Thursday, 28th September, 2017

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Thursday, 28th September, 2017

 

The House met at 1430 hours

 

[MR SPEAKER in the Chair]

 

NATIONAL ANTEM

 

PRAYER

 

__________

 

MOTION

 

SUSPENSION OF STANDING ORDERS

 

The Acting Leader of Government Business in the House and Chief Whip (Mr Musukwa): Mr Speaker, I beg to move that Standing Orders 20, 21 and 32(1) be suspended to enable the House to sit from 1415 hours until business has been concluded and also to omit the Vice-President’s Question Time from the agenda on Friday, 29th September, 2017.

 

Sir, the House is aware that, in accordance with its tradition, the hon. Minister of Finance presents the National Budget on a Friday afternoon. However, Standing Orders 20 and 21 provide that the House shall sit from 0900 hours …

 

Mr Mwiimbu: Follow procedure.

 

Mr Speaker: Acting Leader of Government Business in the House, at this stage, you are simply moving the Motion without advancing reasons.

 

Mr Musukwa: Mr Speaker, I would like to thank you for your guidance.

 

Mr Speaker, I beg to move that Standing Orders 20, 21 and 32(1) be suspended to enable the House to sit from 1415 hours until business is concluded and that the Vice-President’s Question Time be omitted from the agenda on Friday, 29th September, 2017.

 

Sir, the House is aware that, in accordance with its tradition, the hon. Minister of Finance presents the National Budget on a Friday afternoon. However, Standing Orders 20 and 21 provide that the House shall sit from 0900 hours to 1300 hours on Fridays, while Standing Order 32 provides for the Vice-President’s Question Time on the same day.

 

Mr Speaker, it is in this regard that I move this Motion to suspend the mentioned Standing Orders so that the House can sit at 1415 hours on Friday, 29th September, 2017, to enable the hon. Minister of Finance to present the 2018 National Budget.

 

Sir, this is a procedural and none controversial Motion and I urge all hon. Members of this august House to support it.

 

Mr Speaker, I beg to move.

 

Mr Nkombo (Mazabuka Central): Mr Speaker, let me thank the mover of the Motion, the Acting Leader of Government Business in the House. He has rightly called the Motion none controversial, meaning that it is his expectation that we do not oppose this Motion.

 

Sir, in accepting to move these Standing Orders, we have some observations to make. The function that we will experience tomorrow is very important in that the hon. Minister of Finance will present the National Budget. A National Budget is not just an event, but a culmination of a long process under which the Executive tries to put resources together for the development of this country.

 

Sir, the Constitution which I have here (waved the document to the Assembly) also spells out fundamental issues about how the spreading of resources must have a national character. It is our job to appropriate monies and in accepting the lifting of these Standing Orders, the observations we will make are outlined below.

 

Mr Speaker, we do not want this presentation of the National Budget to be just business as usual, as it has been in many years. I will illustrate what I am trying to say. We have a duty to perform. One of the biggest duties that we have to perform is that of budget oversight. After the civil servants and all the interested parties put together the figures that will support revenues and expenditure in this country, they will bring them to this House for appropriation. We actually appropriate through an Act of Parliament which becomes law.

 

Sir, we have observed from the past that hon. Ministers, who have presented the Budget have neglected to give details of the Budget performance for the previous year in order for us to actually feel that we did the job, as expected by the Zambians. One of the functions that we performed last year was to appropriate the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) and this is where I will anchor my short debate. The CDF has been referred to in Article 162 of the Constitution, which the Patriotic Front (PF) Government has lamentably stated to have a lot of lacunas. After the Budget is appropriated, the problem thereafter, is the issue of adherence to what we agree to spend on.

 

Mr Speaker, in the recent past, the Government decided to bring the Political Parties Bill here for enactment and that is a miss because the CDF is also supposed to be prescribed. Let me salute Hon. Chisopa because some time back, he brought a Motion to spell out what he thought could be the guidelines in arriving at the enactment of subsidiary legislation that would give a framework of the CDF.

 

Mr Chisopa: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Nkombo: The PF Government’s priority has been that of bringing the Political Parties Bill here. I do not want to sound controversial, but a number of hon. Members have not received the CDF and they have blamed the hon. Minister of Local Government, who has nothing to do with it. I am sure he would want the CDF disbursed to the constituencies because we would, then, benefit. This brings me to the point which I stated earlier on that Article 162 of the Constitution deals with the fair spreading of the national cake. However, some hon. Members got half of the CDF and others did not.

 

Sir, tomorrow it will be business as usual and the hon. Minister will say certain things about the 2018 Budget. Since a given word is unparliamentary, let me say that I do not want to be a stamp made out of rubber. We cannot make it business as usual and come here to appropriate money when nothing happens. Instead of adhering to the figures that are contained in the Yellow Book, we use the supplementary budget to pay for fire tenders which we do not need. Bangweulu Constituency is water logged and it does not need fire tenders, but the CDF.

 

Mr Speaker: Hon. Member, the way the tenor of your debate is proceeding is like post presentation of the Budget. I have been liberal and have allowed you to make observations about the Budget in general. However, please, let us bear in mind that the exercise is fairly plain, namely we want to suspend the Standing Orders.

 

Mr Nkombo: Mr Speaker, I appreciate your guidance. Maybe, let me withdraw Bangweulu and simply say that we are supposed to do serious work and it should not just be business as usual. Therefore, as we suspend the Standing Orders, let us do something that is meaningful, and that is precisely my point. As hon. Members, let us not just pass one Budget after another, yet nothing comes out of it. We should not agree to be a stamp made out of rubber.

 

Mr Speaker: Hon. Member, I know you want to use the word ‘rubber stamp’ and you are using it anyway. The only thing is that you are interchanging words around. ‘Rubber stamp’ is unparliamentary and that is the meaning you are conveying. Please, deflect from that.

 

Mr Nkombo: Thank you, Sir. As we agree to lift the Standing Orders, let us do something meaningful and ensure that we see something that will be actualised because that is our job. As Members of Parliament, the centre of our function is to appropriate money and play an oversight role of what the Government is doing. When His Excellency the President came here a fortnight ago, he actually said that he expects hon. Members of Parliament to execute their function of Budget oversight. This is precisely the direction we are going into after tomorrow. So, it is important that we actually suspend the Standing Orders so that, come tomorrow, we expect to heave a sigh of relief to hear the hon. Minister talk about the appropriation of the CDF, which should be released and not just be on paper. As far I am concerned, I received 50 per cent or K700 of the CDF.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Nkombo: However, as a national leader, I want to speak for the voiceless who go to the hon. Minister of Local Government’s office and say tilibe CDF and then it ends there.

 

Mr Speaker: Please, use the official language.

 

Mr Nkombo: Mr Speaker, it means they do not have CDF. The Government said money was not available, yet borrowed money to make a road. Let us put money where our mouth is and not where there is nothing.

 

Mr Speaker, I think this is a noble Motion. We will wait to hear what the hon. Minister of Finance, who is actually under threat under the PF Government, …

 

Hon. PF Members: Question!

 

Mr Nkombo: … will present tomorrow. Let me urge the hon. Members that the lifting of the Standing Orders should not just be an exercise in futility. They should not just say “hear, hear” as the hon. Minister is talking because nothing happened last year. How else will you be able to impact your constituencies if the CDF will not be released? I hope and pray the hon. Minister will tomorrow, appropriate the balance of K700 plus K1.4 million for next year for Mazabuka Central Constituency, which I represent. Let me urge the hon. Members who have not received the CDF to launch a campaign so that the hon. Minister releases it for them to be meaningful in their constituencies.

 

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Speaker: Hon. Members, I have received complaints that very few hon. Members have debated the President’s Speech. So, I will use my discretion to limit the debate on this Motion and I call upon the Acting Leader of Government Business in the House.

 

Mr Musukwa: Mr Speaker, I would like to place it on record that I am most grateful for the support that we have got from all the hon. Members on this Motion. The concerns that our colleague has raised will be adequately addressed. I would have provided a lengthy response on some of the issues that have been raised on the Floor of the House. However, I would like to end by thanking all hon. Members of Parliament for unanimously supporting the Motion.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

 

Question put and agreed to.

 

___________

 

QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER

 

GARBAGE COLLECTION IN NDOLA DISTRICT

 

37. Dr Chanda (Bwana Mkubwa) asked the Minister of Local Government:

 

  1. whether the Government had any plans to improve garbage collection at the following markets in Ndola District:

 

  1. Mushili;
  2. Ndeke;
  3. Kansengu; and
  4. Kaloko; and

 

  1. when skip bins would be supplied to all markets in the district.

 

The Minister of Local Government (Mr Mwale): Mr Speaker, the Government has plans to improve general solid waste management in all markets, including Mushili, Ndeke, Kansengu and Kaloko. The Ndola City Council will work in conjunction with Copperbelt Waste (Cop Waste), which is facing a number of challenges that we are trying to address.

 

Mr Speaker, the skip bins that are supposed to be procured under the 2017 Budget will only be distributed to Chipata, Mongu, Choma, Kabwe, Mufulira, Chingola and Luanshya councils. The Government will not supply skip bins to Ndola City Council because the council benefited from the 2015 consignment.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Dr Chanda: Mr Speaker, in response to my question on garbage collection sometime back, …

 

Mr Mwiimbu: On a point of order, Sir.

 

Mr Speaker: A point of order is raised.

 

Mr Mwiimbu: Mr Speaker, I thank you for according me this opportunity to raise a point of order on the hon. Minister of Agriculture.

 

Mr Speaker, yesterday, you requested all hon. Members of Parliament to attend a seminar on the roll-out of the electronic voucher (e-Voucher) system in the Amphitheatre. This morning, hon. Members turned up to attend this particular seminar. Alas, the hon. Minister of Agriculture was nowhere to be seen. Eventually, the officials from the Ministry of Agriculture decided to cancel the seminar that you authorised.

 

Mr Speaker, hon. Members abandoned other serious commitments to attend this particular seminar, …

 

Mr Livune: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mwiimbu: … which you announced.

 

The hon. Minister of Agriculture requested you to make the announcement to this House and to the nation that there would be a seminar on the roll-out of the e-Voucher system. Is she in order to make us come here and not show up and not give any reasons for that?

 

Mr Livune: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Speaker: My ruling is that I need to investigate this matter so that I make an informed ruling.

 

Hon. Member for Mwana Mkubwa, you may continue.

 

Dr Chanda: Mr Speaker, I asked a question on garbage collection in Ndola District some time back. The hon. Minister categorically stated that the Government was planning to buy front loaders, trucks and skip bins for big cities, Ndola included. I would like an update from the hon. Minister. How far has this project gone and can we expect to benefit from it? The complaint of Ndola City Council is that it has no equipment.

 

Mr Mwale: Mr Speaker, the position has since changed. We will not give Ndola City Council any equipment, because as I said, the council benefited from the 2015 consignment. Only the councils I mentioned will benefit.

 

However, Mr Speaker, we are working towards addressing the challenges that Cop Waste, a parastatal assigned to deal with garbage collection on the Copperbelt, is facing. We have already audited its operations and financial status. We believe that the way forward is to deal with these challenges to ensure that it invests in required skip bins and trucks as opposed to the ministry providing this equipment to the councils.

 

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

 

Mr Muchima (Ikeleng’i): Mr Speaker, the Question by the hon. Member for Bwana Mkubwa raises a lot of concern.

 

The Ministry of Local Government was running the “Keep Zambia Clean Campaign” under which motor vehicles were distributed to councils countrywide. What is the status of this programme and what is the way forward? Further, what was the benefit of this programme?

 

Mr Mwale: Mr Speaker, the “Keep Zambia Clean Campaign” was a good programme. However, the campaign did not achieve much. We are trying to re-strategise to revamp the campaign. We need to source funds to ensure that this campaign is sustained.

 

Sir, there are many ways in which we can raise these funds. I am sure that the hon. Member has heard that Lusaka City Council is fundraising for garbage collection. The council is considering talk time levy or tariff bundling with water bills and other ventures that will be able to source funds to sustain the campaign.

Mr Speaker, the game changer in this whole thing is the resources. A programme can be robust, but without any resources, it will not succeed. We are taking a leaf from Rwanda and ensuring that our citizens take responsibility.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Mr C. M. Zulu (Luangeni): Mr Speaker, the last time this question on garbage collection was brought up, I asked the hon. Minister whether he would engage his colleague in the Ministry of Energy to come up with an investor who would turn this solid waste into energy. He told this august House that he would find an investor.

 

Mr Speaker, if the hon. Minister goes this route, he will be able to create jobs, that is, through the transportation of garbage as well as at the plant where the energy will be produced. How far has the hon. Minister gone with this?

 

Mr Mwale: Mr Speaker, the process is on. We advertised and twenty-five companies applied for public-private partnership (PPP) with the Lusaka City Council. They have to enter into a PPP because they have to use the landfill that is owned by the council.

 

Mr Speaker, from twenty-five companies, the number narrowed down to five after assessments were done. Eventually, only one company will be picked to partner with the council. We were, however, reminded by the PPP council that we had to carry out a feasibility study before engaging an investor. The feasibility study was done and the council paid for it. This matter is now being ably handled by the PPP council. Very soon, we will have a company that will be generating electricity from garbage or waste. The same will be done for the Copperbelt Province.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Mr Chisopa (Mkushi South): Mr Speaker, indeed, none collection of garbage is a health hazard. In one of the print media, it is reported that the Ndola City Council has debt of almost K600 million. In his response, the hon. Minister has indicated that garbage collection will be run by the Ndola City Council. With that kind of a debt, how will the council manage to collect garbage in the city?

 

Mr Mwale: Mr Speaker, I am sure the hon. Member missed the point which I was trying to make. I said that a parastatal known as Cop waste is dealing with the solid waste management on the Copperbelt. Therefore, all the councils are shareholders in this particular parastatal company. Accordingly, they are the ones that are dealing with the solid waste. Our role is to try to make them efficient and effective so that they can help in all the needy areas.

 

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

 

Dr Chibanda (Mufulira): Mr Speaker, I am excited that the hon. Minister has mentioned Mufulira as one of the beneficiaries of the skip bins. I would like to find out from him how many skip bins we are expecting in Mufulira and when they will be delivered.

 

Mr Mwale: Mr Speaker, I will make the information available to him later in the day because I do not have it at the moment.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Mr M. Jere (Livingstone): Mr Speaker, …

 

Mr Nkombo: On a point of order, Sir.

 

Mr Speaker: A point of order is raised.

 

Mr Nkombo: Sir, first of all, allow me to apologise to the hon. Member of Parliament for Livingstone for interjecting.

 

Mr Speaker, my point of order is on the hon. Minister of Finance, as I am waiting for him to settle down.

 

Sir, on 28th February, 2017, the hon. Minister of Finance came to this House with the ministerial statement on …

 

Mr Speaker: Order!

 

Which date again? I am sorry, I missed it.

 

Mr Nkombo: 28th February, 2017, Sir. I am sorry for misleading you.

 

Mr Speaker: You may continue.

 

Mr Nkombo: Mr Speaker, as a follow up to a statement that he had made earlier on 1st December, 2016, regarding the closure of the Intermarket Banking Corporation, he gave a statement to the effect that the Government and the Central Bank had intervened in the operations of the bank and that solutions had been found.

 

Sir, I will take an excerpt of the statement that he made and thereafter, lay the paper on the Table for avoidance of doubt. The hon. Minister gave an assurance to the banking sector, the financial sector and the depositors about how the redemption of the Intermarket Banking Corporation would be done, which included the injection of new capital and also the coming on board of the other shareholders. An Avalanche of questions were asked to the hon. Minister on this particular day and in his usual style, the answers he gave were very clear, succinct and to the point.

 

Mr Speaker, one of the things that he kept saying, which I will extract, was in response to the question from the Member of Parliament for Kaputa, Hon. Ng’onga, who wanted to find out from the hon., Minister how long it would take for the bank operations to be regularised. The hon. Minister was clear that:

 

“Mr Speaker, firstly, I want to thank the depositors for the patience that they have exercised in the last ninety days that the bank has been under the possession of the Central Bank. With the restructuring programme, within thirty days, the doors of the bank will be opened to customers to deal in the normal banking activities, which include depositing and withdrawing money. Customers will also be able to have the issue of the TPIN, which is not a tax, addressed.

 

Sir, from the question, which came from the Hon. Prof. Geoffrey Lungwangwa, the hon. Minister emphasised that:

 

“ …Thirty days is the upper limit, ” which is 28th February, 2016. “It may be done earlier than that because, at the moment, the bank is solvent.”

 

Mr Speaker, I also had a bite at the cherry on this particular question. When I asked the hon. Minister, he was also very emphatic that the bank would open its doors within thirty days and that the Central Bank would actually announce the names of the new shareholders within the said thirty days. I am afraid to say the announcement has not been made.

 

Sir, I am aware that on 27th June, 2017, when we were serving a suspension, the hon. Minister came back to the House and gave a double statement, one to do with tax collection at Kasumbalesa and an update on the Intermarket Banking Corporation opening. He assured the House that the bank would open very soon. Actually, he indicated that the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) would be one of the biggest shareholders, which is primarily the Government of the Republic of Zambia (GRZ).

 

Mr Speaker, about six thirty days have passed since 28th February, 2017, I am concerned that we have not seen any sign that this bank is opening, yet the depositors are anguishing and some of them are dying. I went to the funeral of one the depositors who has gone under without getting their money.

 

Sir, in the follow up update statement, he actually indicated that when the IDC put in its money, 50 per cent would be to the depositors. We went through this bitter pill during the Meridian BIO and I am sure the hon. Minister is aware about this. Is he in order to come here looking smart preparing to give another Budget tomorrow, which is meant to give hope to the Zambian people without attending to this very crucial issue of the Intermarket Banking Corporation because the depositors are anguishing and are dying? I need you ruling.

 

Mr Livune: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Speaker: Order!

 

The first part of the ruling that he is in order to be smart.

 

Laughter

 

Mr Speaker: He is always a smart gentleman.

 

Laughter

 

Mr Speaker: Order!

 

On a serious note, I will give the hon. Minister of Finance an opportunity, next week, to update the House and the nation at large regarding this subject.

 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr M. Jere: Mr Speaker, I was saying that I believe Livingstone is one of those constituencies or districts that had benefited from the allocation of the first bins the ministry distributed. I would like to find out whether the ministry has any plans to procure skip bin loader trucks bearing in mind that this was a big challenge …

 

Ms Siliya: On a point of order, Sir.

 

Mr Speaker: A point of order is raised.

 

Ms Siliya: Mr Speaker, is it in order for my very good friend, a learned hon. Member of Parliament for Monze Central, to rise on a point of order purporting that his time had been wasted because the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) not did not take place today when at the material time when the decision was made to postpone the meeting, the hon. Member of Parliament was not even in the meeting?

    

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Speaker: Order!

 

Hon. Minister, please, sit down. Let me provide guidance. It is straight forward that even if a point of order is misconceived or is in order, I do not rely on hon. Members to cut it. You cannot. That is my prerogative and I do not share this with anybody.

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Speaker: You let an hon. Member complete his/her statement, whether properly directed or misdirected. You still have to hear it. There is a need for tolerance.

 

Continue, hon. Minister.

 

Ms Siliya: Mr Speaker, at the material time, the hon. Member of Parliament was not even at the meeting. When the decision was made to postpone the meeting, there were only nine hon. Members. One of the reasons the Chairperson for the Committee on Agriculture, Lands and Natural Resources gave was that hon. Members were attending other Committee meetings and then hon. Ministers were, obviously, at a special Cabinet meeting. So, is he in order to purport that his time was wasted and rise on a point of order when he was not even at the meeting when decisions were made?

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Speaker: The point of order by the hon. Minister of Agriculture is misconceived.

 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Speaker: You cannot have a point of order on a point of order. It is not possible. In any case, I have already ruled that I want to investigate this matter. Give me an opportunity to investigate this matter. Obviously, in the course of the investigation, I will have to revert to the hon. Minister of Agriculture, inevitably so.

 

So, hon. Members, by what we are doing, we are not putting our time to very good use. I have already indicated that I have a very long list of hon. Ministers who would like to debate. They barely started debating after the second break yesterday. So, they need to respond to all these debates that transpired in the last eight or so days. Even after I have announced that the last person to ask a question is the hon. Member for Serenje, if you see on the screens in front of you, others are already indicating.

 

Laughter

 

Mr Speaker: In spite of what I said, they still want to ask questions. You may wish to know that because of these same questions, some are actually very aggrieved that they did not debate the Motion of Thanks. However, we need to balance these issues. If I say this is the cutoff point, it is the cutoff point. Why indicate after that? Is it in a bid to persuade me to overrule myself, even when we are pressed for time?

 

Laughter

 

Mr Speaker: Anyway, for the sake of progress, for the rest of the day there will be no points of order allowed.

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Jere: Mr Speaker, I do not know whether the hon. Minister got my question, but if not, I can still repeat myself.

 

Mr Speaker: Did you get the question, hon. Minister?

 

Mwale: Yes, Sir.

 

Mr Speaker, as the hon. Member of Parliament of Parliament can see, there is a trend. In 2015, we bought skip bin loader trucks for some districts. In 2017,the districts that I mentioned will receive the skip bin loader trucks and in next year’s budget, there will be other districts that we will buy for. However, let me say that we have what is known as the Local Government Equalisation Fund (LGEF) for councils. We think that from that fund, some councils may be able to buy some skip bins and trucks for operations within their councils. They do not have to wait until their turn to be given these items by the ministry. They can also use the Constituency Development Fund (CDF).

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Mwale: Mr Speaker, let me take this opportunity to announce that this morning, we received K50 million from the Treasury. So from tomorrow, seventy-one more constituencies will receive K700,000 each.

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mwale: Mr Speaker, the Treasury is committed and has assured to keep giving us resources until all the constituencies have received the full amount. Part of that money can be used to buy skip bins.

 

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

 

Interruptions

 

CHITAMBO MISSION POLICE POST

 

38. Mr Mutale (Chitambo) asked the Minister of Home Affairs:

 

  1. when the Chitambo Mission Police Post in Chitambo Parliamentary Constituency would be provided with the following:

 

  1. utility motor vehicles; and
  2. additional police officers; and

 

  1. when the construction of holding cells at the police post would commence.

 

The Minister of Home Affairs (Mr Kampyongo): Mr Speaker, we are, indeed, aware of the logistical challenges that the police is having in Chitambo. Like I belaboured yesterday, once we procure the vehicles, we will see how we can allocate a vehicle to Chitambo, which is equally a new district. As regards the construction of holding cells, we have a slight challenge. As the hon. Member is aware, Chitambo Mission Police Post is sitting on land that belongs to the Chitambo Mission Hospital. Therefore, we would like the hon. Member to work with us to see if we can find an alternative place where we can then place a police post with all the necessary facilities. However, that might not be done this year due to unavailability of funds.

 

Sir, administrative arrangements are being made by the regional command to have additional officers sent to Chitambo Mission Police Post in response to the status of district. As I stated earlier, we may not be doing anything about the cells this year, but I want to comfort the hon. Member and our beloved people of Chitambo that in 2017, our focus will be on planning for the construction of the new police station for the new district and housing units for our officers who will be deployed to Chitambo District.

 

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

 

Mr Mutale: Mr Speaker, I appreciate the answers that I have gotten from the hon. Minister and it is quite a challenge for me to ask a follow up question because he is my uncle. Nonetheless, …

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Speaker: Well, then, I can allow you to sit down if you are constrained.

 

Laughter

 

Mr Mutale: Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister is aware that Chitambo is quite vast, as a constituency and as a district. It also shares a border with the Democratic Republic of Congo. The officers in Chitambo do not have any vehicle and are finding it challenging to arrest problems that arise. How can the hon. Minister help us in the meantime to try to avert this challenge? Can a good second-hand vehicle be provided for us?

 

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, on a light note, I acknowledge my nephew. Traditionally, we fear nephews because a nephew can displace you.

 

Laughter

 

Mr Speaker: You are not here to pass on your role to the next one.

 

Laughter

 

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, we are very aware of the challenges the few officers we have in Chitambo are facing in policing the entire Chitambo Constituency. Now that Chitambo has attained district status, we are trying to work around the clock to ensure that we provide a fully-fledged police station and send some vehicles there. We will try to work with the Central Province command, under the able leadership of Commissioner Kamukoshi, to see if we can take an additional vehicle to Serenje, which services Chitambo, so that our officers can constantly be assisted with transport to carry out patrols, in the meantime.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Dr Malama (Kanchibiya): Mr Speaker, noting that Chitambo and other new districts like Kanchibiya, Lavushi Manda and Chembe are in dire need of manpower, is the Government planning to train and recruit police officers so that we can have manpower in our districts?

 

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, like I stated yesterday, we are not only planning for infrastructure in the newly-created districts, but also planning for the manpower to deploy there. As we stand now, the manpower levels are quite low in the police service. Working with the Ministry of Finance, we have made quite some progress to ensure that we beef up the numbers through training and recruiting new officers. I hope that, very soon, we shall commence recruiting new officers to cater for the newly-created districts as well.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

ESTABLISHMENT OF CANCER HOSPITALS COUNTRYWIDE

 

39. Mr Hamusonde (Nangoma) asked the Minister of Health:

 

  1. whether the Government had any plans to establish cancer hospitals countrywide;

 

  1. if so, when the plans would be implemented; and

 

  1. where the hospitals would be located.

 

The Minister of Health (Dr Chilufya): Mr Speaker, the Government has plans to establish cancer radiotherapy centres in each province of Zambia in a phased manner. It may not be possible to indicate the exact date when the plan to establish cancer radiotherapy centres in the provinces will be implemented, as implementation is dependent on the availability of funds for construction, procurement of medical equipment and training of human capital required to run these centres. 

 

Mr Speaker, according to the Cancer Diseases Hospital Phase III Project, which was developed by the Government through the Ministry of Health, radiotherapy centres are expected to be established in Kitwe, Solwezi, Mongu, Livingstone, Kabwe, Chipata, Mpika and Mansa. The centre in Lusaka is already functional and will be the supervising centre. The House may wish to note that the would-be funders for the Cancer Diseases Hospital Phase III Project have been identified and these are:

 

  1. Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA); and

 

  1. OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID)

 

Mr Speaker, following the appraisal mission that was conducted by these funders to construct the first two centres, we will begin constructing the first centre in Mpika and the second one in Kitwe, while the Cancer Diseases Hospital in Lusaka is being upgraded.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Mr Hamusonde: Mr Speaker, I think the hon. Minister is very aware that the Cancer Diseases Hospital at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) in Lusaka is congested. Most of the time, when someone from a rural hospital is referred to the Cancer Diseases Hospital at the UTH, they are told to go back home and come back after two months for treatment. Is there any way to increase the number of doctors and the space at the UTH so that these people can be attended to immediately they go there?

 

Dr Chilufya: Mr Speaker, I want to emphasise that our Zambia National Cancer Control Programme is premised on screening and early detection of cancer. In other words, we focus a lot more on preventing cancers than just treating them. As we speak, we are preparing to construct cancer radiotherapy centres in Mpika and Kitwe. We are also expanding the Cancer Diseases Hospital at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH). However, our screening programmes are being conducted in every part of this country. We have placed mammography machines in every province to ensure that we screen women for breast cancer. We have placed cervical cancer screening equipment in all the provinces and we are screening for cervical cancer. Cryotherapy or the treatment procedure that is used to treat cervical cancer in its early stages is available in different parts of the country. So, your intervention is appreciated, hon. Member, but it is important to note that we are already doing something about cancer throughout the country.

 

Mr Speaker, even the specialists we have sent to all the nine provinces are able to manage the conservative processes up to a certain stage. So, those who are at the end of the spectrum or require radiotherapy and chemotherapy are the ones who end up at the UTH. The Cancer Diseases Hospital is not congested because of Zambians. It is a centre of excellence and receives patients from within the region. We are now establishing a cancer radiotherapy centre in Kitwe and Mpika to decongest the Cancer Diseases Hospital in Lusaka.

Mr Speaker, Kitwe will cater for the North-Western, Copperbelt and Luapula provinces. Mpika will cater for Muchinga, Northern and part of Central provinces. While the Lusaka one will continue catering for the Southern and part of Central provinces. Therefore, we are firmly on track in ensuring that punitive services for cancer treatment are available. As we speak, screening and early detection programmes are available countrywide.

 

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

 

Mr Muchima (Ikeleng’i): Mr Speaker, this is a sector where much of our resources are supposed to be channeled. I would like to thank the hon. Minister for, at least, spreading screening facilities to provincial headquarters. Does he have plans and resources to extend this facility to districts? He may be aware that we are dealing with poor people who cannot afford to go to provincial headquarters, but are there dying of cancer. Does he have any intention to as quickly as possible screen the people in remote rural areas who cannot afford to reach provincial headquarters using the mobile medical facilities that are available?

 

Dr Chilufya: Mr Speaker, we have actually placed cervical cancer screening equipment at district level. So, when I say that we have equipment in the provinces, yes, mammography machines may be in the provincial hospitals, but cervical cancer screening machinery is available in the districts. Our members of staff who are able to pick out early signs are also available in the districts.

 

Mr Speaker, why am I talking about cervical cancer? It is because cervical cancer constitutes 30 per cent of the cancers we see. So, that is why we have gone down to the district level to distribute cervical cancer screening equipment. One of the first districts to receive this equipment was Chikankata. Then, we have moved onto other districts in various parts of the country.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Mr Munkonge (Lukashya): Mr Speaker, could the hon. Minister enlighten me on the criteria used to determine the location of these cancer hospitals.

 

Dr Chilufya: Mr Speaker, we have planned to construct hospitals in all the provincial centres. If the question is the criteria used in sequencing these are hospitals, we actually look at statistics. For instance, Lusaka Province has the highest incidence of cancer and it is followed by the Copperbelt, the Southern and the Eastern provinces in that order.

 

However, Sir, we also notice that the data we use is, by and large, facility-based. So, when we look at areas like the Northern and Muchinga provinces, access to the Cancer Disease Hospital is limited and so, we will not get the statistics, while for places like the Copperbelt and Southern provinces, we will get access to the Cancer Disease Hospital, and so, we will have this impression that the incidence is higher. So, when we look at the Copperbelt, it is at 18 per cent while the Eastern Province is at 16 per cent. Therefore, it was easy for us to know that we should begin by putting Cancer Diseases Hospitals in Kitwe and Mpika.

 

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

 

Dr Malama: Mr Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. Minister for that piece of information. However, noting that function informs structure and that these are specialised hospitals, does the Government have plans to train human resource to be able to provide specialised services at the hospitals in Mpika and other areas?

 

Dr Chilufya: Mr Speaker, when we started the cancer control programme, apart from training human resource in the primary healthcare component of it, that is, screening early detection and intervening at that level, we also sent doctors and nurses to South Africa for training. We trained eight doctors and a number of nurses. After we finished building the Cancer Diseases Hospital, we also set up the Cancer Disease Hospital Training Centre. So, this year, we are commencing training of oncologists. We are also commencing training oncology nurses. At the moment, we have already started training radiotherapy technologists in oncology and the third intake has already graduated.

 

Sir, I should also mention that we are not only training for Zambia, but also have foreigners who have been coming to train with the support of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). We have had Ethiopians, Tanzanians, Malawians and Mozambicans training here. So, we are strengthening our training institution at the Cancer Disease Hospital and have now even escalated it beyond technologists training to include specialists in oncology, both for medical doctors and nurses. This is the way we will staff the hospitals that we are building.

 

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

 

Ms Chonya (Kafue): Mr Speaker, in a way, the hon. Minister has already touched the question I had, which had to do with the prevalence rate for cancer around the country on average. However, with your indulgence, allow me to just make some public commendation of the hon. Minister of Health for responding swiftly to our cry in Kafue. We had a clinic that had not been in operation for seven years after being built, but he was able to have it opened within three months of engaging him. So, we just wanted to express gratitude to him on behalf of the people of Kafue.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kopulande (Chembe): Mr Speaker, let me observe that it is always gratifying to ask a question to the Minister of Health because he gives satisfactory and comprehensive answers.

 

Hon. Government Member: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kopulande: Mr Speaker, when I was growing up, unless I can be corrected, cases of cancer were an absolutely rare incident. However, these days, cancer seems to have reached some epidemic proportions. May I ask the hon. Minister what types of cancer are most prevalent in this country and what conditions predispose one to this kind of disease?

 

Dr Chilufya: Mr Speaker, yes, we have seen the emergence of non-communicable diseases, including cancer in the last couple of years. However, I should also be quick to mention that when the index of suspicion is low, we usually do not pick the diagnosis because we may think that the incidence is so low. Nonetheless, it is true to note that there has been resurgence or there has been an increase in non communicable diseases, including cancer.

 

Mr Speaker, the commonest cancer that we have in women is cervical cancer and it represents 30 per cent of all the cancers that we see. It is seconded by breast cancer. In men, the commonest is prostate cancer. Breast cancer is about 5 per cent; prostate cancer is 5 per cent. The worry we have is that many men do not screen for prostate cancer and come in when it is in its late stage. So, it is important for men to emulate women who are enthusiastic about screening for cervical cancer and breast cancer and also screen for prostate cancer. Once we pick it early, we are able to help.

Mr Speaker, even when it came to the Tipima, the human immuno-deficiency virus/ acquired immuno deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) program, men were still a problem. For prostate cancer, we have a very simple test, the Prostate Antigen Test, and any man above the age of forty-five is a candidate for benign prostatic hypertrophy or cancerous changes of the prostate.

 

Mr Speaker, in answering the question, the most common cancers we see are 30 per cent cervical, 5 per cent breast and 5 per cent prostate. Others cancers such as Lipoma, some which are Hodgkin and others not, appear in smaller percentages. There is a whole list, but I will not go into it. The ones I mentioned are, broadly, the ones of public health significance in the country.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Mr Speaker: Has the hon. Member for Lunte withdrawn his question?

 

Mr Kafwaya (Lunte): Mr Speaker, my question has been overtaken by events.

 

Mr Speaker: Very well.

 

__________

 

MOTION

 

MOTION OF THANKS

 

(Debate resumed)

 

The Minister for Copperbelt Province (Mr Lusambo): Mr Speaker, when the House adjourned yesterday, I was sharing how the Government of His Excellency, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, is performing to the expectation of the people of the Copperbelt in relation to infrastructure. It is putting up infrastructure on the Copperbelt, despite criminals vandalising it. The railway line between Ndola and Luanshya has been stripped off.

 

Dr Kambwili entered the Assembly Chamber.

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Lusambo: The people who strip railway lines have told us that they go to London to have coffee in the morning and come back to Zambia in the afternoon.

 

Laughter

 

Dr Kambwili interjected.

 

Mr Lusambo: These are the people who are slowing down the development of the Copperbelt.

 

Sir, His Excellency, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, wants to put up infrastructure in the railway and road sector, but we are drawn back by these visionless criminals who want to sabotage the Government.

 

Dr Kambwili interjected.

 

Mr Speaker: Hon. Member for Roan!

 

Dr Kambwili: Sorry, Mr Speaker.

 

Mr Lusambo: Mr Speaker, some people wanted to turn the Copperbelt Province into an animal farm. Things have changed since His Excellency, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, appointed the Minister for the Copperbelt Province, Mr Bowman Lusambo, who is on the Floor now.

 

Laughter

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Lusambo: Those who want to do things to benefit themselves have found that the Copperbelt is a no-go area. We are in a different ball game. It is not business as usual. The authority which they were using to bulldoze companies to get contracts has been taken away. Even you, Sir, can come to the Copperbelt with a business proposal and the companies will receive you, as a Zambian citizen, and you will get business on merit.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Lusambo: Sir, we have heard people here talk about corruption and the Government is fighting it. However, I would like to be advised. Does building houses on a golf course amount to corruption?

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Lusambo: Does letting ones animals graze on a golf course not amount to 100 per cent corruption? The Copperbelt, today, is a Copperbelt for all. All citizens are free to move within the province as it is a province for all.

 

Mr Speaker, some unscrupulous individuals are calling for the black mountain to be given to the youth. The Government wants to create employment for its people and the people who have been talking about the black mountain are those who want to bypass the youth and benefit from it. However, I, as the Minister for the Copperbelt Province, will not tolerate any lawlessness because His Excellency the President has given me the authority to preside over the affairs of the people on the Copperbelt Province and that is exactly what I will do.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Lusambo: Sir, the Government wants to prioritise agriculture as one of the sectors for diversification in our province. The following activities are being undertaken in our province:

  1. construction of the Ndola Diagnostic Centre;

 

  1. construction of four livestock centres;

 

  1. construction of an artificial insemination centre; and

 

  1. construction of thirty-six dip tanks.

Mr Speaker, apart from these, the province has also seen the establishment of Musakashi Irrigation Scheme making notable headway just as the Luswishi Farming Block, which already has a core venture company that has set up an oil processing plant.

 

Mr Speaker, in the health sector, this Government has continued with the construction of three district hospitals in Chililabombwe, Masaiti and Mufulira districts. The Government has also carried on with the construction of eighty-eight health posts in the province.

 

Sir, in order to have equitable access to water and sanitation, the Government has put up two water supply and sanitation projects, namely Kafulafuta Water Supply and Sanitation and Kafubu Water Supply and Sanitation. This is in the quest to give good service to the good people of the Copperbelt Province. The Government also drilled not less than 150 boreholes in the rural areas.

 

Mr Speaker, in an effort to improve service delivery, the Government also created rural districts in the province. This saw the relocation of the Boma from Masaiti District to a place which is more central and accessible. Furthermore, houses, a post office and a police station are being constructed in Lufwanyama and Mpongwe districts. The province has continued to make efforts towards empowering its youths with skills. In line with this, four youth skills centres have been under construction during the year. This will enable the youths in the province to create employment.

 

Mr Speaker, before I conclude, let me also hasten to mention that the message of reconciliation, which His Excellency the President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, came with to this House is commendable. Zambia is on a developmental path and for development to be sustainable, the country needs peace and unity. To attain peace and unity, this country needs humble leaders such as His Excellency the President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, the great leader of this great nation. His Excellency the President’s humility has ensured that we remain a united country even when well-known enemies have tried to drive a wedge amongst us. 

 

Mr Speaker, the people of the Copperbelt Province have rejected politicians who are only interested in looting State coffers and stripping national assets such as railway slippers. The people of the Copperbelt are interested in more progressive leadership such that which His Excellency the President, Mr Lungu, the great leader of this great nation, is exhibiting.

 

Mr Speaker, as I conclude my contribution, allow me to thank the hon. Members of the United Party for National Development (UPND) …

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Lusambo: …and those of the Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) for showing leadership in this House. For the UPND members, I want to congratulate them for showing leadership and patriotism in refusing to be remote controlled by their leader.

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Lusambo: Mr Speaker, in this country, we can only develop if we are all patriotic. I therefore, want to commend the UPND members for being patriotic this time around. In our language, tulabila ukweba ati insala ilapama, taili kwati ba UPND. Ilapama, ilaleta no musebanya. Balibwelele ba UPND uko baile.

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Lusambo: Mr Speaker, …

 

Hon. UPND Members: Meaning!

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Lusambo: Order! The UPND members refused to be remote controlled by their leader, …

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Speaker: Order, hon. Minister. Let us have order. We cannot manage affairs this way. To begin with, hon. Minister, can you translate what you said, presumably in Lamba. Thereafter, please, we do not allow debating individuals especially, those who do not form part of this Assembly. It is a settled practice. There are other platforms in the nation where we can politic, like outside the Chamber. There are many platforms including a facility we have outside, where we can invite the press. There is a Media Centre. You can just call the press and start addressing the world. Continue.

 

Mr Lusambo: Mr Speaker, I thank you for that guidance. What I was trying to say is that hunger has no boundary.  If it affects my cousin, Hon. Livune, he will just have to eat something.

 

Laughter

 

Mr Lusambo: Mr Speaker, before I conclude, I would like to talk about patriotism. The UPND members refused to be remote controlled by their leader. They opted to boycott…

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Speaker: Hon. Member, if you are through, just sit down because I have already guided.

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Speaker: Do you have anything different to say?

 

Mr Lusambo: Yes, Sir.

 

Mr Speaker: Say it.

 

Mr Lusambo: Mr Speaker, we expect the Opposition members to also attend the significant national events such as the National Day of Prayer and Fasting and the Independence Day celebrations in this country. His Excellency the President of this republic means well to this country.  We have seen the development that is coming up on the Copperbelt Province. We therefore, want to show this to the people who are pretending as if there is nothing happening on the Copperbelt. In this vein, I am inviting the well-meaning Zambians to come and see what His Excellency the President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu’s Government is doing on the Copperbelt Province.

 

With these few words, I thank you.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Ngulube: Ema Bowman aya!

 

________

 

ANNOUNCEMENT BY MR SPEAKER

 

PARTICIPANTS TO THE ASSOCIATION OF EUROPEAN PARLIAMENTARIANS WITH AFRICA (AWEPA) SECTOR REPORT SCRUTINY WORKSHOP

 

Mr Speaker: Hon. Members, before we continue, I have an announcement to make. I wish to acquaint the House with the presence, in the Speaker’s Gallery, of the following participants to the Sector Reports Scrutiny Workshop that was organised by the Association of European Parliamentarians with Africa (AWEPA) at the Southern Sun Ridgeway Hotel from 27th to 28th September, 2017. These include the following:

 

Hon. David Chapfika, MP − Parliament of Zimbabwe;

Hon. Peter Kazongominja, MP − Parliament of Namibia;

Staff from the Parliament of Lesotho;

Staff from the Parliament of Namibia;

Staff from the Parliament of Zimbabwe;

Resource persons from the Parliament of Uganda; and

Staff from the AWEPA Southern Africa Office.

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

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

 

I thank you.

 

__________

 

The Minister of Works and Supply (Mr Nkhuwa): Mr Speaker, I wish to thank you most sincerely for giving me an opportunity to support the speech delivered to this august House on 15th September, 2017, by His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu.

 

Mr Speaker, I will try to be brief because I realise that many colleagues of mine would like to debate. So, I will get straight to the point on my written script.

 

Mr Speaker, in his speech, His Excellency the President talked about the burning of public infrastructure and sabotage that have grown so rampant of late in the country. As a ministry in charge of all public buildings, we condemn these acts because they take the country backwards. It is for this reason that we supported the invocation of Article 31 when it was brought up in the House. This is in order to control the people who are involved in the burning of infrastructure.

 

Mr Speaker, the need to insure public buildings cannot be over emphasised. It is, therefore, time for the Government to start insuring its properties. We are working on modalities to ensure that most Government buildings are insured in future.

 

Mr Speaker, we all know that there is no justification behind the burning of essential public infrastructure like schools, court buildings and markets, to mention, but a few. The acts are not accidental, but motivated by some disgruntled politicians as a pattern can be seen because they only started after the 2016 General Elections.

 

Mr Speaker, it is important that, as politicians, we learn to agree to disagree and not resort to damaging public property with which we want to empower the people of Zambia. Therefore, as His Excellency the President mentioned, there is a need for law enforcement officers and agents to work extra hard through the relevant pieces of legislation to combat these acts.

 

Mr Speaker, there is also a need to embed matters of patriotism in our curriculum to cover issues of vandalism and keeping Zambia clean as our motto. Zambians are not supposed to lead an ‘I do not care’ type of life as if they have another Zambia elsewhere to where they can go.

Mr Speaker, our dear President of the Republic of Zambia has, on several occasions, emphasised and repeatedly advised the nation on issues of patriotism and national unity and reached out to the heart and soul of every Zambian in a quest to sustain our sovereignty and build a better country for ourselves and future generations.

 

The screens in the Chamber displayed Hon. Prof Luo’s portrait.

 

Mr Speaker: Order!

 

Just as a matter of curiosity. The portrait I have on the screen …

 

Laughter

 

Mr Speaker: I know I made an announcement yesterday …

 

Laughter

 

Mr Mwale: There is a portrait for the young lady.

 

Mr Speaker: Oh, yes.

 

Laughter

 

Professor Luo switched off her microphone and the screen displayed Hon. Nkhuwa’s picture.

 

Mr Speaker: The hon. Minister may continue.

 

Mr Nkhuwa: Mr Speaker, on economic matters, His Excellency, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, President of the Republic of Zambia, upholds strong values on the need to ensure that the poor can afford the necessities of life in order to reduce vulnerability. This can only be achieved through pro-poor investment and provision of a supportive environment that will create wealth and access to decent jobs to address poverty, vulnerability and inequality in line with the aspirations contained in the Vision 2030 and the Seventh National Development Plan (7th NDP), 2017/2021.

 

Mr Speaker, His Excellency the President emphasised the need to develop and maintain infrastructure through good workmanship, which will positively contribute to agriculture, forestry, fishing, education and delivery of health services, among many others. To this effect, my ministry is developing plans to bring back to habitable standards some of the dilapidated buildings with a view to enhancing service delivery.

 

Mr Speaker, the Government, through my ministry, is developing a public building data base and a maintenance master plan that will support all existing built infrastructure in all ministries, provinces and other spending agencies. It intends to come up with bills of quantities (BoQs) so that, in liaison with the Ministry of Finance and other financiers, we can source for funds that will help to improve and keep standard the existing structures in this country.

 

Mr Speaker, his Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia indicated to this august House that land can be a serious constraint to development if not properly administered. I am concerned that there are very few public buildings that are on title. This has brought about serious encroachment on land where public buildings are sitting. Therefore, as we develop the land policy and review legislation, it is very important that we take into account issues of title deeds for public land.

 

Mr Speaker, my ministry remains committed to the procurement process contained in the Pro-Public Procurement Act No.12 of 2008 and will take on board all the improvements being made in ensuring that we adhere to the public procurement system in order to get value for money.

 

Mr Speaker, in supporting his Excellency the President’s Speech, I found it very well-articulated, inspirational, guiding and motivating. My ministry will endeavour to implement what is contained therein so that the Patriotic Front (PF) Government can provide good governance and deliver to the expectations of the citizenry of Zambia and alleviate poverty and vulnerability.

 

Mr Speaker, I must say that His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia walks the talk.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Nkhuwa: Sir, Zambia is big and there is a cake to share, but it can only be done in phases. Over the past years, my town has been left behind in terms of development, but I tell you now that Chingola is a construction site.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Nkhuwa: We have three contractors in Chingola constructing roads. In two years to come, Chingola will be a different place.

 

Mr Kampyongo: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Nkhuwa: Mr Speaker, I would like to thank his Excellency the President for coming to support Chingola by launching the Copperbelt 400 kilometres Road Project (C400), which started from the town I represent, Chingola. The people I represent are very grateful to the PF Government, led by his Excellency the President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu.

 

Mr Kampyongo: Hammer! Hammer!

 

Mr Nkhuwa: Mr Speaker, today, I was a bit surprised when the hon. Member of Parliament for Kafue stood to give accolades to the hon. Minister of Health because it was my intention to do the same in my speech. I have been sitting in this Parliament for over a year and what I have seen is that no matter what good one does, the Opposition never sees it.

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Speaker: Hon. Member, you know the rules.

 

Mr Nkhuwa: Mr Speaker, most obliged. That is why I was saying that I am presently surprised today by the good gesture that has been exhibited by the hon. Member of Parliament for Kafue in commending the hon. Minister of Health for the work well done.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Nkhuwa: Mr Speaker, like I said, I was not going to take a lot of time. I planned for my speech to last about ten minutes.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Nkhuwa: Mr Speaker, let me end my debate by saying that I am in support of the President’s Speech.

 

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

The Provincial Minister for Muchinga (Mr Sichone): Mr Speaker, thank you for according me this opportunity to add a word to the debate on the Motion on the Floor of the House.

 

Mr Speaker, his Excellency the President of Zambia, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, in his speech on page 6, paragraph 17 stated that:

 

“We may disagree and quarrel but we remain one. The factors that unite us are much greater than those that seek to divide us. Just like when one arm cuts the other with a razor blade, one does not go out and get an axe to cut it off.”

 

Mr Speaker, the gist of this statement is simply that no matter the circumstances in which we find ourselves, no matter the greed, desire or ego that drives us, this country is much more important than anything else. It is from this that I wish to also commend His Excellency the President for observing and encouraging us that even though we may wear different jackets politically or may belong to different tribes or have different religious beliefs, what brings us together is greater than all these things.

 

Sir, no amount of ego should negate the intermarriage efforts that we have seen as a way of life in Zambia.

 

Mr Kampyongo: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Sichone: No amount of ego should negate the love of cousinship amongst tribes …

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Sichone: … that we have seen bring us together.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Sichone: Mr Speaker, the need to think above ourselves was the biggest challenge given to us, as individuals, representing the people and to the country at large.

 

Sir, allow me to also commend His Excellency the President for his visionary approach towards agriculture. To demonstrate this, I will just fish out one programme which he talked about, and this is the electronic voucher (e-Voucher) programme. This programme was dragging for many years in the name of piloting. However, His Excellency the President made the courageous decision to rollout this programme on a 100 per cent basis to all districts in the country. This has culminated in serious gains of more than K1 billion. This is money which used to seep through the traditional Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP).

 

Further, Mr Speaker, we have learnt that over 600, 000 beneficiaries of the traditional FISP have been ghost farmers. The e-Voucher programme will add up to a smart Zambia and transform the way our farmers do business.

 

Mr Speaker, in his address, His Excellency the President talked about breeding centres, among them Mbesuma Ranch in Chinsali. I wish to bring to your attention that this particular centre in Chinsali has reintroduced cattle breeding stocks to a place which was swept of cattle by disease. We lost all the cattle at the centre and Muchinga and the Northern provinces where not included on the places that needed cattle restocking. Through the restocking programme, the ranch is now assisting our farmers to acquire good breeding stocks. For this, we say, “Thank you, Mr President.”

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Sichone: Mr Speaker, Muchinga is a young province. As a young child needs breast milk to develop, it also implies that Muchinga needs infrastructure to develop. As a province, we continue to thank His Excellency the President for the various interventions to ensure that we attain the infrastructure demands. We have been given three new districts namely, Mafinga, Kanchibiya and Lavushimanda …

 

Dr Malama: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kampyongo: And Shiwang’andu.

 

Mr Sichone: … not forgetting Shiwang’andu.

 

Mr Kampyongo: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Sichone: Mr Speaker, these new districts have given hope to our people.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Sichone: For the first time in Muchinga Province, people have seen the construction of two districts hospitals as a result of attaining district status. People in Kanchibiya have started seeing the possibility of having an all-weather road, electricity and improved health service delivery. Shiwang’andu is developing into a town …

 

Mr Kampyongo: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Sichone: … for the first time in the history of our country.

 

Mr Kampyongo: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Sichone: Sir, for all these developments, we just have to thank the leadership of His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu. No wonder he gets all those votes from Muchinga.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Sichone: Mr Speaker, I wish to add that the Great North Road from Mpika to Nakonde is almost impassable, but the relief is that financing for this particular project has been sought from the European Union (EU) and construction will commence as soon as the procurement and financing procedures are completed. By saying that, I am not forgetting the famous Mpkia/Nabwalya Road, which is an aorta and source of great hope for us in terms of tourism.

 

Mr Speaker, His Excellency the President, in his concluding remarks, stated that:

 

“Let us love one another as citizens of this great country.”

 

Mr Speaker, for us from Muchinga, we are saying, “Mr President, that is the pillar which unites and strengthens us.”

 

However, His Excellency the President went further to urge us to transform the way we do things. The transformation aspect of what we do today is important. We have seen corrosion in our moral being, and let me start with the Civil Service. We continue emphasising and fighting habits that have crippled the Civil Service such as indolence, corruption and many other vices. His Excellency the President’s message is clear. Let us change the way we do things.

 

Ms Mulenga: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Sichone: There is nothing more that is demanded from any public officer than that. His Excellency the President also urged the citizens to change the way they do things. In Muchinga Province, over 50 per cent of the population is that of young people. I have seen energetic and brilliant young people crying for opportunities in farming whereas 60 per cent of the land in Muchinga is still unoccupied. Others are crying for relief food whereas the farming season in the province has always been favourable and I know this is the case across the country. They have coined the phrase ‘Boma iyanganepo’.

 

Mr Speaker: What does that mean?

 

Mr Sichone: It means the Government should do something about any matter before them. So, the phrase ‘Boma iyanganepo’ is barely used to entice the Government to intervene in even personal and social matters that the young people are facing. I think when His Excellency the President said that we need to transform the way we think and do things, he was calling upon everybody, including the young people, to open their eyes to see the opportunities out there and realise that nothing can be brought upon them. They have to work hard to ensure that they find their way out of any situation.

 

Mr Speaker, allow me to also talk about the culture of talking too much and doing very little. When you wake up in the morning and tune into any radio station, the first thing you hear is somebody talking about the inadequacies in governance and the way people are living, yet nobody provides solutions. We are talking a lot than working. That is the more reason poverty levels still remain the same even after all the efforts that the Government is putting in place.

 

Mr Jere: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Sichone: I would hope to see a situation where people can go on radio and provide solutions to the existing challenges and give hope to the citizens of the country.

 

Mr Speaker, having said that, let us move towards moral capitalisation to avert moral bankruptcy. I say so because we are witnessing so many things. Currently, some people have not appeared on the payroll because they forged certificates. This is as a result of moral decay in our country coupled with corruption. His Excellency, President Edgar Chagwa Lungu, dislikes corruption and that is the reason one senior Government official on our level was fired. The official could not tell the nation why he was fired, but I want to affirm that it was because of corruption.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Sichone: Mr Speaker, His Excellency the President, Mr Lungu, does not want corrupt elements in his Government. Some people dramatise corruption, but it is a cancer that has drowned us. People are suffering in the midst of abundant resources, and a rich country like Zambia is unable to provide excessively for its people and realise surplus because of corruption. We need to put our President in prayers to ensure that this particular cancer of corruption is sorted out.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Sichone: Finally, I thank you, Mr Speaker, for having accorded me this chance to speak.

 

Thank you, Sir.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources (Ms Kapata): Mr Speaker, thank you for according me this opportunity to contribute to the debate on the speech delivered by His Excellency, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, the President of the Republic of Zambia, during the Official Opening of the Second Session of the Twelfth National Assembly on 15th September, 2017.

 

Sir, my debate is in two parts. The first part covers the issues that were raised concerning my ministry. The second one focuses on ‘chimbwe no plan’ which simply means a hyena without a plan.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Ms Kapata: Mr Speaker, I hope you will accept my debate which is divided into two.

 

Sir, His Excellency the President’s Speech to this House was timely as it was delivered at a time the country has witnessed unprecedented levels of development which all hon. Members of Parliament in this august House can attest to.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Ms Kapata: The speech outlined the various and significant development programmes that the Patriotic Front (PF) Government under the leadership of His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, has implemented since 2011 when His Excellency, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, may his soul rest in peace, took over Government to the time he took over in 2015.

 

I, therefore, Mr Speaker, wish to thank my fellow hon. Members of this august House, both from the ruling party and Opposition, who have spoken before me and have highlighted the contributions that the PF has made towards the development of this great country.

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Speaker: Order on the right!

     

Ms Kapata: It is very unfortunate that some quarters of society, including hon. Members of this House, choose to ignore and water down or totally discredit the efforts made in the development of this country under the leadership of His Excellency the President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Ms Kapata: Mr Speaker, this House has history. When I was in the Opposition between 2006 and 2011, the Patriotic Front (PF) Party had forty-three Members of Parliament. Out of this number, twenty-seven rebelled by going against the party president’s directive.

 

Mr Speaker, these twenty-seven Members of Parliament thought that they were popular enough to win seats in 2011. They stood in the election and lost. The PF is bigger than any one individual. Some people have chosen to suddenly have amnesia. The boogey man, as the hon. Minister of Luapula said, has chosen …

 

Mr Livune: Question!

 

Interruptions

 

Ms Kapata: …to ignore …

 

Mr Speaker: Order!

 

Hon. Minister, you have referred to that phrase because you were in this House yesterday when it came up. If you recall, I ruled the hon. Minister for Luapula Province out of order. So, it will not be appropriate for you to adopt a phrase that I ruled out of order.

 

Ms Kapata: Mr Speaker, I thank you for your guidance.

 

Mr Speaker, there is an adage which says those who live in glass houses should not throw stones.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Ms Kapata: Mr Speaker, chimbwi no plan stands to condemn the Government today, alleging corruption. We want him come and explain these allegations in this august House. He used to get contracts when he was in the Government.

 

Interruptions

 

Ms Kapata: He got a contract…

 

Mr Speaker: Order, hon. Minister!

 

Interruptions

 

Ms Kapata: No!

 

He got a contract to build a market in Mwense.

 

Mr Speaker: Hon. Minister, I am speaking!

 

Ms Kapata: The market was never built even though the money was disbursed.  

 

Hon. UPND Members: Government policy!

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Speaker: Order!

 

Hon. Members, I am alive to the politics going on here. However, the rules of the House do not allow us to debate ourselves. I guided earlier that there are many other platforms, elsewhere, where these debates can be prosecuted. In fact, the press men and women will jump at an opportunity to engage you.

 

As a reminder, this Motion is looking at the exposition of public policy by His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia. Yesterday I noted that he has left a very loaded speech, which we should interrogate. I know the politics but I will not allow you to go that way hon. Minister. Continue.

 

Ms Kapata: Mr Speaker, I thank you.

 

Mr Speaker, the President talked about corruption. Chimbwi no plan got a contract to build Nakonde Market but did not. That is corruption. Getting a contract to build something and not building it is corruption.

 

Mr Livune: Question!

 

Ms Kapata: Mr Speaker, I already explained that chimbwi no plan is simply a hyena without a plan. He got the 20 per cent local contraction fee for the Mansa/Luwingu Road. To-date, the road has not been done.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Speaker: Order, hon. Minister!

 

Ms Kapata: He did not stop there. He is supposed to …

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Speaker: I am speaking, hon. Minister!

Mr Livune: You should have got him arrested!

 

Mr Speaker: Hon. Minister, I would like you to debate.

 

Ms Kapata: I am debating.

 

Mr Speaker: No, no, no. Let us follow this clearly.

 

I know that you have already structured your debate and may be having difficulties steering off but I am not going to permit you. The other option that I have is to curtail your debate. I am extremely slow to curtail debates. However, if you persist, I will cut the debate. I believe that there are many other policy issues that you can raise.

 

Mr Sing’ombe: Yes!

 

Mr Nkombo: On land!

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Speaker: I know the politics. I have a very long list of your colleagues who want to debate. In addition to this list, the hon. Minister for Southern Province, the hon. Minister of Higher Education, the hon. Minister for Lusaka Province and the hon. Minister for Fisheries and Livestock have also indicated. How do we proceed when you are resisting the advice that I am tendering?  How do we proceed?

 

Where is the Government Chief Whip?

 

Laughter

 

Mr Musukwa went back to his seat.

 

Mr Speaker: Continue hon. Minister.

 

Ms Kapata: I thank you for your guidance, Sir. 

 

Mr Speaker, I have mentioned on several occasions on the Floor of this House that land plays an important role in uplifting the standards of living of our people. The PF Government recognises the importance of land, especially to vulnerable groups.

 

Mr Livune: Question!

 

Ms Kapata: As the President indicated in his speech to this august House, land can be a serious binding constraint to development of not properly administered. The PF Government, through my ministry, is determined to ensure that the country has a national land policy before the end of the year, which will guide and promote equitable access to land and promote security of tenure, especially for the rural communities as well as sustainable utilisation of land thereby promoting development.

 

Mr Speaker, while my ministry has taken long to finalise the policy, substantial progress has been made towards the finalisation of the national land policy. The consultation process has taken this long to allow the ministry to undertake in-depth and extensive consultation with various stakeholders whose interests are varying and complex. Efforts have also been made to align the policy to the Seventh National Development (7thNDP), the African Union (AU) Agenda, 2063 and the Vision 2030, among others.

 

Sir, as you may aware, the national land policy needs to meet the aspirations of the Zambian people, for the greater good of the country, hence the need to undertake a wider consultation. The ministry is currently working with the office of the Clerk of the National Assembly to allow hon. Members of this august House to participate in the development of the national land policy.

 

Upon meeting with the hon. Members of this august House, the ministry will hold a national validation workshop, tentatively scheduled for November this year. We will attract key stakeholders from across the country. It is the Government’s desire to have a national land policy in place by December, 2017. Once the policy is in place, it will guide in addressing a number of challenges that currently exist in land administration.

 

Mr Speaker, upon the finalisation of the national land policy, my ministry will commence the revision of various pieces of legislation pertaining to the administration of land, including the Land Act Cap 184 of the Laws of Zambia, to stiffen compliance to land lease obligations such as timely payment of ground rates and other fees and charges as well as making it difficult for foreigners to acquire land in the country.

 

[MR SPEAKER in the Chair]

 

Ms Kapata: Mr Speaker, may I mention that work to this effect has already started with the identification of clauses to be amended and the formulation of proposals to replace the clauses that are impediments to desired goals and outcomes.

 

Sir, my ministry will also work on the finalisation of the Customary Land Administration Bill in order to promote security of tenure on customary land. The Customary Land Administration Bill will also ensure that the interest of the poor Zambians who reside and depend on customary land for a living are protected from both the privileged Zambians and foreigners. This will also ensure that women, who are discriminated by a number of customary laws, are afforded equal access to land as any other person. This legislation will therefore, promote fair land distribution to both men and women as well as other vulnerable groups in the country.

 

Sir, once the various Acts have been reviewed and the finalisation of the Customary Land Administration Bill, they will be tabled before this House for its consideration.

 

Mr Speaker, further, in order to ensure the promotion of security of tenure for people residing in unplanned settlement, my ministry will scale up the implementation of the National Titling Programme. I wish to inform this august House that my ministry under this programme is currently processing certificates of title to people in the pilot areas of Madido in Chongwe District and Kamwala South in Lusaka District so as to guarantee security of tenure and enhance Government revenue base. Lessons learnt from the two pilot areas will provide impetus to the progressive up scaling process to other parts of the country.

 

Sir, I wish to take this opportunity to warn people that my ministry, under this programme will not regularise any person who illegally settles on any land, but will sternly deal with all illegal land occupiers. I also want to warn local authorities across the country that my ministry will not allow the mushrooming of unplanned settlements promoted by illegal dealing by some officials in these local authorities. My ministry will deal firmly with any local authority found wanting.

 

Mr Speaker, in conclusion, I wish to assure this august House that the Patriotic Front (PF) Government under the leadership of His Excellency the President Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, the President of the Republic of Zambia will this year deliver a people-driven National Land Policy that will ensure that the country’s interests are put first to the benefit of the present and future generations of this country. I would also wish to strongly urge hon. Members of this august House as well as members of the general public to take a keen interest and contribute towards the formulation of National Land Policy and the revisions of the various land related legislation as well as Customary Land Administration Bill to ensure the effective management and administration of land in this country.

 

Sir, in my preamble, I talked about some hon. Ministers who were doing some businesses with the Government. I want to correct the situation and state that His Excellency the President fired the only corrupt hon. Minister. Hon. Ministers, who are not corrupt, are still in Government. So, issues of accusing people that they are corrupt must be reported to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). The ACC is there for such specific issues. If any hon. Member feels they have enough information on suspected corrupt hon. Ministers, they must go and report to the ACC.

 

Mr Speaker, I will take it upon myself and report the same former hon. Minister to the ACC so that he can pay back the money, which he got through the contracts, which he did not execute. He is chimbwi no plan.

 

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

 

 Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

The Minister of Tourism and Arts (Mr C. R. Banda): Mr Speaker, I would like to thank you for according me this opportunity to debate the speech by His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, presented on the Official Opening of the Second Session of the Twelfth National Assembly on the 15th September, 2017.

 

Sir, His Excellency the President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, made a historical speech in a very well-articulated manner as he endeavoured to give our country the direction in which to marshal development and prosperity in a co-ordinated fashion. This is evidenced by the way in which he pin pointed the challenges the country is facing, such as social, economical and, indeed, political, and further proposed how we, as a country, can navigate out of these challenges in a smart way.

 

Mr Speaker, His Excellency the President Lungu is smart.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr C. R. Banda: Sir, when I read through the entire speech, I found that the roadmap, which His Excellency the President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, has provided, is very clear and gives hope to all of us that if well-executed, Zambia will be on her way out of the challenges that have caused her stagnation in the development agenda.

 

Mr Speaker, as a ministry, we would like to say that His Excellency, President Lungu, has remained consistent in his vision to create wealth and more jobs for our people, as stated in the recently launched Seventh National Development Plan (7th NDP). In his address to the House on 15th September, 2017, from paragraph 78 to 85, he did not lose sight of the great plans for the tourism sector that have been spelt out in the 7th NDP .

 

Sir, His Excellency the President, in his speech, referred to the fact that our sector continues to face challenges which include the lack of a comprehensive National Tourism Plan, underdeveloped tourism-related infrastructure, limited investment in tourism by both local and foreign investors, limited tourism product offering range and scope, inadequate tourism promotion and marketing low participation by locals in direct and indirect tourism development.

 

Sir, it is a against this background that we would like to agree with His Excellency the President that we, as a Government, should embark on strategies to develop and promote tourism related products and infrastructure.

Mr Speaker, as Minister of Tourism and Arts, I would like to express greater gratitude to His Excellency the President and the Patriotic Front (PF) Government for the good decision made to prioritise the tourism sector as the vehicle for achieving national development and job creation and placing the sector as second only to agriculture. I consider this a step in the right direction because even at the global level, tourism has been reclassified as the second most significant sector after the chemical industry.

 

Mr Speaker, as part of product diversification and infrastructure development in Zambia, the ministry is developing tourism in circuits, namely Kasaba Bay, South-Western and Copperbelt-North Western Circuits. This is in order to pursue increased visitor stay and increase joint initiatives for bilateral and multilateral promotional ventures with countries sharing common resources with Zambia.

 

Mr Speaker, currently, the ministry, through support from the European Union (EU), is developing the tourism master plan for the next twenty years to assist …

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Speaker: Order, on the right!

 

 Mr C. R. Banda: … with co-ordinated and strategic planning of the sector and how we can maximise the application of sustainable tourism development practices and principles in planning and developing tourism in protected and other open areas.

 

Mr Speaker, it is a well-known fact that tourism marketing the world over is an expensive venture. The Government is also aware that, currently, the level of funding for tourism marketing is below most of its competitor neighbouring countries. To this effect, it has started addressing this problem, as demonstrated by the commencement of the Tourism Development Fund in March, 2017. Whereas this may not immediately sort out the problem of underfunding of tourism marketing, the Government is working hard to find complementary solutions and strategies of funding tourism marketing so that our destinations’ visibility, both to the local and international tourist markets, is enhanced.

 

Mr Speaker, in order for tourism to generate a good return on investment, we need to invest at critical mass level like any other investment. The good news is that the tourism sector requires relatively less investment than, for example, mining and infrastructure. Unlike mining, when well positioned, tourism will benefit our own citizens the most. It will benefit the most vulnerable of our rural populations. Furthermore, investments in tourism have a shorter payback period than most other sectors. As if that is not already enough, the extensive value chain of the tourism sector will impact on and stimulate other sectors like agriculture, transport, financial services and health, to mention just but a few.

 

Mr Speaker, in the few years that the Patriotic Front (PF) Government has been in power, it has shown its capacity to transform and bring about significant growth in sectors such as mining, agriculture and infrastructure to the extent that it is the envy of Africa and is acknowledged by the world.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr C. R. Banda: Mr Speaker, Zambia has richer and more diverse tourism resources than most of its neighbouring countries. It goes without saying, therefore, that when we effectively position our tourism sector, as we have started to do, we too should expect to reap similar and even better results than other countries.

 

Mr Speaker, working with the Ministries of Home Affairs, Finance, Housing and Infrastructure Development, my ministry will continue to work towards creating tourist friendly air and land border crossing points to afford the easiest, most comfortable and welcoming border crossing experiences for our esteemed tourists. We will also continue to advocate for more measures to be taken to reduce all unnecessary police road blocks which may work against the peaceful enjoyment of our tourists during their visit.

 

Mr Speaker, my ministry intends to boost both tourism product development and domestic tourism through the Government’s participation in the sector. Whereas in the past we have been pursuing the policy of Government-led, but private sector driven tourism development, the realisation that the private sector may not invest in certain less attractive destinations has now caused us to adopt a policy direction where the Government will now participate side-by-side the private sector in the tourism investment arena.

 

Mr Speaker, it is only with this approach that we will bring about speedy tourism infrastructure development in the Northern Circuit, for example. Indeed, it is only by adopting such a policy that we can bring about increased bed space and more affordable rooms for our domestic tourists in destinations like Livingstone and other national parks. This way, the private sector’s excessive pricing for tourism products will also be checked.

 

Mr Speaker, the Ministry of Tourism and Arts supports His Excellency the President’s position on involving the communities in the management of wildlife. The ministry has demonstrated this by disbursing revenue due to community resource boards. In the last two weeks, the Ministry of Tourism and Arts disbursed over K2.3 million to community resource boards and over K1.8 million for salaries of community scouts, who are in the forefront in protecting wildlife in the game management areas (GMAs).

 

Mr Speaker, regarding the restocking of national parks and private game ranches, the Ministry of Tourism and Arts has restocked animals in Sioma Ngwezi National Park and Bangweulu GMA. The ministry has also sold animals and facilitated restocking of wildlife in four game ranches in the last two months. This will improve wildlife distribution and numbers, thereby enhancing visibility to tourists.

 

Mr Speaker, my ministry supports the views expressed by His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, regarding diversification of the economy and job creation, especially in the arts sector. In achieving this, my ministry is proactively repositioning the handicraft industry into a more organised and regulated field. The repositioning is timely in that Zambia:

 

  1. is a member of the African Committee of the Development and Promotion of Handicrafts (CODEPA); and

 

  1. has been selected by the Africa Union Commission (AUC) as one of the pilot countries for the extension of social security coverage to workers in the handicraft industry.

 

Mr Speaker, my ministry continues to encourage private sector participation in the organisation and holding of different arts and cultural events in order to increase the scope of ethno-tourism attractions. Furthermore, through cultural media programmes and partnerships with media houses, marketing of events that add value to tourists’ experience is effectively being pursued.

 

Mr Speaker, the now famous Pamodzi Carnival to be held yearly in November has, so far, done well and proved to be a popular cultural-tourism product locally. Our efforts are now aimed at growing the carnival into an international spectacle, starting with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Region.

 

In fact, this year, the Pamodzi Carnival will be graced by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) General-Secretary together with, hopefully, His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, and we are also expecting a good number of our neighbouring countries. Similar local carnivals will also be held in all the ten provinces not only as a celebration of our rich cultural diversity, but also as a vehicle for community development and job creation.

 

Mr Speaker, let me end by commending and thanking His Excellency the President for granting me permission to lead a delegation to the UNWTO General Assembly, which was held two weeks ago in Chengdu, China. He allowed me to contest for the position of Chairperson of the UNWTO, which we scooped unopposed.

 

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

The Minister of Community Development and Social Welfare (Ms Kabanshi): Mr Speaker, let me start by thanking you for giving me an opportunity to contribute to the debate on the President’s Address during the Official Opening of the Second Session of the Twelfth National Assembly on 15th September, 2017.

 

Sir, it is, indeed, gratifying to see the high level of passion and commitment that His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, has attached to the plight of the vulnerable and the poor in our society. I was greatly humbled and touched by his address. It is with sincere gratitude and warmth of heart that I stand to acknowledge the positive gesture shown by His Excellency towards uplifting the living standards of the 54.4 per cent of Zambians who are considered poor and vulnerable.

 

Mr Speaker, within the short period that he has been in office, His Excellency the President has exhibited unwavering support to the plight of the poor at a time when there are other equally important needs that require urgent attention. Without his commitment, the slowdown in the economic growth brought about by the devastating effects of both external and domestic shocks such as climate change and the low copper price on the international market would have had devastating effects on the lives of the poor and vulnerable people in our society.

 

Mr Speaker, climate change brought about drought in the region, which resulted in low water levels. This led to load shedding of electricity, thereby affecting the country’s economic performance. In the midst of all these economic challenges, His Excellency the President was still able to increase the budgetary allocation to social protection programmes from K1.3 billion in 2016 to K2.7 billion in 2017 ...

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mrs Kabanshi: ... with more beneficiaries reached, resulting in improved social outcomes and protection of the most vulnerable in society. His Excellency the President’s commitment to reducing poverty and vulnerability by 20 per cent by the end of the Seventh National Development Plan (7thNDP) gives impetus to my ministry to work hard in order to attain this goal.

 

Mr Speaker, in reaffirming his promise of implementing a pro-poor approach to serving the people of Zambia, His Excellency made important observations and pronouncements in the inaugural speech, which are cardinal in demonstrating his resolve to the cause of the poor and vulnerable. I know that some hon. Members of Parliament in this House and even some people outside who are in the Opposition have argued that the money being given to the people under the social protection programmes is too little. I can attest that everybody in the areas where we are implementing the social protection programmes is praising His Excellency the President. They are even wondering if the President who is doing these good things is an angel sent by God.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mrs Kabanshi: Mr Speaker, the theme of the President’ Address, which states, “Moving Towards A Prosperous Smart Zambia In Peace And Tranquillity Without Leaving Anyone Behind” resonates so well with the Government’s commitment to improve the living standards of the vulnerable in society. It embraced pro-poor interventions and the promotion of an inclusive development agenda.

 

Sir, the growth in coverage of the social protection programmes has been visible through the corresponding increase in the national budgetary allocation from 2.7 per cent in 2015 to 4.2 per cent in 2017. That can only be done by a person who is really committed and cares to reduce inequalities in this country.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mrs Kabanshi: With the increase in funding, the Government, in 2017, resolved to continue scaling up the Social Cash Transfer programme from 242,000 beneficiary households, in 2016, to 590,000 beneficiary households by the end of this year. The increase in the case load for the Social Cash Transfer programme will continue in 2018. I heard His Excellency the President make a projection of 700,000 beneficiary households to be reached by 2018. This will translate into 4.2 million individual beneficiaries. This is commendable and, indeed, demonstrates the Government’s commitment and resolve to reduce poverty and vulnerability. 

 

Mr Speaker, in addition to the above, in its continued effort to reduce poverty and vulnerability among women, the Government is implementing the Girls Education and Women Empowerment and Livelihood Project, which is aimed at reaching out to 75,000 women and 16,000 girls. I heard some people in this House mention wrong amounts of money we are giving to social programmes’ beneficiaries. They did not even have the correct data. So, I am wondering what type of leaders they are. Were they just trying to downplay our work or are they too ignorant? They said that each beneficiary gets K70 per month, yet it is K90 per month.

 

Mr Speaker, the Government is implementing a Cash Transfer Plus programme in the districts where it is implementing the programme to keep girls in school. It is targeting the people who are being given K90. This Government, under His Excellency, President Edgar Chagwa Lungu, wants to ensure that inter-generational poverty is not transmitted to the new generations.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mrs Kabanshi: Mr Speaker, His Excellency emphasised the economic diversification agenda and the shift towards dependence on agriculture. This will ensure sustainable development and will give hope, especially to the poor and vulnerable households whose livelihoods are mainly based on agricultural activities. The vulnerable, but viable households under the Food Security Pack Programme, that my ministry targets to support, will benefit a lot from diversification and innovations that are being promoted in the agriculture sector.

Mr Speaker, it is envisaged that with the promotion of agriculture, production and productivity will steadily improve, thereby enabling the FISP farmers have increased incomes which will eventually result in reduced vulnerability. There is a need, therefore, to create strong linkage amongst different programmes and this is being done between different ministries. My ministry will also continue to revamp the farms under the Zambia Agency for Persons with Disabilities (ZAPD). These farms have been providing jobs for persons with disabilities.

 

Mr Speaker, through social protection programmes, the Government is embracing the vulnerable groups as part of the development agenda. It is in this vein that it implements policies aimed at bringing all the vulnerable persons in the development pathway without leaving anyone behind. The Government, through my ministry, will continue to develop more policies, such as the Social Welfare and the Community Development polices, which will ensure the delivery of an inclusive development agenda.

 

Sir, in order to strengthen social protection interventions, there is a need for a legal framework to be put in place and the social protection sector is desirous to see to it that legislation which will help to address the high levels of poverty and inequality is enacted.

 

Mr Speaker, regarding the Smart Zambia agenda, my ministry has developed the Single Registry of Beneficiaries (SRB). The SRB is a directory of all vulnerable persons and households with information on the access to various services. So far, the project was being piloted in five districts, namely Chipata, Livingstone, Senanga, Kawambwa and Mufumbwe. The SRB will make targeting and graduation of beneficiaries from various programmes as well as storage, retrieval and provision of information easier.

 

In addition, Sir, the Government, through my ministry, has embraced the smart development approach in the registration of the potential beneficiaries of the Social Cash Transfer scheme. In 2017, the Social Cash Transfer used mobile technology to identify and enumerate additional beneficiaries to reach out to the projected caseload of 590,000. This enabled the ministry to free-up time from the robust targeting process and ensure quick roll out of the programme to all districts.

 

Mr Speaker, further, to make the payments to vulnerable persons using the smart Zambia agenda, my ministry embarked on a pilot of an electronic payment mechanism of the cash transfers to the beneficiaries in the communities using the Zambia National Commercial Bank (ZANACO) and Zambia Postal Services (ZAMPOST) as payment service providers (PSP). Some of our beneficiaries are now able to use the automated payment machines (ATMs). This is being piloted in Lusaka District and will soon be extended to the other districts in all the provinces. This is in order to promote financial inclusion among the vulnerable persons in the communities. In addition, this will promote the savings and investments among the vulnerable households as well as guarantee the security of the transfers. Preliminary feedback from the beneficiaries is that they are very pleased with this payment mechanism and are appreciating our President, who is very hard working and focused. He will ensure that he leaves this country a changed place.

 

Sir, in promoting access to education, my ministry has been supporting the assessment of vulnerability of the potential beneficiaries various bursaries at tertiary level. This year, my ministry supported the identification of over 20,000 vulnerable youth, while 8,669 girls are already in school receiving bursary support under the keeping girls in school sub component of the Jewel project.

 

Mr Speaker, on creating a conducive governance environment for a diversified and inclusive economy, my ministry welcomes the idea of clusters. This is commendable as it will promote coordination and cross sector linkages and maximise the impacts of all programmes.

 

Sir, in accelerating the implementation of the National Decentralisation Policy, my ministry is one of the ministries with developed functions of community development and social welfare. Its main programmes operate in a devolved way through the decentralised community structures up to the sub district level.

 

Mr Mwale: Hear, hear!

 

Ms Kabanshi: This is with the matching resources which are disbursed directly to districts. So far, the district officers have been reporting to the councils and participating in the various meetings.

 

Finally, Mr Speaker, the speech also made reference to the spate of acts of arson and sabotage which the country experienced. Acts such as the burning down of markets were retrogressive to national development and the impact was more severe on our poor and deprived members of our society who have been trying to earn a living from the small businesses. The acts reverse the efforts the Government has been putting in place to empower small and medium enterprises, especially those belonging to women. This, in turn, puts stress on my ministry as it increases the number of vulnerable people seeking welfare support. I, therefore, wish to join His Excellency in condemning these acts.

 

Mr Mwale: Hear, hear!

 

Ms Kabanshi: Mr Speaker, in ending, I would like to call upon all the citizens of this country to remain united and love one another …

 

Mr Mwale: Hear, hear!

 

Ms Kabanshi: … because we only have one Zambia.

 

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mwale: Hear, hear! We should love one another!

 

The Minister of Religious Affairs and National Guidance (Rev. Sumaili): Mr Speaker, first and foremost, I wish to thank you for this opportunity granted to me to stand before this august House and pass a vote of thanks to His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, on his speech to this House and to the nation on the Official Opening of this Session of the National Assembly. The theme of his speech was, “Moving Towards a Prosperous Smart Zambia in Peace and Tranquility without Leaving Anyone behind.”

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Rev. Sumaili: The speech by His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia is not only brilliant and thoughtful, but also gives hope and speaks to the core of the spirit of the nation.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Rev. Sumaili: It is a roadmap to a prosperous Zambia.

 

Mr Speaker, may I begin this Vote of Thanks by expressing deep gratitude to His Excellency the President, who has chosen to honour the Almighty God by putting measures to actualise the declaration of Zambia as a Christian Nation and create a culture of prayer.

 

Ms Kalima: Hear, hear!

 

Rev. Sumaili: He has taken measures to make Christianity a way of life for Zambians …

 

Ms Kalima: Amen!

 

Rev. Sumaili: … while allowing others to exercise their religious rights. This is what we call smart. Without God, there is no smartness because it is him who makes all things possible.

 

 

Dr M. Malama: Hear, hear!

 

Rev. Sumaili: It is in Him that we live, move and have our being. As this nation has allowed the prince of peace to reign, Zambia shall continue to enjoy peace and prosperity. We are a blessed nation under God. We are a covenant people.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Rev. Sumaili: Mr Speaker, it is only right that we give thanks to God Almighty for the things he has done for us, as a nation, which His Excellency the President graciously shared with us in his speech. With grateful hearts, we appreciate the improved delivery and accessibility of social services, massive infrastructure development and positive economic indicators achieved. This Government has created an environment which is conducive for wealth creation by every Zambian. If there has been a time when we should create wealth and prosper, it is now. The Seventh National Development Plan (7th NDP) and the Vision 2030 agenda are feasible.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Rev. Sumaili: Sir, His Excellency the President has emphasised and anchored his speech on values, principles and ethics. He stressed, among other things, the need for unity embedded and secured in our common heritage, national values and principles. We are one Zambia, one nation.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Rev. Sumaili: Mr Speaker, His Excellency the President also stressed the need for love, humility, truthfulness, selflessness and integrity to be at the core of our actions.

 

Mr Kasonso: Question!

 

Rev. Sumaili: Let us love one another from our hearts.

 

Mr Speaker, we need to always remember that Zambia is bigger than anyone of us and that those of us who seek public office should advance much higher love for our people.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Rev. Sumaili: We are here to serve the people. Loving people is loving the nation. Love is a sign of patriotism. We need to change our mindsets and manner in which we do things. The ...

 

Mr Kasonso: Fire tenders?

 

Laughter

 

Rev. Sumaili: ... way we think is who we are. Lastly, His Excellency the President stressed the need for inclusiveness and not leaving anyone behind in the developmental process and programmes of our country.

 

Mr Speaker, my ministry plays a significant role as a contributor towards the development pillar by creating a conducive governance environment for a diversified and inclusive economy. The Ministry of Religious Affairs and National Guidance is like a red thread that runs in a cloth. The ministry touches all spheres of life at all levels of governance. There is strong co-ordination and collaboration with all Government ministries in policy formulation and programme implementation.

 

Sir, the ministry has created dialogue platforms between the State and the Church, churches of different denominations and the Church and other religious organisations. These dialogue platforms have and continue to facilitate exchange of ideas, views and opinions and enhanced understanding. The platforms are also meant to promote interdenominational dialogue and national unity. There is a need for unity in diversity. We are one, as one Zambia, one nation.

 

Mr Kasonso: One Zambia, one side!

 

Rev. Sumaili: Mr Speaker, this unity demands respect for one another, starting from this House.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Rev. Sumaili: We need to respect and honour one another regardless of the political divide. Without understanding and respecting each other’s views and strengthening national unity, there will be an inconducive governance environment, our development efforts will be slowed down and peace will be threatened. The practice of exchanging insults should come to an end.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kasonso: Jean Kapata!

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Speaker: Hon. Member, that is inappropriate. I can see you even if you are looking down.

 

Rev. Sumaili: Mr Speaker, my ministry is promoting national values, principles and Christian ethos at various levels. It is starting with the family, the community, schools, colleges and universities and the public and private sector. This is being done through our stakeholders at every level, various media, including television and radio, and using relevant outreach programmes at grassroot level.

 

Sir, this working Government is engaging the traditional and religious leaders in promoting patriotism and national unity. As hon. Members of Parliament, we are expected to play a significant in promoting values and building national unity. Patriotism is about loving and serving our nation. It is an abomination for anybody who professes to be a leader to talk negatively about this nation.

 

Mr Speaker, the ministry is also working with civil society organisations to develop age appropriate communication materials to be used in undertaking civic education on sensitising the citizens on the application of national values in terms of providing clarity on the values.

 

Sir, the role of the Church in national development cannot be overemphasised. The Church is viewed by this Government as a capable partner in the provision of social services. The ministry is working closely with the Church in enhancing love, humility, truthfulness, selflessness, integrity and morality in the nation. The Church carries the voice of reason and morality and is expected to champion these messages.

 

Mr Speaker, special attention in my ministry’s programmes is being given to our youth and children to help address and curb immorality and alcohol and drug abuse so that we can raise a generation of socially upright, responsible, skilled and patriotic citizens.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Rev. Sumaili:  In this line, my ministry is working with the ministries of Youth, Sport and Child Development, Education and Health, among other Government ministries and stakeholders. The family, however, is expected to lay a firm foundation instilling good behaviour and the fear of God in young people. Programmes like Girl Guides and Cadets instil discipline and morality.

 

Sir, in his speech, His Excellency the President also indicated that national values are about change of mindset and in the manner in which we do things. This calls for information dissemination to people in a smart and effective way at all levels.

 

Mr Speaker, His Excellency the President, in his speech, further indicated that we may disagree and quarrel, but we remain one. We should, therefore, at all levels, try to avoid using violence and conflict as dispute resolution mechanisms. There is a need to be tolerant to diverse views and practices and promote inclusiveness among Zambians. If you are a violent leader, people will run away from you.

Mr Speaker, God has given this nation a humble, God fearing, very had working and intelligent President.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Rev. Sumaili: Let us continue to support him. He is an honest man who hates corruption just like his predecessor, the late President, Mr Michael Sata. Mr Michael Sata used to say that he was allergic to corruption. It is everybody’s responsibility to fight corruption. Remember that ill-gotten-wealth has wings and it flies away.

 

Mr Speaker, as I conclude, let me, again, congratulate His Excellency the President for the excellent speech. Let me also declare that Zambia is under the open heaven and it is poised for prosperity, peace and tranquility without leaving anyone behind. May the Lord God Almighty continue to bless the nation of Zambia.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Ms Katuta: Amen!

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

The Deputy Minister for Southern Province (Dr Hamukale): Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to debate this wonderful speech by His Excellency the President. Today, I rise on the Floor of this august House to add my voice in support of His Excellency President Edgar Chagwa Lungu’s speech, which he delivered to this Parliament on 15th September, 2017, during the Official Opening of the Second Session of the Twelfth National Assembly of Zambia. On behalf of the wonderful people of the Southern Province, I am here to say that our solidarity in support of the hardworking Patriotic Front (PF) Government remains unshaken amidst all manner of turbulences that bombard the regime.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Dr Hamukale: Mr Speaker, development projects can be seen by any person resident in Zambia. Even our blind citizens have confirmed that they can touch and feel the difference between a gravel bumpy road and a smooth tarred road surface. What do others see when they open their eyes?

 

Mr Speaker, the construction works on the Monze/Nickle Road and Bottom Road have reached advanced stages. The works on the Kazungula Bridge, which will open up commercial activities not only in Zambia, but also in the entire Southern African Development Community (SADC) region have also reached an advanced level.

 

Sir, recently, His Excellency the President travelled to Dundumwezi and Itezhi-tezhi to launch a climate resilient road that will run through Itezhi-tezhi, Namwala via Dundumwezi to Kalomo and connect to the Livingstone Road. I further wish to inform the people of the Southern Province that I am aware of the state of the road between Kafue and Mazabuka. The Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure and the provincial administration are doing everything possible to speed up the procurement process so that works can commence. This will save lives and smoothen the flow of commercial activities on that important road.

 

Mr Speaker, it is extremely important to collectively reflect on how we have walked together, as a country, in implementing our national vision by taking stock of our achievements and challenges. This makes the people of the Southern Province, under the able leadership of His Excellency the President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, to dream big. We want to have the following:

  1. a tannery in Namwala, to process skins and hides;

 

  1. a milk processing factory in Mazabuka which will produce cheese, yogurt, butter and skimmed milk;

 

  1. a large-scale cage fishing on Lake Kariba to boost fish processing and exports;
  2. a large-scale irrigation facility along Lake Kariba to produce high value crops for processing;

 

  1. a cotton processing factory in Gwembe to produce soap, butter, cooking oil and textile products. Currently, China is exploiting this value chain;

 

  1. commercialising goat production in the Zambezi Valley districts in order to exploit the Middle East market, including Saudi Arabia, where we have been told a million goats are needed every year;

 

  1. liquefaction of coal to produce fertiliser, natural gas and electricity to add to the national grid, which will surely transform the economic fortunes of Zambia;

 

  1. a timber processing factory in Kazungula to process our Teak, Rosewood and the famous Mukula;

 

  1. a cornflakes factory in Kalomo; and

 

  1. opening up another tourism zone or circuit at Chipepo on the shows of Lake Kariba.

Mr Speaker, the invocation of Article 31 of the Constitution in order to preserve peace and ensure national security, safety of property and the general public was very beneficial to the people of the Southern Province. The province was characterised by frequent cases of arson through fires which destroyed both public and private properties and, in many cases, caused harm to human lives. The Government security wings worked professionally during and after the 2016 General Elections, which were marred with violence, especially in Mazabuka, Monze, Choma and Namwala.

 

Mr Speaker, the theme of President Lungu’s Address was, “Moving Towards a Prosperous Smart Zambia in Peace and Tranquility without Leaving Anyone Behind.” For the benefit of the general public, allow me to interpret the word, ‘smart’ because it is actually a business model. Smart is interpreted as follows: ‘S’ stands for specific, ‘M’ stands for measurable, ‘A’ stands for achievable or attainable, ‘R’ stands for relevance and ‘T’ stands for timely.

 

Sir, just for the benefit of our citizens out there, that is the meaning of the word, ‘smart’. We are working towards building a strong economy which will enable the poor to afford the necessities of life and also minimise their exposure to vulnerabilities of whatever form.

 

Mr Speaker, we have seen major positive indicators towards the growth of the economy here in Zambia. Allow me to highlight some that are significant. The copper prices have increased on the London metal exchange. This phenomenon is a factor of supply and demand, including favour. There is favour on the land.

 

Laughter

 

Dr Hamukale: Mr Speaker, power generation capacity has increased, thereby reducing load shedding. This was tackled by very good rainfall patterns in the 2016/2017 Rainy Season. Cost reflective electricity tariffs were instituted, which has encouraged investment in the energy sector. Economic growth is projected to strengthen at about 4.1 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) in 2017. The crop harvest was excellent with exportable surplus in most of the crops. In the Southern Province, we have experienced an overwhelming flow of weddings. Young men are marrying almost every weekend because there is food, income and nutritional security for the future. There are all measures of security. So, they are sure that if they marry, they will not be divorced within an hour.

 

Interruptions

 

Dr Hamukale: Mr Speaker, mealie-meal prices have declined significantly. The kwacha has strengthened against the United States Dollar. The inflation rate has stabilised in a single digit zone. The exchange rates have drastically reduced to an extent that banks are approaching clients to ask them to borrow money. Importation of fertiliser and other agro-chemicals will be cheaper and this will boost the agriculture sector. Tourist arrivals have increased by 23.7 per cent because of the lower cost of service delivery.

Mr Speaker, the general domestic food basket, as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), is a lot lower because people now have larger disposable income. This will help our people increase their propensity to save or invest in disposable income, thus, reducing the marginal propensity to spend or consume as they get paid.

 

Sir, the manufacturing industries will begin to break-even at a lower cost, thus, increasing their capacity to employ and indirectly reduce the crime rate because if the population is employed or the rate of unemployment is low, there is a positive co-relation with crime reduction.

 

Mr Speaker, the construction sector will also boom due to low prices of imported building materials and will trigger an increase in wealth held in real estate, thus, providing ready collateral for those intending to borrow against such assets. The gap between the urban rich and rural poor will shrink. We are saying that on our Lorenz Curve, we expect to observe impressive gini coefficients.

 

Mr Speaker, the agriculture sector diversification has involved enhancing investment in agriculture infrastructure and mechanisation, agriculture value chains, crop and livestock diversification, increased access to finance for production and exports and promotion of small-scale agriculture. Ultimately, these measures are steadily improving production and productivity.

 

Sir, the Government is facilitating the construction of a tractor assembly plant which we are all excited about because it will enable us to increase the area under irrigation.

 

Mr Speaker, we are also impressed by the Government’s considerate pricing of maize. The equilibria price of maize in Zambia, today, is lower than the price of the Food Reserve Agency (FRA). The equilibria price where market supply or aggregate supply equals aggregate demand is lower than the FRA price. So, the Government price is superior and shows a lot of care.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Aah!

 

Dr Hamukale: Mr Speaker, the electronic voucher (e-Voucher) system is aimed at ensuring that everyone benefits and has a right to choose.

 

Mr Speaker, the livestock sector is beginning to boom in Zambia and, indeed, in the Southern Province where we boast of over a million herds of cattle, for example.

 

Mr Speaker, we are also moving towards reducing the cost of tourism in Southern Province so that we can be competitive in the region.

 

Sir, the energy sector is also performing well in the Southern Province and we hope to invest in solar energy. The Maamba Core Fire Plant has added about 300 MW to the national grid. The Batoka Gorge Power Station is also on the way and, very soon, we should be able to work closely with our colleagues in Zimbabwe to add to the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Grid, as they call it, from Cape to Cairo.

 

Sir, we are also impressed with our social protection schemes in that more and more beneficiaries are now receiving the Social Cash Transfer (SCT) from the Ministry of Community Development and Social Welfare. All districts in the Southern Province are on the beneficiary list. The food security pack is also performing very well in our area.

 

Sir, on an ecological interest, we have also embarked on fruit tree planting in all schools in order to improve the health status of our children and help afforest our land.

 

Sir, we need a healthy nation in order to have human resources to engage in our economic development ambitions. This includes the fight against human immuno-deficiency virus/ acquired immuno-deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS). I am happy to inform this august House that I took my HIV test …

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Dr Hamukale: … and I was found negative.

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Dr Hamukale: Sir, I also got circumcised.

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Dr Hamukale: … and wow, wow, wow, everything now is marvellous.

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Hon. Member: Lay it on the Table.

 

Dr Hamukale: So, there is no need for our colleagues from the North-Western Province to boast anymore because that technology is now everywhere.

 

Laughter

 

Dr Hamukale: Hon. Mulusa, please, tell those colleagues that we are coming up. Let it be known that we are partaking.

 

Laughter

 

Hon. Member: Tioneko!

 

Dr Hamukale: Mr Speaker, His Excellency President Lungu said that development is not an accident, but a result of a series of conscious decisions. This is true. I say, “Well-done to His Excellency President Lungu.” He has my support now and beyond.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

 

The Minister of Chiefs and Traditional Affairs (Mr Sichalwe): Mr Speaker, I thank you for granting me this opportunity to declare my unreserved support for the President’s Speech which was eloquently delivered to this august House on 15th September, 2017, during the Official Opening of the Second Session of the 12th National Assembly by His Excellency, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, President of the Republic of Zambia.

 

Mr Speaker, in his address to Parliament, His Excellency the President presented the theme “Moving towards a Prosperous Smart Zambia in Peace and Tranquillity without Leaving Anyone Behind.” This theme is appropriate and well-timed, as it resonates with the social economic development planning of our country. In addition, the theme is also well-positioned to improve the livelihood of our rural communities that we are called to serve.

                                                                                                                                 

Mr Speaker, the address spurs a new dimension in which various sectors will work together as clusters in a complementary manner to meet the common islands of effectiveness or otherwise development outcomes.

 

Sir, in view of this, my ministry will, therefore, endeavour to work with other ministries and institutions in the implementation of ministerial programmes and activities for the betterment of this great nation.

 

Mr Speaker, as custodians of traditions, customs and culture, my ministry remains resolute in the promotion of peace and tranquillity between and among their royal highnesses, traditional institutions and their subjects.

 

Hon. Member: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Sichalwe: This effort is aimed at upholding the national values and principles as enshrined in the Constitution of Zambia (amendment) Act No. 2 of 2016.

 

Mr Speaker, my ministry supports the hosting of traditional ceremonies that have been celebrated over the years by the various ethnic groupings in Zambia. These traditional ceremonies mirror the culture of the people and retell the history of Zambia as being culturally and traditionally rich. Further, traditional ceremonies are a catalyst for national development as individuals and institutions have seized the opportunities in trade and commerce in the various chiefdoms where the ceremonies take place.

 

In addition, Sir, the ceremonies have contributed to our country’s thriving tourism by attracting both local and foreign nationals who, in turn, have contributed to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).

 

Mr Speaker, child marriage in Zambia occurs more frequently among girls who are the least educated and poorest with the prevalence being higher in rural areas than in urban areas. It is a manifestation of gender inequality and reflects social norms that perpetrate discrimination against the girl child. Therefore, in an effort to curtail the vice, ...

 

Mr Speaker: Order!

 

Business was suspended from 1810 hours until 1830 hours.

 

[MR SPEAKER in the Chair]

 

Mr Sichalwe: Mr Speaker, therefore, in an effort to curtail this vice, allow me to commend his Excellency, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, President of the Republic of Zambia, on the intervention of “Keeping Girls in School Project”, which is targeted at vulnerable female learners, especially in rural areas, by providing a bursary scheme to access secondary school education.

 

Mr Speaker, empowering and educating a girl child will mitigate the intergenerational cycle of poverty by allowing our girls to grow into independent women who are able to fully participate in our society. To this effect, my ministry has continued to engage and train their Royal Highnesses to be change champions in the fight against child marriage. Interactive discussions have been held with our traditional leaders at various fora to ascertain factors contributing to early child marriage. I am pleased to inform this august House that some chiefs have declared zero tolerance to early child marriage in their chiefdoms and have retrieved some girls from these marriages who have since been integrated back into schools.

 

Mr Speaker, as I conclude my support of the President’s Speech, allow me to, once again, applaud his Excellency, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, President of the Republic of Zambia for his focus on the development agenda for this country, which is anchored on reducing developmental inequalities, increase access to social services such as health, education, as well as water and sanitation in rural areas. This entails that our rural communities will not only lag behind in amenities that are found in urban areas, but will also experience unprecedented development that is equally present in urban areas. Further, I salute his Excellency for unifying the country through the promotion of the “One Zambia, One Nation” motto.

 

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Speaker: Hon. Members, as we continue with our debates, may those who are coming forth, please, try to see if they can shorten their debates in order to allow a few more hon. Members to debate. I still have quite a list outstanding from the Executive. I know these are written speeches, but it is also possible to speak to these written debates or speeches.

 

The Minister of National Development and Planning (Mr L. Mulusa): Mr Speaker, I wish to confirm that the picture showing on the screen is a true reflection of this short man with a big head.

 

Sir, allow me to contribute to the President’s Speech. In his speech, everybody from the political to civil services leadership, from private sector to individuals and generally across the three arms of the Government can find a role to play and guidance to follow. This is because a State of the Nation Address is an embodiment of national aspirations. This particular speech, which his Excellency delivered, was an excellent summary of where we are coming from, where we are and, given our achievements against previously set goals, he guided us on the way forward. The speech also demonstrated a golden thread linked to previous pronouncements since he became President. The clarity of thought on the part of his Excellency was clear for all to see.

 

Mr Speaker, having laid that background, may I now proceed to highlight key areas of responsibility the Ministry of National Development Planning will focus on to achieve its mandate, as a planning and co-ordinating ministry.

 

Mr Speaker, it is my honour to be given this opportunity to contribute to this debate. Firstly, his Excellency the President highlighted, in section 13 of his speech, that it is the policy of his administration to create an atmosphere where sectors work together in a complementary manner if they are to meet common development outcomes. As a ministry, we will ensure that we co-ordinate the advisory bodies so that they work in a complementary manner.

 

Mr Speaker, in section 76, he also pointed out the need to have comprehensive resource mapping and marketing of provinces and districts as it is crucial to the promotion of investments. My ministry, through provincial planning units, will undertake resource mapping and market the districts and provinces according to their resource endowments.

Further, Mr Speaker, it was pointed out, in section 129, that there is a need to address developmental inequalities and that the Government will promote integrated development and promote market linkages between rural and urban areas. This particular promise speaks back to our focus area in the Seventh National Development Plan (7th NDP), which talks about unequal development across our country. My ministry has prepared and circulated a Cabinet Memorandum (Cab memo) on reorganisation of human settlements so as to promote integrated development and promote market linkages. My ministry will work with relevant institutions to actualise the reorganisation of human settlements.

 

Mr Speaker, for example, if you were to drive between Kapiri Mposhi and Ndola and had to count the number of schools across that 110 km stretch, you would probably not reach the number, ten. What it means is that there is a distance of 15 km in between schools. Covering a distance of 5 or 15 km to and from school poses a challenge for our young children. So, they stop going to school. This also stretches the Government’s ability to provide the necessary services that would result into creation of a competitive human capital.

 

Mr Speaker, the Republican President highlighted, in section 177, the need to expedite the finalisation of the administrative framework to buttress the operational effectiveness of the Cluster Advisory Groups.

 

Mr Speaker, my ministry has finalised the preparation of the different concepts on the operations of the advisory bodies, namely the National Development Co-ordinating Committee (NDCC), Cluster Advisory Groups (CAGs), Provincial Development Co-ordinating Committees (PDCCs) and District Development Co-ordinating Committees (DDCCs). The rules of procedure for the advisory groups have been updated to be in line with the co-ordination and implementation framework of the Seventh National Development Plan (7th NDP).

 

Mr Speaker, in Section 180, His Excellency the President also recognised the efforts made by the Ministry of Finance and my ministry to hold budget policy hearing meetings in clusters. The two ministries will continue to prepare the coming Budgets using the same approach and will also endeavour to strength the interaction among institutions in the same cluster so that they are not only seen to be in the same cluster, but actively working together in planning and budgeting for programmes and projects. This is one of the strategies in ensuring that the binding constraints to previous failures of actualisation of the set objectives in the previous development plans do not continue to recur.

 

Sir, His Excellency the President further pointed out, in Section 182, on the need to hold quarterly report meetings with hon. Ministers in clusters so that ministries demonstrate to his office and, indeed, the general public on how they are forging links and working together to deliver on common developmental outcomes. My ministry will ensure that all the relevant documentation with respect to quarterly reporting is prepared before the next quarterly reports are presented.

 

Mr Speaker, my ministry will also co-ordinate the institutions under different clusters to ensure that they work together in the preparation of the reports to demonstrate how they will synergise.

This is a very important point for us because it was one of those binding constraints to the lack of actualisation of the desired goals. We worked in silos and we still have to deal with those that exist within ministries. The hon. Minister’s office and technocrats actually work in silos and we need to break that so that hon. Ministers do not exist as ceremonial heads of ministries, but as actually being in charge of policy direction of those ministries.

 

Sir, allow me to re-emphasise the issues raised in Section 183 of the President’s Speech, that the NDCC, including its cluster advisory group, has started meeting. Further, the PDCCs have also been realigned to conform their sub-committees to the plan’s development pillars. Therefore, my ministry, through the regional planning unit, has started engaging provincial planning units and provincial administrations to ensure that the structure of the sub-committees of the PDCCs are in line with the strategic pillars of the plan.

 

Mr Speaker, I must point out here that the European Union (EU), United Nations (UN), World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) have praised the 7th NDP for the culture and strategic direction that it has taken. They have actually adopted it as an approach that they will roll out to the countries where they provide assistance. So, we might be criticised here at home, but we encourage that because it, then, raises us to another level and that level becomes the best practice that the rest of the world has come to appreciate Zambia for.

 

Sir, the Republican President also urged chairpersons of the advisory bodies to ensure that these institutions have broad participation from both State and non-State actors and discussions continue to focus on accounting for development results which impact positively on the majority of Zambians. In this regard, my ministry, through the regional planning units, will ensure that there is broad participation of both State and non-State actors in the advisory bodies. We will also ensure that the discussions at these meetings are focused on accounting for development results.

 

Mr Speaker, I would like to re-emphasise the need for those on your left to ensure that they are available when hon. Ministers are answering because governance is a continuous process. If at all God was to bless them and they took over, there is a premise from which they must start from and it is less costly for the general public. So, boycotting our debates is actually a disservice to the general public. It is very costly and I hope that they will take this message.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mulusa: Sir, His Excellency the Republican President highlighted, in Section 197, that in order to give effect to the policy and enhance the integration of national planning and the Budget, the Government will table the National Planning and Budgeting Bill before the House during this session. My ministry is tirelessly working with the ministries of Finance and Justice to ensure that the Bill is presented before the National Assembly in this session in an effort to ensure that we promote transparency and that when we say that we do not want to leave anybody behind, we actually walk the talk.

 

Mr Speaker, you guided that we need to shorten our presentations. Therefore, lastly, the Republican President gave a directive to the cluster on enhancing good governance and relevant ministries and institutions to ensure that all provisions in the Constitution that hinder the enhancement of good governance and other provisions are addressed as a matter of urgency. He further called upon all three arms of the Government to work together in putting in place a Constitution that will work for all of us in providing a supportive governance environment. As a co-ordinating ministry, we will ensure that we work closely with the other ministries and institutions through this cluster to ensure that His Excellency the President’s directives are fulfilled.

 

Sir, I wish, at this point, to give guidance that there are actually institutions that can be approached to table complaints over procurement rather than politicising certain issues. We have the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) and, at least, it will place on record that one complained. However, the Office of the Public Protector is not being utilised. It is a very powerful office where one can even report issues of mal-administration. I wish a certain hon. Member of Parliament, who is a very close friend of mine and does not have a neck was here. He would actually have gotten this guidance and followed it through.

 

Mr Speaker, I sincerely thank you.

 

The Minister of Agriculture (Ms Siliya): Mr Speaker, I will try to speak in about five minutes or so. Our national anthem begins with the phrase, “Stand and sing of Zambia, proud and free.” I believe that is the theme His Excellency the President was capturing when he referred to values in his speech, particularly of patriotism. I am always captivated by the opening of Parliament not just because of the pomp, but the anticipation of what the President will say. He is elected by the people and he is expected to come here where the representatives of the people gather to share his vision and economic, social and political information with the people and also to inspire us.

 

Sir, the broader theme of the President’s Speech was leaving no one behind and we, in the Ministry of Agriculture, take that very seriously. They say that the speed of the boss is the speed of the team. In the last six months, the Ministry of Agriculture managed to close contracts for the transformation of farming blocks in the Northern and Copperbelt provinces so that they represent model farming blocks in the country.

 

Mr Speaker, one of the hon. Members of Parliament, when debating, lamented the irrigation situation in Luapula Province. I want to assure the people of Luapula Province that after the first three model farming blocks in Muchinga, the Northern and Copperbelt provinces are established, the Government will, then, focus its attention on the North-Western, Eastern and Luapula provinces.

Mr Speaker, His Excellency the President referred to 8,000 hectares of land already under irrigation in the province. To be specific, 30 hectares in Musa Camp of Chienge; 55 hectares in Chansa Malamba of Kawambwa District; 500 hectares at Kawambwa; 1,500 hectares at Chembe; 21 hectares at Munwa; 21 in Chisunka Camp; and 200 hectares at Mununushi are under irrigation. I am urging some hon. Members of Parliament from Luapula Province to take time to inter-face with the Ministry of Agriculture to know what it is doing.

 

Mr Speaker, the two themes from the hon. Members of Parliament were to do with the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) and the electronic voucher (e-Voucher) system. With regards to the FRA, the agency has already bought close to 275,000 metric tonnes of maize nationwide this marketing season. I know that we have a problem in the North-Western Province because some politicians are telling farmers not to sell their maize to the FRA. There is a lot of maize in the country and the FRA will find it.

 

Mr Speaker, my message to the farmers in that province is that firstly, because they have experienced early rains, they will have storage problems. Secondly, they will miss out on the opportunity because the FRA will close the market on 31st October, 2017. Generally, the agency is offering a far better price than most buyers on the market.

 

Sir, as for the price, read my lips, as the former President of the United States said, there is no floor price. What is there is the price determined by the buyer and seller. We just want to encourage our farmers to leverage their numbers so that they can get the best price.

 

Mr Speaker, as regard production and its cost, the farmers are supported by the Government through the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) for inputs in fertiliser and seed. Therefore, the commercial farmer’s cost of production at over K75 does not apply to farmers under FISP. Their production cost is about K40 because the Government gives them the inputs. When we begin to procure maize for strategic reserves, farmers under FISP are our targets and not commercial farmers. Therefore, the argument of the K60 should be put to rest. The Government is committed to participating in the market as one of the buyers and not the only buyer.

Mr Speaker, if the Government procures 500,000 metric tonnes, what will happen to the rest? The World Food Programme (WFP) has already procured 100,000 metric tonnes for export to East Africa. Further, the FRA has already sold 100,000 metric tonnes to provide relief for storage for the new crop. The private sector continues to export and we are very pleased with this state of affairs.

 

Mr Speaker, the last issue is on the e-Voucher system. This system is meant to encourage efficiency in the promotion of production and ultimately, productivity and to give the farmer the choice to procure the inputs that they want. They will not only procure inputs such as seed and fertiliser, but as we are expecting an army work attack again this year – we have already received reports of moths – the farmers will also be able procure pesticides. Promoting diversification is what the e-Voucher does.

 

Mr Speaker, before, the Government only supported white maize. It now supports yellow maize, cotton, sunflower, sorghum, millet, beans, rice and other crops so that the farmer has a choice to diversify. Plans are underway for the e-Voucher. We, as a ministry, have contracted 1,200 agro-dealers. Let us put to rest the bad rumour that the Ministry of Agriculture has only contracted five agro-dealers. Ten banks have also been contracted and the various suppliers of seed and fertiliser.

 

Mr Speaker, the theme of His Excellency the President’s Speech is “Moving Towards a Prosperous Smart Zambia in Peace and tranquillity without Leaving Anyone Behind.” However, everyone must have the mindset to not want to be left behind. They must not see the glass half empty, but half full. It is only then that they will have the appetite and the inspiration to want to do the work that is needed for us to fill the glass to the brim. This is the inspiration that His Excellency the President left us with. He did not come here to sing praises about himself, his Government or, indeed, just to record the successes. He acknowledged the challenges and it is these challenges that inspire us, as Ministers, to do what is required of us so that we serve the Zambians. Let us be patriotic, love one another and respect each other.

 

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

The Minister of General Education (Dr Wanchinga): Mr Speaker, I would like to thank you for the opportunity to respond to and, in some cases, clarify policy guidance on issues raised through the debate on the speech delivered by His Excellency the President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, on the occasion of the Official Opening of the Second Session of the Twelfth National Assembly on Friday, 15th September, 2017, under the theme “Moving Towards a Prosperous Smart Zambia in Peace and Tranquillity without Leaving Anyone Behind.”

 

Mr Speaker, not long ago on the Floor of this House, we learnt that the hyena can eat its young on the pretext that it smells like a goat.

 

Laughter

 

Dr Wanchinga: Mr Speaker, the achievements of the Patriotic Front (PF) Government in education and other sectors cannot be downplayed or drowned by any kind of misinformation. The policy of the PF Government is, indeed, not to live anyone behind in the educational sector, which is determined to anchor its service delivery on smart solutions.

 

Mr Speaker, one may ask how the ministry will ensure that no one is left behind. Where is the evidence? The Government policy, which covers the whole country, is that no child should walk more than 5 km to school. Resources allowing, this is what the Government is trying to achieve in the coming years.

 

Mr Speaker, when the country upgraded 220 basic schools to fully-fledged secondary schools, each province received twenty-two schools. No province was left behind. This is as equitable as it can be. Further, the Government is building 115 new secondary schools throughout the country and they have been fairly distributed. The Government is determined to complete the construction of the entire school infrastructure under construction as quickly as possible.

 

Mr Speaker, any imbalance in the current distribution of the existing 8,827 primary schools and the 871 secondary schools as well as the upcoming Early Childhood Education centres is rooted in the pre-PF administration. This is why we have the following distribution of schools according to the 2015 statistical bulletin figures:

 

Province            Primary                       Secondary                   Total

                           Schools                        Schools

 

Central                1,034                             82                              1,116

 

Copperbelt         1,064                           137                              1,201

 

Eastern               1,116                             83                              1,099

 

Luapula                 636                              66                                 702

 

Lusaka                  813                            127                                 940

 

Muchinga              647                            53                                  700

 

North-Western     697                            83                                  780

 

Northern             880                              58                                  938

 

Southern             1,126                           108                              1,034

 

Western              891                              35                                  926

 

Mr Speaker, perhaps, it can be assumed that the distribution of these schools was done in accordance with the provincial population densities of the country within the provinces. However, this is not exactly the case. As I will be able to indicate, figures show that the highest proportion of children out of school in the provinces is as follows:

 

Province              Rank                    Children out of Schools

 

Eastern                 1                           31,511

 

Lusaka                 2                           28,425

 

Southern               3                          19,475

 

Luapula                4                           17,889

 

Central                 5                           16,490

 

Copperbelt           6                           14,183

 

Western                7                           13,088

 

Northern               8                           11,635

 

Muchinga              9                             7,593

 

Northern            10                             5,858

 

Mr Speaker, these figures show that there is no relationship in the distribution of these schools and the number of children of out of school in the various provinces. This shows that, perhaps, the distribution of schools in the past was not done according to the population densities of a given area. This is the correction the Patriotic front (PF) Government is trying hard to correct.

 

Mr Ng’onga: Hear, hear!

 

Laughter

 

Dr Wanchinga: Sir, similarly, when we look at the distribution of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and science laboratories, again, every effort is being made to ensure that all areas are covered. Admittedly, there are areas, currently, that are not connected to the national grid. However, the Government is trying to electrify them through the Rural Electrification Authority (REA) as well as the solar power supply to ensure that schools have access to ICT and take it as an examinable subject. The provision of infrastructure for early childhood education (ECE), primary and secondary education is, thus, a at the centre of the PF’s developmental agenda, which is anchored on equity and fairness.

 

Mr Speaker, one also has to look at the current disproportionate distribution of schools in the context of the rapid increase in the population densities. When we say that certain areas do not have adequate schools, one has to look at the rapid increase in population, particularly in areas of mining in the North Western Province. We also have to take into account that Zambia is a young country with a population of 16.9 million. Out of that, 45.4 per cent is under the age of fifteen. Therefore, this factor is important because it gives us an indication of the kind of schools we need to have. The distribution of the under fifteen schools is not the same in rural areas. So, these are important factors, which should be taken into account as we talk and criticise the distribution of schools.

 

Sir, every effort is being made to ensure that service delivery is rolled out in partnership with other sectors. For instance, the programme on ‘Keeping Girls in School’ is being implemented by the ministries of General Education, Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare as well as the Ministry of Agriculture.

 

Mr Speaker, a comment was raised by the hon. Member Parliament for Solwezi West on agriculture not adequately being promoted in rural areas. I wish to state that the Ministry of General Education had made a policy decision to teach agricultural science from early childhood to the end of secondary education, given the centrality of agriculture to the livelihood of all Zambians. This, indeed, is to ensure that agriculture continues to play an important part in the general economy of the country.

 

Sir, the teaching of agricultural science will also re-enforce the school feeding programmes in schools. It will also support the economic diversification drive, which is outlined on page 110 of His Excellency the President’s Speech. You can see that the issues which were passionately raised by the hon. Member of Parliament for Keembe, such as walking distances by children on an empty stomach, ICT education in rural schools, power supply in schools and disparities between urban and rural schools, are being addressed.

 

Mr Speaker, additionally, the ministry is implementing comprehensive sexuality education to enable our children to make informed decisions on sexuality and the human immuno-deficiency virus/acquired immuno deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS). On issues concerning infrastructure, such as the topical issue of desks, the Ministry of General Education has made a policy decision to decentralise desk manufacturing to provincial levels. It is hoped that this issue will be put rest in the days to come.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Dr Wanchinga: Sir, in terms of regular schooling, I would like inform the House that by 2015, the Ministry of General Education had distributed 20,026 computers and 3,000 computers in 2016. This year alone, 1,000 computers have been distributed. This, again, is to make a contribution towards anchoring Zambia’s development on a smart platform. Let me also mention that it is the imaging smartness within the Ministry of General Education that enabled the system to identify over 600 teachers with fake qualifications. Of course, this matter is being handled administratively.

 

Mr Speaker, the issue of patriotism and national values is one which the Ministry of General Education has taken seriously and is being discharged through the curriculum. In this respect, the Ministry of General Education supports the lamentations and the concerns by His Excellency the President on the sabotage of school infrastructure. As a ministry, we condemn this in the strongest terms.

 

Sir, the reduction of poverty, vulnerability and inequality is also at the centre of our education system. This is being done through the two-tier system under which academic education and skills training are being offered side-by-side so that when children leave the education system at any one point in the educational ladder, they should be able to have some skills to fall back on in their lives.

 

Mr Speaker, I wish to thank you, again, for the opportunity to respond to the issues raised by my colleagues on both sides of the House as they debated His Excellency the President’s Speech.

 

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

The Minister of Labour and Social Security (Mrs Simukoko): Mr Speaker, I wish to thank you for according me this opportunity and privilege to contribute to the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the speech by His Excellency the Republican President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lunga. I would also like to acknowledge and welcome my brothers and sisters from the left for coming back home. This is where they belong.

 

Hon. UPND Member: Question!

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear! 

 

Mrs Simukoko: Mr Speaker, I would like to state that whether we like it or not, His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, has gone down in history as the sixth President of this country, who was also the first to test the Constitution Clause of 50 plus one.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mrs Simukoko: Mr Speaker, His Excellency the President stood for elections in a space of one year and won both elections.

 

Sir, let us not always occupy ourselves with jealousy, envy or hatred because it is a waste of time. If God has given you a position, no man can destroy it.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

   Mrs Simukoko: Mr Speaker, disclosing secrets of a position held after being relieved of it is definitely not a decent way to go. Leadership does not tolerate that kind of behaviour. The best that that those who do not agree with the current leadership, issues in Cabinet or have lost interest, can do is resign and then people will respect them. Coming out and then start saying things which are not supposed to be said is not leadership. It is simply badmouthing.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mrs Simukoko: Mr Speaker, allow me to join other hon. Members of this august House in congratulating His Excellency the President of Zambia, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, for a well-delivered and inspiring speech to this House. It is gratifying to note that, in his address, he outlined the numerous achievements recorded by the Patriotic Front (PF) Government as well as various strategic areas requiring our attention, as enshrined in the Vision 2030 and Seventh National Development Plan (7thNDP). These achievements are not merely by coincidence, but can be attributed to the pro-poor policies and sound interventions by the working Government under his leadership.

 

Mr Speaker, what we are witnessing today is in keeping with the legacy left behind by our late President, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, may his soul rest in peace. Some of the projects were started by the late President, but we have seen that His Excellency the President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, has continued wherever projects were not completed. This very good because it is common in Africa that whatever one person starts, is destroyed once they are gone. Leaders always want to start afresh. However, what His Excellency the President has done is the way to go and it is because he is a progressive person who holds no grudge against people he has worked with.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mrs Simukoko: Mr Speaker, one can just look at the various infrastructure programmes being implemented in terms of construction and upgrading of roads. I know the people on your left are very jealous, but he has done a lot …

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Speaker: Order!

 

Hon. Minister, that is an inappropriate reference. Firstly, it is about debating others and secondly, very generic. When you come to think about jealousy, it is a state of mind. So, to substantiate it is not easy. Take a leaf from your colleagues who have just been debating. They have been focused on policy.

 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mrs Simukoko: Mr Speaker, I withdraw and replace it with ‘people who do not appreciate’.

 

Mr Speaker, His Excellency the President’s Address to this House covered many areas of national importance and character. Let me take this opportunity to comment on some of the issues contained in the President’s Speech. In my contribution, I will confine my discussion to specific issues related to employment and labour.

 

Mr Speaker, as His Excellency the President highlighted in his address, the Government is finalising the National Social Protection Bill after undertaking thorough consultations with key stakeholders. The National Social Protection Bill will provide a framework for co-ordination and harmonising of social protection programmes and activities in the country.

 

Sir, our President is a selfless leader who has demonstrated his love for his country in so many ways, including scarifying his entitlement to be provided with a retirement home as well as part of his monthly emoluments to cater for the marketers. It is this attribute that makes him a humble and down to earth leader. God chooses people that he may entrust with the responsibility of leading a nation. He does not look at how rich or educated a person is, but looks at the heart. When you ask some of our rich people on how they became rich, they fail to explain and instead they begin to sweat.

 

Laughter

 

Mrs Simukoko: Mr Speaker, His Excellency the President is committed to putting in place a sustainable pension system that will motivate the workers and assure them of a decent retirement life. The new system will be extended to State officer bearers as well as constitutional office holders to reduce on their destitution once they leave their offices.

 

Mr Speaker, as a trade union leader and also a person who has mingled with workers all my life, I know that many people have died early, not because they are old, but because of what they go through after retirement. This is what His Excellency the President is looking at, thus, encouraging us to come up with a social security system that will cater for everybody.

 

Mr Speaker, on page 46 of the President’s Address, he is saying that everyone should be covered by social security. It is for this reason that we are also exploring ways of how we could capture those of our friends in the informal sector to be part of this scheme. This is a testimony of our commitment to reducing poverty and vulnerability. In this regard, I am expected to present the Social Protection Bill to this House at a later stage during the current Sitting of Parliament.

 

Mr Speaker, the Government remains resolute and committed to ensuring that the welfare of workers in Zambia is enhanced. As pointed out by His Excellency the President in his speech, the decent work agenda is being implemented. I wish to inform the House that the decent work agenda is centred on the creation of more and better jobs while safeguarding the fundamental principles and rights at work. Decent work also entails the management and development of strengthened social protection systems as well as effective social dialogue mechanisms in the country.

 

Mr Speaker, the safety of workers is key in promoting the decent work agenda in Zambia. His Excellency the President informed this House and nation at large that the Government is finalising the Occupational Safety and Health Policy. I am pleased to inform this House that the policy has since been drafted and consultations are underway with relevant stakeholders. Allow me at this juncture to state that the policy will compel employers to follow acceptable guidelines and standards on occupational safety and health. This is to ensure that the workplaces’, machinery, equipment and processes under their control are safe and without any risk to the health of workers.

 

Mr Speaker, as stated by His Excellency the President in his address, the Government has embarked on the process of undertaking a comprehensive review of labour laws by revising the Employment Act, Cap. 268 and Industrial and Labour Relations Act, Cap. 269 of the Laws of Zambia. The review process was premised on the need for a more comprehensive and responsive framework on matters related to employment and labour relations in Zambia.

 

Mr Speaker, I am glad to inform this House that the process has reached an advanced stage. We have now started receiving final submissions and comments on the proposed Bill from stakeholders through the Tripartite Consultative Labour Council (TCLC) structures. I will present the two Bills to this House during this Session.

 

Mr Speaker, economic diversification and job creation remain one of the priorities of the Government. As His Excellency the President rightly observed, this is being pursued through value addition and industrialisation anchored on agriculture, mining and tourism. I am pleased to note that His Excellency the President, in his address, articulated strategies and interventions by the Government which are meant to enhance job creation in the country. His Excellency the President also gave account of a number of programmes and projects which have resulted in the creation of decent jobs in the economy.

 

Mr Speaker, the PF Government will continue to fulfill its promise of creating more and better jobs. We are in a pact with the Zambian people and our responsibility, as a Government, is to ensure that we deliver to their expectations.

Mr Speaker, His Excellency the President made reference to creating a conducive governance environment for a diversified and inclusive economy through observation of tenets of good governance, as a prerequisite for our political stability, human security, economic growth and sustainable development. Central to this is the need to fight corruption in the country in both public and private institutions. I urge the people of Zambia and the labour sector in particular to work with the law enforcement agencies to fight this scourge as a way of promoting good governance. In this regard, I implore our people to desist from making unsubstantiated claims and false accusations of corruption, but assist the law enforcement agencies with real evidence that may be useful in securing convictions.

 

Mr Speaker, allow me to say something here. Unfortunately, I know that there are many people in our country who are preoccupied by hate, jealousy, envy and hatred. What a waste of time. When somebody becomes successful, we should be happy, but some people are so jealous that they even look ugly. They should look very nice, but because of jealousy, hatred and envy, they look older than their age.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mrs Simukoko: So stop it, When your friends have done well, be happy.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mrs Simukoko: You should not claim to be a Christian if you are a jealous person.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mrs Simukoko: So, stop being jealous. It is killing you. You will die early if you are jealous.  Ehe.

 

Laughter

 

Mrs Simukoko: In conclusion, I would like to urge everyone in this House to continue working tirelessly, regardless of party lines or position in the Government and implement the progressive ideas and pronouncements in the President’s Address to ensure that developmental programmes are taken to all areas of Zambia. That way, no one will be left behind. When we go to the elections in 2021, it will be Edgar Chagwa Lungu.

 

Interruptions

 

Mrs Simukoko: Mr Speaker, I withdraw the statement.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Speaker: Of course, this is not a campaign platform.

 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

 

The Minister of Youth, Sport and Child Development (Mr Mawere): Mr Speaker, I wish to thank you for giving me this opportunity to contribute to the debate on the speech of His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, in his address to the Second Session of the Twelfth National Assembly on Friday, 15th September, 2017, under the theme, “Moving Towards A Prosperous Smart Zambia In Peace And Tranquillity Without Leaving Anyone Behind.”

 

Sir, the speech was timely and appropriate as it ably highlighted the achievements of the Government in the past one year and set forth its development priorities for the next year. Further, the speech was in line with the Seventh National Development Plan (7th NDP) and the Vision 2030. His Excellency, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, delivered a well-articulated and inspirational speech to this august House. He took time to highlight the macro-economic situation of the country and each of the five pillars of the 7thNDP. As you may be aware, the plan advocates for an integrated multi-sectoral approach, building on multi-sectoral synergies. My contribution to the speech will dwell more on the four pillars of the 7thNDP that are directly linked to the core mandate of my ministry.

 

Economic Diversification And Job Creation To Reduce Development Inequalities

 

Mr Speaker, His Excellency the President emphasised the importance of diversifying from an economy mainly dependant on mining to other sectors such as agriculture and tourism. The diversification of the economy will ensure sustained economic growth and creation of more employment opportunities for our people. In order to contribute towards economic diversification and job creation, my ministry will continue to implement the 2015 National Youth Policy and the Action Plan for Youth Empowerment and Employment. The action plan outlines strategies for providing economic empowerment opportunities to the youths for their improved livelihoods. During implementation of the Action Plan on Youth Empowerment and Employment, my ministry will continue to collaborate with stakeholders in ensuring that the identified “quick win” projects are well-co-ordinated. The “quick win” projects the ministry is implementing include the following:

 

  1. The Youth Street Vendors Empowerment Scheme: The Government, through the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Child Development, is empowering young street vendors with start up capital on loan basis to boost their capital in order to expand their business enterprises for their improved well-being. The ministry is working in collaboration with the Street Vendors Foundation Cooperative Limited and the Zambia Postal Services Corporation (ZAMPOST). To date, 2,225 youths have benefited from the scheme from Lusaka, Copperbelt and the Central Province at a total cost of K5 million. The programme will be rolled out to other provinces by the end of October, 2017. It is expected that an additional total of 2,667 youths will benefit from the scheme at a cost of K4 million;

 

  1. The Youth Bus Drivers Empowerment Scheme: This scheme is aimed at empowering the youth with buses on loan a basis in order for them to become independent bus owners in the transport sector. My ministry is working in collaboration with the Public Private Drivers Association of Zambia and Higer Bus Zambia Limited. A total of K22 million has been spent on the purchase of twenty-five buses. The buses are serving rural areas, taking advantage of the newly-constructed roads under this Government of the Patriotic Front (PF);

 

  1. Motorised Cargo Tricycles: This scheme is aimed at empowering youth co-operatives in the transport sector with cargo motorised tricycles on loan a basis. The scheme was recently launched on 30th August, 2017, by Her Honour the Vice-President of the Republic of Zambia, Mrs Inonge Mutukwa Wina. It is envisaged that the scheme will contribute not only to job creation and economic diversification, but also reduce poverty among the youths. The ministry has since procured 100 tricycles to be distributed to beneficiaries in all the ten provinces and an additional 200 will be procured in due course;

 

  1. Establishment of Youth Development Centres: The Government, through my ministry, is establishing youth development centres across the country aimed at providing the youth with an opportunity to engage in agriculture and agriculture related activities. The youths mobilised from across the country are being resettled at the youth development centres and provided with free land and start up capital. The programme is being piloted at the former Mwange Refugee Camp in Mporokoso District of the Northern Province with the capacity to settle up to 500 youths. To date, over 200 youths from all parts of the country have been successfully resettled there. These youth settlers are actively engaged in agriculture activities such as vegetable production, animal and chicken rearing, among others. The centre has since been connected to the national power grid and fifty boreholes have since been sunk. The ministry is in the process of facilitating the setting up of an agro-processing industry at the centre for value addition and employment creation.

 

 

 

Another youth development centre is being developed in Mufumbwe District, North-Western Province, where 26,000 hectares of land was given to the ministry. To date, a reconnaissance study, land capability survey, identification, verification and characterisation of irrigation of the development scheme have been undertaken. Further, town and country planning activities and the environment impact assessment have also been undertaken. Once the environmental impact assessment report is approved by the Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA), the demarcations of farm plots will commence.

 

Sir, this august House may also wish to note that additional land has been identified in Mambwe, Petauke and Lundazi districts in the Eastern Province. Reconnaissance activities in the identified areas will be undertaken once funds are available.

 

It is the plan of the Government to establish, at least, one youth development centre in each province.

 

Mr Speaker, I wish to take this opportunity to urge my fellow Members of Parliament to assist the ministry engaging their Royal Highnesses, the Chiefs, to acquire land for the establishment of the youth development centres in all provinces;

 

(f)     Youth in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Empowerment Scheme

 

The Government, through my ministry, will soon implement the Youth Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Empowerment Scheme. The scheme will provide and empower youth with basic start-up kit, on loan a basis, for the establishment of ICT businesses. The scheme will be implemented in all the districts through a phased approach beginning with areas with limited access to ICT services. Rural areas with electricity supply will be given priority in phase I.

 

(g)     Youth Internship Programme

 

This august House may wish to know that my ministry, working with various stakeholders in the private and public institutions, is providing internship opportunities to the youth who have graduated or still undergoing training in universities, colleges and youth skills training centres by attaching them to prospective employers. The ministry has, to date, placed 1,260 graduates in various companies.

 

Sir, in order to promote sport development and ensure its contribution to national development, my ministry is in the process of reviewing the National Sports Policy and its implementation plan in order to include new and emerging issues in sport, such as sport for development and peace, incentives in sport and other best practices. In addition, the ministry will continue to implement the Talent Identification Programme. Through this programme, the ministry will promote grassroots sport aimed at providing a platform for talent identification, reduce idleness among the youth, contribute to a healthy citizenry and also contribute to unity and peace building in the nation. In this regard, mass citizenry participation in sport will be key in cementing the “One Zambia, One Nation” motto. This is the value we want our children and youth to embrace.

 

Further, through the Centre of Excellence in sport at the Olympic Youth Development Centre (OYDC), the ministry will continue to nurture athletes in order to achieve their full potential and sustain higher performance and excellence at local, regional and international levels.

 

Poverty and Vulnerability Reduction

 

In paragraph 126-127, His Excellency the President observed that the most vulnerable in society are the orphans, female and children headed households. Our interventions should give hope for a better life and that of their children and children’s children so that no one is left behind.

 

Mr Speaker, in this regard, my ministry, with the support of co-operating partners, has finalised the National Child Policy, the National Plan of Action for Children and minimum standards guidelines for orphans and vulnerable children, which provide policy guidance on minimum standards of care for institutions providing services to orphans and vulnerable children. The standards are being disseminated for use by the stakeholders in child welfare and development.

 

In addition, my ministry has continued with its role of rehabilitating and reintegrating of street children. To date, a total of 3,000 street children have been removed from the streets countrywide whilst 467 vulnerable families have been empowered through entrepreneurship training and provision of start-up capital for them to engage in income generating activities. This initiative is an effort towards curbing child streetism.

 

Enhancing Human Capital Development

 

Mr Speaker, in paragraph 175, His Excellency the President, in his speech, emphasised on human capital development as a critical aspect in the attainment of a smart Zambia and inclusive development. My ministry contributes positively to this agenda through provision of life and vocational skills to the youth through youth resource centres across the country. On average, 2,500 youth graduate from our youth resource centres annually. Currently, there are nineteen youth skills training centres that are operational while eight more are being constructed. The construction of the centres is on going and will be completed once funds are available. It is the ministry’s desire to construct, at least, one youth skills training centre in each district.

 

Mr Speaker, I am delighted to inform this august House that my ministry, working with the Technical Education, Vocational Entrepreneurship Authority (TEVETA), under the Ministry of Higher Education, has benefitted from the Support to Science and Technology Education Project (SSTEP). Fifteen out of nineteen youth skills training centres have benefited from the project, with financing for skills training, amounting to K2,040,000.00.

 

Sir, His Excellency the President noted that a healthy citizenry is vital to economic productivity. Therefore, in an effort to contribute to the development of a healthy, skilled, productive and innovative citizenry, my ministry, working in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, is developing a quality physical education implementation framework to promote physical education in schools. The physical education implementation framework aims at promoting and encouraging pupils to take part in sports activities of their choice.

 

Mr Speaker, as I conclude my contribution to the debate, I would like to thank His Excellency the President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, for providing a clear direction for our development agenda. The President’s Speech has renewed our commitment to addressing the various challenges the children, youth and sports men and women are faced with. I, therefore, encourage all institutions, both public and private, to come on board and work with my ministry in the implementation of youth, sport and child development programmes. The children and the youth are the future of our country, the great Zambia.

 

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Speaker: I must state that the hon. Minister of Higher Education can only debate up to 1945 hours. This is because there is a need to wind up. Then, this Motion needs to be adopted so that it does not lapse. It would be a procedural calamity for it to lapse.

 

The Minister of Higher Education (Prof. Luo): I thank you, Mr Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to contribute to the President’s Speech, and I will try to say what I have to say in the few minutes accorded to me.

 

Sir, let me also congratulate His Excellency the President for a very well-thought out speech which, if some of us cared to take time to analyse, we would have actually appreciated where we are coming from and where we are going.

Unfortunately, I have to reiterate that Hon. Dr Chilufya, the Minister of Health, needs to help us set up a clinic where people who are suffering from a disease called CCJ, which stands for complaining, criticism and jealousy, can be treated. I also need to setup research to study this disease.

 

Laughter

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Prof. Luo: Sir, as I listened to the debates, it dawned on me that the people in this House who are supposed to provide checks and balances are so sick that they used this opportunity to expose their hate, which His Excellency the President referred to when talking about hate speech. These people also exposed the fact that they are not part of the team that wants to uphold national values and principles.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Prof. Luo: Mr Speaker, truthfulness, gratefulness and respect for others are part of our national values. The fact that His Excellency, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, was one of us means we were supposed to respect him from the day that he became President, according to African principles. Even those of us who were his close friends are supposed to bow down and respect him as the elder and father of the nation.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Prof. Luo: It is sad to see young people insult His Excellency the President of this Republic. Do we even have time to reflect on what we say? One day, you may be a father or a mother. How would you feel if you became President by accident and got continually insulted? I say by accident because that is the only way that some people can become presidents.

 

Laughter

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Prof. Luo: There is merit in introspection. There is a need to put oneself in another’s shoes and imagine how it would feel to be the one always being criticised.

 

Sir, I have been following politics for a long time. People in this House have been talking about the Bottom and Niko roads, but the Patriotic Front (PF) Government has been the only Government to deliver the roads.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Prof. Luo: Even though the people of Dundumwezi did not vote for the PF, His Excellency the President of this Republic, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, took time to go there and show his benevolence. There is merit in having some shame, my colleagues.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Prof. Luo: Sir, the approach that many of us in this country have taken is dangerous and we, as leaders of this nation, should stop it. Those of us who have had the opportunity to travel throughout the country know that the electorate hold the view that some leaders sound like scratched gramophones.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Prof. Luo: Mr Speaker, I, as the Minister of Higher Education, was extremely excited when listening to the President’s Speech. He talked about how we should work together and integrate our plans. I saw my ministry everywhere in his speech. I realise that I need to give appropriate skills, as the Minister responsible for research, science, technology, innovation, and higher education in order to improve the agriculture sector and achieve industrialisation.

 

Sir, in fact, I expected members of the Opposition to challenge me on how I was going to do it, ...

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Prof. Luo: ... but they wasted they their time. They wasted an opportunity that they will never get back again.

Mr Speaker, I wish I had more time to talk. I think all of us must stand up and be part of this great moment when Zambia is moving in the right direction. We are looking at the way in which …

 

Interruptions

 

Prof. Luo: … all of those who are talking on the left side of the House will benefit.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Prof. Luo: Sir, if we had to be as cruel as they are, we would take development elsewhere.

 

Mr Speaker: Order! Hon. Minister, I am afraid you had limited time, but we have to go to the hon. Member for Nkana. Please, wind up only.

 

Prof. Luo: I thank you, Sir.

 

Mr Chiteme (Nkana): Mr Speaker, I also wish I had more time to speak. Since I have no time, I will just conclude.

 

Mr Speaker, whatever the wrongs and rights of individual cases in here, I think we can all agree in principle that depending on what dimension we are coming from, all of us must believe that we are here to develop this country.

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Chiteme: Sir, some people might oppose, and I thank them. However, their ultimatum is to develop this country just as that is the case even with those of us who are on the proposing side in support of the Motion. Therefore, in principle, we are all agreeing to this speech that was delivered by His Excellency the President of this Republic.

 

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Question put and agreed to.

 

ADJOURNMENT

 

The Acting Leader of Government Business and Chief Whip (Mr Musukwa): Mr Speaker, I beg to move that the House do now adjourn.

 

Question put and agreed to.

 

_______

 

The House adjourned at 1948 hours until1415 hours on Friday, 29th September, 2017.