that the people of Mwandi can start enjoying the fruits of improved communication networks.

Madam Speaker, development in Mwandi Constituency is mainly dependent on the Constituency Development Fund (CDF). Unfortunately, the 2014 CDF was not released. If it was, it did not reach Mwandi.

Laughter

Ms Lubezhi: It is at Kozo Lodge.

Mr Mutaba: The 2015 one was disbursed late and has since been withdrawn by the Government for unknown reasons, leaving developmental projects hanging.

Madam Speaker, during my tenure of office, I will endeavour to develop agriculture in my constituency by facilitating soft loans to small-scale farmers. Currently, we have over 4,900 small-scale farmers in Mwandi who are unable to get the best out of their harvest mainly due to erratic and inadequate funding to the Ministry of Agriculture, poor agricultural infrastructure and a lack of field transport in the district.

Madam Speaker, Mwandi Constituency still faces challenges in various sectors, including water and sanitation. Particularly, Simungoma and Sankolonga wards have had no clean drinking water since Independence, as if someone is punishing the humble and peace-loving people of Mwandi. So, there is an overwhelming need to sink boreholes in those areas.

Madam Speaker, my office will work with the Ministry of General Education in tackling the staff accommodation problem. Currently, we have three incomplete staff houses and five 1 x 3 classrooms that were being funded using the CDF. Unfortunately, a month ago, the Government withdrew that money from the CDF account. 

Madam Speaker, it is very sad that fifty-two years after Independence, many children still walk more than 7 km to and from the nearest school every day. In an effort to address that situation, parents have come up with the initiative of building community schools as a temporary measure to cater for beginners, who cannot walk long distances to the nearest Government schools. However, as much as we appreciate that community initiative, the schools being built are of a low standard and are being managed by unqualified teachers. Worse still, most of them have no desks and blackboards. The other challenge is the non-payment of the wages for the untrained teachers who teach in those schools. The communities have no capacity to pay the teachers, resulting in the teachers getting money for upkeep from more established schools in the area.

Madam Speaker, there is no district hospital in Mwandi Constituency. There is only one mission hospital, which also has challenges of a lack of funding for running its programmes and staff accommodation, for example. Through this House, I appeal to the hon. Minister of Health to quickly consider constructing a district hospital in Mwandi so that deaths from curable diseases can be reduced.

Madam Speaker, the people of Mwandi Constituency are mainly farmers and fishermen. For them to transport their farm produce and fish to bigger markets, such as Livingstone, they rely on the Nakatindi Road, which is in a very bad state, especially on the stretch between Simungoma and Kazungula District in Katombola Constituency. Many lives have been lost on that stretch of the road due to its bad state. There is also a need for the Ministry of Works and Supply to consider upgrading most of the feeder roads in the constituency to bituminous standard. Further, the constituency looks as if we were still in the 1950s because there are no street lights and not even one township road is gravelled.

Madam Speaker, in conclusion, I thank the people of Mwandi for the peaceful environment they maintained before, during and after the elections. I pledge to work with them to foster development in the constituency. To my party, the UPND, my president, Mr Hakainde Hichilema (HH) and my vice-president, Mr Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba, I pledge to remain loyal until we form Government.

I thank you, Madam.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Hon. PF Members: Question!

Mr Belemu (Mbabala): Madam Speaker, thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to deliver my second maiden speech in this august House. Being the sincere person that I am, and considering my advancing age, I do not intend to flatter those who know too well that I and the majority of the people of Mbabala did not vote for them.

Hon. Government Members: Do not worry.

Mr Belemu: So, if they do not hear me congratulating or praising them, they should know that I am just being true to the people I represent.

Madam Speaker, I am profoundly grateful to my party, the United Party for National Development (UPND), ...

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Belemu: ... under the able and exemplary leadership of Mr Hakainde Hichilema ...

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Belemu: ... and his running mate, Mr Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba ...

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Belemu: ... for steering us to victory in so many ways.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Belemu: Madam Speaker, I pledge my commitment and loyalty to my party and the people of Mbabala Constituency, whom I represent. For avoidance of any doubt, I wish to state that I carry no drop of treachery in my blood. I will remain true to the people of Mbabala, the people of Zambia and myself.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Belemu: Madam Speaker, this being my second maiden speech, allow me to make general and broad reflections on the times and ordeals we face, as seen by the people of Mbabala.

Madam Speaker, leadership and development are issues that concern me, the people of Mbabala Constituency and the people of Zambia. There is a direct causal relationship between leadership and development. For example, when the right kind of leadership is in place, the nation’s development goals are likely to be attained while when there is low-key leadership, there is likely to be stagnation or retrogression.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Belemu: That is true in Zambia and everywhere else. So, there is a correlation between the political economy of a country and the level of development that country attains.

Ms Kapata: Bali ivotela beka.

Laughter

Mr Belemu: Therefore, the fate of this country, unfortunately, is tied to the capacity, type and nature of political leadership that we allow to ascend to power. So, until the political leadership in Zambia is corrected, this county will continue to wallow in what is referred to as the unholy trinity of poverty, ignorance and disease.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Belemu: Madam Speaker, there should be no mystery as to why a country that had so much promise at Independence, one that is well-endowed with various natural resources and was  doing very well economically, is now begging for financial aid from the international community, fifty years later.

Interruptions

Mr Belemu: Madam Speaker, at the height of the struggle for Independence during the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, some white settlers were asked what they thought about the prospects of a black government in Zambia, their very insulting response was, “You cannot pick a monkey from a tree, put it in charge of a house and hope that the house will run properly.”

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order!

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

Hon. Opposition Members: Iwe, sit down!

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order!

The guidance was given very clearly to the effect that there will be no point of order granted during this segment of our business. Further, let us maintain order so that we can listen to the debate on the Floor of the House. When there is no order, it is very difficult to listen.

Interruptions

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order!

Hon. Member for Mbabala, you may continue.

Mr Belemu: Madam Speaker, thank you for your protection.

Madam Speaker, I am sure that if those white settlers came here and were asked the same question, they would ask us how we have managed to destroy this country to the level that we have in the last fifty years.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Belemu: Chances are also very high that they would insult us again and remind us of what they said fifty years ago.

Interruptions

Mr Belemu: Madam Speaker, a monkey cannot understand the rule of law or democracy. Neither can it develop a country.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order!

Mr Belemu: Unfortunately, they would be referring to black governments.

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order, hon. Member for Mbabala!

When you say ‘monkey’, who are you referring to?

Hon. Government Members: Himself!

Mr Belemu: Madam Speaker, I am referring to what was said in 1962 or 1963.

Hon. Government Members: Ah!

Interruptions

Mr Belemu: Madam Speaker, the level of development that we can attain will always be relative to the kind of leadership that ascends to power. So, I submit that the right leadership must be in place in order for this country to develop.

Madam Speaker, religion has been topical since the run up to the elections and the people of Mbabala continue to ask what the correct relationship between religion, Christianity to be specific, and the State is. In case people are not aware, I am an ordained minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Belemu: Madam Speaker, lessons abound in history that when there is failed leadership, there is always a propensity to hide in religion and blackmail others using Christianity, divinations and heretical prophecies. Unfortunately we seem to be sliding in that direction.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Belemu: Let us learn from the example of the Tsar of ancient Russia. Equally, religion is what gave rise to Apartheid in South Africa, as there were those whose religious beliefs made them feel that they were more human than others.

Interruptions

Mr Belemu: Madam Speaker, in October, 1517, a young preacher called Martin Luther posted what became known as ‘The Ninety-Five Theses’ in which he defied the leadership of the time whose doctrine was that you could buy your salvation. That doctrine had stopped people from genuine repentance. So, I submit that, going forward, we should minimise the abuse of religion and Christianity to blackmail others.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Hon. PF Members: Mason!

Mr Belemu: There is no one you will cheat.

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order, hon. Member!

The word ‘cheating’ is unparliamentary.

Mr Belemu: Thank you, Madam Speaker, for the guidance.

I replace it with ‘mislead’.

Madam Speaker, we all have access to the Bible now, unlike in the Dark Ages when only a privileged few could read it.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Hon. Government Members: Freemason!

Interruptions

Mr Belemu: Madam Speaker, we should stop this abuse, which is inspired by thirty pieces of silver. As an ordained minister of the gospel, I say this with a heavy heart.

Laughter

Mr Belemu: The men and women of the gospel should stop abusing religion and prophecy.

Madam Speaker, the third area of my reflection is tribalism.

Mr Ngulube: Gospel of Satan!

Mr Kaziya interjected.

Mr Belemu: Madam Speaker, there are those who think that only they are begotten and they want to use that to blackmail others.

Mr Lubinda pointed at Hon. Belemu.

Mr Belemu: There is nothing wrong with my ethnicity, just like there is nothing wrong with the ethnicity of the hon. Minister who is pointing at me.

Laughter

Mr Belemu: Tribe should not be used as a tool of oppression by those who think that only they are begotten.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Belemu: In fact, the connotations of the word ‘tribe’ are very revolting, as it was used by colonialists to refer to the colonised people, who were considered barbaric and backward. So, as a country, we must consider outlawing the use of the word, particularly now that it is being abused.

Mr Sing’ombe: By barbarians!

Mr Belemu: Madam Speaker, there is nothing wrong with speaking a particular language. You may wish to know that my wife and many members of my family do not speak my language. During the whole time my wife and I were siring children, what was important was the relationship we had, not the languages we spoke.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Belemu: Why do people who go into politics want to tell us that one language is inferior to another or that one is more tribal than the other?

Interruptions

Hon UPND Member: Hammer!

My neighbour, listen.

Mr Sing’ombe: These greenhorns are making noise.

Mr Belemu: Madam Speaker, this is my second maiden speech and I assure you that during the course of the next five years, you will hear more from me. I do not intend to remain quiet. I will be true to the people of Mbabala Constituency.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Belemu: Madam Speaker, allow me to pay special tribute to the people of Mbabala Constituency. They are sincere and true to their word and being.

Mr Ngulube: And they are tribalists.

Mr Belemu: They have continued to show unwavering support to me over the years that I have been in Parliament, that is, from 2011 to date. I have their clear mandate and I pledge to not betray them for thirty pieces of silver or any form of advantage. I will perform my duty as God gives me the grace to define it during this tenure of office.

Madam Speaker, there have been attempts ...

Mukosa: Finally!

Mr Belemu: ... to talk about issues like industrialisation under the Patriotic Front (PF), ...

Mr Ngulube: Freemasons!

Mr Belemu: ... with people wanting to compare Zambia to Singapore and Taiwan, but what is not being said is that the development of those countries was preceded by the ascension of the right kind of people to positions of leadership.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Belemu: Industrialisation cannot be done in a vacuum. Put the right leadership in place first, then, Zambia will develop.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order, hon. Member for Mbabala!

I advise against using this House to politick. This is not the place for campaigning for or against a political cause. Further, it is clear ‒ and there is a ruling to that effect ‒ is that there is a leadership in place. There is no leadership vacuum in Zambia.
 
Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Belemu: Madam Speaker, my debate is on the quality of leadership, which we cannot ignore.

Interruptions

Mr Belemu: Madam Speaker, I thank you ‒

Mr Ngulube: Satanism!

Laughter

Mr Belemu: Madam Speaker, I hear people continually referring to me as a Satanist.

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order, hon. Members!

Mr Belemu: Madam, if there are people that were wrongly cultured, they should not bring that to this House.

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order, hon. Member for Mbabala!

Do you want to continue with your debate?

Mr Belemu: Madam, I seek your protection. I think their accusations ...

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order, hon. Member!

You are protected, provided you do not enter into dialogue with anybody.

Mr Nkombo interjected.

Mr Belemu: Madam Speaker, I am certainly older than I was when I came five years ago because, then, I would have dealt with some of them outside.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

I thank you, Sir.

Laughter

Mr Nanjuwa (Mumbwa): Madam Speaker, I thank you for allowing me to present my ‘first and ever’ maiden speech in this august House.

Mr Ngulube: “First and ever”?

Laughter

Mr Nanjuwa: Madam Speaker, allow me to join many other hon. Members in congratulating the hon. Mr Speaker, you and the Second Deputy Speaker on your election to your positions. I also congratulate my fellow hon. Members of Parliament on their victories.

Mr Ngulube: Hear, hear!

Mr Nanjuwa: Sir, I the Almighty God who, in his wisdom, divine providence and infinity love allowed me to be the one to represent the wonderful people of Mumbwa Constituency, whom I assure that I will not take their support for granted.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Nanjuwa: Madam Speaker, allow me, on behalf of the people of Mumbwa Constituency and on my own behalf, to thank my party president, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, and his running mate and Vice-President for Administration, Mr Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba, commonly known as ‘GBM’.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Nanjuwa: I also thank the entire United Party for National Development (UPND) leadership in the ward, district, constituency, province and National Management Committee (NMC) for allowing me to contest the Mumbwa Parliamentary Seat on the UPND ticket.

Madam Speaker, if I did not recognise some people individually, in no particular order of importance, I would be doing myself a boundless injustice because posterity might judge me harshly.  

Madam Speaker, I thank my cousin, the late Mr Shimaili David Mpamba, may his soul rest in peace, for encouraging me to join active politics. Mr Mpamba was Member of Parliament for Nangoma for two terms. He also served in several Cabinet portfolios. For example, he was Deputy Minister for Central Province, Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services, Minister of Health, Minister of Tourism, and Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry under the Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) during the leadership of the Late President, Dr Fredrick Titus Jacob Chiluba. Due to his diligence in the execution of his duties, the late Mr Mpamba left behind a credible political and professional legacy for his family, Nangoma Constituency and the nation at large.

Madam Speaker, I am also grateful to my predecessor, elder brother and colleague, Brig-Gen. Dr Brian Chituwo, ...

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Nanjuwa: … for passing the leadership mantle on to me and unwaveringly supporting my candidature. I will forever be grateful to him for his moral and material support during my campaigns. I also know that he will be available to advise me whenever I will ask him to.

Madam Speaker, let me also thank the Patriotic Front (PF) candidate, Comrade Benson Kapenda, for the mature and brotherly conduct he exhibited after losing the election in Mumbwa.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Nanjuwa: Madam Speaker, I cannot forget to thank the other gallant men who served as Members of Parliament for Mumbwa Constituency because they have contributed to the wellbeing of our people. One of them is the late Mr Allan Chilimboyi, the first Member of Parliament for Mumbwa after Independence. I also wish to recognise the work done by other Members of Parliament, such as Mr Stanford Hlazo, who was the first Member of Parliament for Mumbwa under the UPND. Allow me to further thank our former Council Chairperson, Mr Cholwe, who was my Campaign Director; Mrs Doreen Munengo, our Campaign Manager; and the youths in my campaign team for the work well done. I also appreciate all the polling agents who worked very hard and put in their very best to ensure that the UPND had a landslide victory in the 11th August, 2016, Mumbwa Constituency elections at all levels, starting from the president, council, parliamentary to the ward levels.

Hon. UNPD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Nanjuwa: It was because of their commitment that there was no noticeable malpractice in my constituency during and after voting.

Madam Speaker, allow me to sincerely thank all our six chiefs in my constituency, namely Their Royal Highnesses Chiefs Moono, Kabulwebulwe, Chibuluma and Kaindu, and acting Chiefs Mumba and Mulendema. I also thank all the wonderful people of Mumbwa, who will be my employers for the next five years, for their support in the just-ended General Elections and during my ten years of political activism in the area. Let me also thank my wife, Mrs Maureen Himbondo Nanjuwa; my children; and the whole Nanjuwa family for the confidence they exhibited in me by supporting my bid to represent the wonderful people of Mumbwa in this august House. I will not take their confidence for granted and I will not betray them for whatever reason.

Madam Speaker, my political journey to this House took me over ten years. I started my association with the UPND because I admired the ideologies and leadership qualities of our founding President, the late Mr Anderson Kambela Mwanamubotu Mazoka, may his soul rest in peace.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Hon. Government Members: Ebali ama Presidents, abo!

Mr Nanjuwa: Since then, I have been under the able tutelage of my party president, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, …

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Nanjuwa: … who took over from the late Mr Mazoka. I have learnt many leadership and management skills from that great man during the period I have worked with him. Mr Hakainde Hichilema is, indeed, a great and unique leader ...

Interruptions

Mr Nanjuwa: ... with so much passion to improve the welfare of the people of this great nation.

Mr Nanjuwa: Madam Speaker, despite being a rural constituency, Mumbwa is only about 146 km away from the Capital City, Lusaka, and it is disheartening that within this proximity, my constituency has continued to lag behind in terms of development.

Hon. PF Members: We want Gary!

Mr Nanjuwa: Madam Speaker, Mumbwa Constituency has five neighbouring constituencies, namely Nangoma, Keembe, Nkeyema, Itezhi-tezhi and Kasempa. The constituency is not devoid of ‒

Mr Nkombo: On a point of order, Madam.

Madam Deputy Speaker: Order, hon. Member!

I will not grant points of order.

Interruptions

Hon. PF Members: We want Gary!

Madam Speaker: Order, on my right!

Continue, hon. Member for Mumbwa.

Mr Nanjuwa: Madam Speaker, Mumbwa Constituency has remained static in terms of infrastructure development despite the growing population, which is estimated at 60 per cent of the 209,365 people in Mumbwa District. All the feeder roads are in a deplorable state and work on the few township roads that were being worked on has since stalled, making it difficult for our farmers to transport their produce to the market.

Madam Speaker, Mumbwa Constituency has one hospital which, despite serving an already large population in the constituency, also serves people from neighbouring constituencies seeking specialist medical services. Further, the hospital is equally incomplete, as there is no relatives’ shelter at the hospital for people who come from faraway places in the constituency. Relatives of sick people spend nights in the cold. Mumbwa also needs more health centres and clinics to take some pressure of the high demand for health services away from the only hospital, which is also inadequately staffed. It is for this reason that the people of Mumbwa implore the Government to urgently consider upgrading the district hospital to general hospital status so that our people can access specialised services locally instead of travelling long distances to Kabwe and Lusaka whenever they are in need of them.

Madam Speaker, we need more secondary schools in the constituency, which had only one secondary school for a very long time, until recently when some basic schools were upgraded and others constructed, taking the number of secondary schools to about six, against several Government and community primary schools in the area. Teachers’ accommodation is equally in short supply, hence the shortage of teachers in the area’s few secondary schools. Equally worrying is the fact that the entire district does not have a college and, as a result, many school leavers have no access to tertiary education, leading to many of our youths being frustrated and unemployed for lack of the necessary skills to compete on the labour market.

Madam Speaker, economically, Mumbwa Constituency largely depends on agriculture. In this vein, I pray that the PF Government’s promise to diversify our economy from its traditional heavy dependence on copper mining to agriculture, livestock and fisheries, and their value chains will not amount to mere rhetoric. It should be implemented in a robust, practical and result-oriented manner to benefit the people of Mumbwa.

Madam Speaker, the UPND in Mumbwa had a landslide victory because of the robust agricultural policy in its manifesto, which was well-understood by the people of Mumbwa.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Nanjuwa: Madam Speaker, I challenge the Government and the Ministry of Agriculture to take advantage of the proximity of my constituency to the Capital City and tap into the agriculture potential of the area so that Mumbwa can, once again, become the food basket of our country that it was in the United National Independence Party (UNIP) and MMD Governments. Then, we used to see trucks belonging to the National Agriculture Marketing Board (NAMBOARD) and the Cold Storage Board of Zambia (CSBZ) carry countless tonnes of maize and other crops, and beef from Mumbwa to the market year in and year out. That has become history under the current Government.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Nanjuwa: As children in Mumbwa then, we saw our parents thrive economically because of the vast workable agricultural programmes of the then governments. Therefore, we implore the PF Government, if possible, to borrow the UPND agricultural policy and approach of providing ...

Interruptions

Mr Nanjuwa: ... free farming inputs, such as fertiliser and seed, to the peasant and small-scale farmers for a minimum of three years to build the capacity of our farmers.

Madam Speaker, the other challenge faced by the agricultural sector is the late and inconsistent delivery of farming inputs by the PF Government since taking over power from the MMD in 2011.

Hon. PF Members: Question!

Mr Nanjuwa: The farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) has totally collapsed under the PF Government, ...

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Nanjuwa: ... thereby rendering peasant and small-scale farmers vulnerable to unprecedented levels of poverty in my constituency and district.

Interruptions

Hon. PF Members: Order!

Mr Nanjuwa: Madam Speaker, ...

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order, hon. Member!

You have ran out of time.

Laughter

ADJOURNMENT

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

Question put and agreed to.

________

The House adjourned at 1930 hours until 0900 hours on Friday, 14th October, 2016.

__________