Wednesday, 29^th November, 2017

The House met at 1430 hours

[MR SPEAKER in the Chair]

NATIONAL ANTHEM

PRAYER

________

ANNOUNCEMENT BY MR SPEAKER

WITHDRAWAL OF MOTION TO SUSPEND STANDING ORDERS

Mr Speaker:  Hon. Members, following the withdrawal by the Acting Leader of Government Business in the House of the Notice of Motion on the suspension of some Standing Orders, which was circulated as a supplement to the Votes and Proceedings of Tuesday, 28^th November, 2017, the House will straight away consider the other business on the Order Paper.

Thank you.

________

QUESTION FOR ORAL ANSWER

HARMONISATION OF THE FISHING BAN BETWEEN ZAMBIA AND THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO​

91. Ms Katuta (Chienge) asked the Minister of Livestock and Fisheries:

         a. whether the Government had any agreement with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to harmonise the implementation of the fishing ban to make it more effective in Chienge and Nchelenge constituencies; and

         b. if not, whether there was any plan to engage the Congolese Government before the next fishing ban is effected on 1^st December 2017.

The Minister of Livestock and Fisheries (Mr Katambo): Mr Speaker, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) share the Mweru-Luapula waters and Lake Tanganyika. The two neighbouring countries hold consultative talks through the Joint Permanent Commission (JPC) during the Great Lakes regional meetings, ...

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order on the left!

Mr Katambo: … including on the need to harmonise the implementation of the fishing ban. Currently, Zambia implements the fishing ban annually from 1^st December while the DRC observes it from 1^st of January.                                                                              

Sir, as stated above, the Government, through a JPC, is already engaging the DRC Government and the discussions are ongoing.

I thank you, Sir.

Ms Katuta: What measures is the ministry taking to promote aquaculture in light of the fishing ban to be effected by 1^st of December?

Mr Katambo: Mr Speaker, could the hon. Member kindly be a bit louder. I did not hear her.

Mr Speaker: Repeat your question, hon. Member for Chienge.

Ms Katuta: Mr Speaker, are there any measures to promote aquaculture in light of the fishing ban that we will implement from 1^st December? 

Mr Katambo: Mr Speaker, we encourage people to engage in aquaculture for them to have fish during the fishing ban.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Livune (Katombola): Mr Speaker, Kazungula shares a river with Namibia and, like the situation is with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), when there is a fishing ban on the Zambian side, on the Namibian side, people continue fishing. Are there similar initiatives to engage the Namibian Government?

Mr Katambo: Mr Speaker, let me state that Lake Kariba is shared with Zimbabwe; Lower Zambezi is shared with Zimbabwe and Mozambique; Upper Zambezi is shared with Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia; Lake Mweru-Luapula are shared with the DRC; and Lake Tanganyika is shared with Burundi, Tanzania and the DRC, and that the bilateral engagements on the harmonisation of the implementation of the fishing ban with our neighbouring countries are done at the provincial level. 

I thank you, Sir.

Dr Kambwili (Roan): Mr Speaker, it is clear that fish has been depleted in Luapula Province. As the hon. Minister discusses the fishing ban with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), does he also discuss the possibility of serious fish restocking? 

Mr Katambo: Mr Speaker, the ministry, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, is also encouraging other sources of income for our people in fishing communities, such as the cultivation of maize, cassava and groundnuts.

Mr Speaker, let me take advantage of this question to inform the House that we have contracted a loan from the African Development Bank (AfDB) for development of aquaculture and fish farming, which citizens from all the provinces can access.

I thank you, Sir.

_______

BILLS

SECOND READING

THE PROPERTY TRANSFER (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2017

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

Sir, the object of this Bill is to amend the Property Transfer Tax Act so as to:

1. introduce Property Transfer Tax on the transfer of intellectual property and on shares transferred outside the Republic;
2. provide for a waiver of penalties and interest; and
3. provide for matters connected with or incidental to the foregoing.

Sir, the Bill is straightforward and I commend it to the House.

Sir, I beg to move.

Mr Simfukwe (Mbala): Mr Speaker, in accordance with its terms of reference, as set out in the 2016 Standing Orders, the Committee was tasked to scrutinise the Property Transfer Tax (Amendment) Bill, No 11 of 2017. In order to acquaint itself with the ramifications of the Bill, the Committee sought both written and oral submissions from stakeholders.

Sir, in order to bring into effect the Property Transfer Tax measures proposed by the hon. Minister of Finance in his 2018 Budget Address, the Government presented the Property Transfer Tax (Amendment) Bill to amend the Property Transfer Act, Cap 340 of the Laws of Zambia. The Bill seeks to, among other things, extend the application of Property Transfer Tax to intellectual property and to shares issued by a company incorporated outside Zambia if that company directly or indirectly owns, at least, 10 per cent shares of a company incorporated in Zambia.

Mr Speaker, with regard to the imposition of Property Transfer Tax on intellectual property, the stakeholders were concerned that although intellectual property constitutes property and that it is not currently subject to Property Transfer Tax, the field of intellectual property is a specialised one and that a number of factors may not have been taken into consideration when proposing the new tax measure. In this regard, your Committee agrees with the stakeholders and it is concerned that the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) might not have the necessary expertise to execute the proposed amendment. The Committee is also concerned that there was inadequate consultation on the possible mechanisms for collecting the tax with the relevant stakeholders, including the Patents and Companies Registration Agency (PACRA), which has the necessary expertise in matters of intellectual property. Your Committee also observes that intellectual property is a highly specialised field and that there, therefore, a need for officers in the ZRA to be fully capacitated to effectively and efficiently collect tax on such property. Your Committee has reservations on the introduction of the 5 per cent tax on intellectual property because of these and other reasons reflected in your report. Therefore, it urges the Executive to defer the introduction of the tax until due diligence is undertaken on the matter.

Sir, with regard to the tax on transfer of shares issued by a company incorporated out of Zambia, your Committee observed that the measure to be practicable, it needs a mechanism for tracking such transactions, especially in situations where transactions take place between a parent company in another country and another foreign entity. Your Committee, therefore, hopes that such a mechanism is in place. The only other way would be for Zambian subsidiaries to notify the ZRA of such transfers. Otherwise, there is a need for the proposal to be deferred.

Sir, allow me, on behalf of the members of your Committee, to express our gratitude to you for granting us the opportunity to scrutinise the Property Transfer Tax (Amendment Bill) No. 11 of 2017. Your Committee also thanks the office of the Clerk of the National Assembly for the support rendered to it throughout its deliberations. It is further indebted to all the witnesses who appeared before it for their co-operation in providing the necessary briefs.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutati: Mr Speaker, I thank the Chairperson of the Budget Committee for the report on the changes that we want to introduce to the Property Transfer Tax.

Sir, I do agree that intellectual property is a complex subject. However, we consulted widely with the relevant stakeholders and experts on the matter.

Sir, the Government is cognisant of the need to build up the capacity of the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) to administer this very complex tax law, and we are ready to take that challenge on so that we can roll back the loss of income that we have suffered hitherto we can begin to call back. I think that capacity will certainly be built. For example, if one comes up with a formulation for Maheu and transfers it to somebody who will use it for commercial purposes, we believe that there is value that we can get from that transfer of intellectual property.

Mr Speaker, on the issue of shares, we have lost quite a bit of income as a result of mergers and acquisitions outside Zambia, and we have mechanism for monitoring such mergers and acquisitions. All we are proposing is for us to be able to get some income from such transactions.

Mr Speaker, I thank the Committee for its report.

Mr Speaker, I beg to move.

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

Committed to a committee of the Whole House.

Committee on Friday, 1^st December, 2017.

THE VALUE ADDED TAX (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2017

Mr Mutati: Mr Speaker, I beg to move that the Bill be now read a second time.

Mr Speaker, the Bill before the House principally seeks to amend the Value Added Tax (VAT) Act so as to:

1. revise the due date for the submission of the VAT return from the 16^th to the 18^th of the month;
2. provide for the due date for the submission of withholding VAT return;
3. provide for penalties for failure to issue a tax invoice by a supplier or to furnish records for inspection; and
4. provide for matters connected with or incidental to the foregoing.

Sir, the Bill is straightforward and I recommend it to the House.

Mr Speaker, I beg to move.

Mr Simfukwe: Mr Speaker, in accordance with its terms of reference, as set out in the 2016 Standing Orders, the Committee was tasked to scrutinise the Value Added Tax (Amendment) Bill No. 12 of 2017. In order to acquaint itself with the ramifications of the Bill, your Committee sought both written and oral submissions from stakeholders.

Sir the Value Added Tax (Amendment) Bill intends to amend the Value Added Tax Act, Cap 331 of the Laws of Zambia, so as to bring into effect measures pronounced by the hon. Minister of Finance during the 2018 Budget address.

Sir, the stakeholders who appeared before your Committee supported the Bill on the grounds that the proposed amendments to the Value Added Tax would provide ample time for businesses to file in their returns. Your Committee is also of the view that the enactment of the Bill will, among other outcomes, help to strengthen the enforcement mechanism for VAT by imposing penalties on suppliers who fail to issue tax invoices or produce their records for inspection.

Sir, in conclusion, allow me, on behalf of your Committee, to express its gratitude to you for granting it the opportunity to scrutinise the Bill. Your Committee also thanks the Office of the Clerk of the National Assembly for the unwavering support rendered to it throughout its deliberations. It is further indebted to all the witness who appeared before it for their co-operation in providing the necessary briefs.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mutati: Mr Speaker, I thank the Chairperson of the Committee for supporting this Bill.

I thank you, Sir.

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

Committed to a committee of the Whole House.

Committee on Thursday 30^th November, 2017.

THE SKILLS DEVELOPMENT LEVY (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2017

Mr Mutati: Mr Speaker, I beg to move that the Bill be read a second time.

Mr Speaker, the Bill before this House principally seeks to amend the Skills Development Levy Act so as to revise the classes of persons exempt from the payment of the skills development levy.

Sir, I recommend this straightforward Bill to the House.

Mr Simfukwe: Mr Speaker, in accordance with its terms of reference, as set out in the 2016 Standing Orders, your Committee was tasked to scrutinise the Skills Development Levy (Amendment) Bill No. 13 of 2017.

Sir, in order to acquaint itself with the ramifications of the Bill, your Committee sought both written and oral submissions from stakeholders.

Sir, the object of the Bill is to amend the Skills Development Levy Act No. 46 of 2016, which exempts certain organisations from paying the Skills Development Levy. However, the omission of the word “income” before the word “taxation” in the Act makes it seem like an organisation that has been exempted from paying tax under any written law is also exempted from paying the Skills Development Levy. This would mean that an organisation exempted from paying mineral tax, for instance, is also exempted from paying the Skills Development Levy. The Bill, therefore, amends section 6(1)(c) of the Skill Development Levy Act by specifying that the tax exemption under that section only relates to income, thereby removing any ambiguity.

Sir, your Committee notes that the Bill is non-controversial and fully supports it. It also urges all hon. Members of the House to read your Committee’s report and support the Bill.

Mr Speaker, on behalf of your Committee’s members, I am grateful to you for affording us the opportunity to scrutinise the Skills Development Levy (Amendment) Bill No. 13 of 2017. Your Committee also thanks the Office of the Clerk of the National Assembly for the support rendered to it throughout its deliberations. It is further indebted to all the witness who appeared before it for their co-operation in providing the necessary briefs.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mutati: Mr Speaker, I thank the Chairperson of your Committee for supporting the amendment that has been presented to this House.

I beg to move.

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

Committed to a committee of the Whole House.

Committee on Thursday, 30^th November, 2017.

THE CUSTOMS AND EXCISE (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2017

Mr Mutati: Mr Speaker, I beg to move that the Bill be now read a second time.

Mr Speaker, the Bill before this House principally seeks to amend the Customs and Excise Tax Act so as to:

        a. revise the Customs and Excise Duties on certain goods;

        b. revise the list of goods to be subject to surtax at importation;

        c. revise the duties payable on used motor vehicles; and

        d. provide for matters connected with or incidental to the foregoing.

Sir, this Bill is straightforward and I recommend it to the House.

Mr Speaker, I beg to move.

Mr Simfukwe: Mr Speaker, pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order No.157, which sets out the terms of reference of your Committee, your Committee was tasked to scrutinise the Customs and Excise (Amendment) Bill No.14 of 2017. In order to acquaint itself with the ramifications of the Bill, your Committee sought both written and oral submissions from stakeholders.

Sir, the Customs and Excise Bill seeks to amend the Customs and Excise Act, Cap 322 of the Laws of Zambia, so as to bring into effect the Government’s aspirations to raise revenue, as pronounced in the 2018 Budget Speech. Specifically, the object of the Bill is to amend the Customs and Excise Act so as to:

1. revise the rates of Customs and Excise Duty payable on certain goods;
2. revise the list of goods to be subjected to surtax at importation; and
3. revise the rates of Customs and Excise Duty payable on used motor vehicles.

Mr Speaker, the provision that was the most contested during your Committee’s deliberations with stakeholders is the proposed introduction of an Excise Duty of K40 per tonne of cement. The stakeholders submitted that the proposed Excise Duty would negatively affect the construction sector and ultimately have a negative impact on the whole economy. The measure was also considered ill-timed, as costs will go up in the construction sector and suppress the development of infrastructure in the country.

Mrs Chonya: Hear, hear!

Mr Simfukwe: Your Committee was also informed that the duty will automatically lead to a general increase in the price of cement, as the cost will, no doubt, be passed on down the value chain, that is, from producers through the wholesalers and retailers down to the consumers. The stakeholders also observed that the Government was a major consumer of cement through its infrastructure development projects and that the introduction of the duty would raise the cost of various infrastructure development projects, thereby creating more pressure on the Treasury. Your Committee acknowledges these concerns and notes that the construction sector is one of the fastest growing industries in Zambian. In that regard, it worries that the proposed tax might have unforeseen negative repercussions on the economy at both the macro and micro levels. The negative effects may also affect Zambia’s competitiveness in the cement industry in the region. In this regard, your Committee recommends that the proposed tax be reconsidered.

Mr Speaker, in conclusion, I urge all the hon. Members of the House to read your Committee’s report. Further, on behalf of the members of your Committee, I register our gratitude to you for granting us the opportunity to scrutinise the Bill. Your Committee also thanks the Office of the Clerk of the National Assembly for the support rendered to it throughout its deliberations. It is further, indebted to all the stakeholders who appeared before it for their co-operation in providing the necessary briefs.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Dr Kambwili (Roan): Mr Speaker, I concur with the observations of your Committee on the price of cement.

Sir, the increase proposed by the hon. Minister might look minimal in terms of those who buy one or two bags of cement. However, for someone building a House that might need about 1,000 bags, that increase is too much. Currently, the salaries of civil servants, particularly teachers and nurses are very low. So, I think that the Government must withdraw this proposal so that we give our people some breathing space. The 9 per cent salary increment the Government awarded civil servants has already been swallowed by the increase in electricity and other tariffs. So, the hon. Minister must practice the principle of ‘give and take’. If he cares for the people who are now building houses because they have plots, I think it is important that he defers the implementation of this tax to, probably, after five years when the economy would have grown and salaries for civil servants would have been increased. Even in the mining industry, people get very low salaries and cannot afford to take their children to school because there are examination and school fees to be paid. Just recently, the University of Zambia prevented over forty students from sitting for examinations because their parents could not afford to pay for them. So, I plead with the hon. Minister to feel for the poor. There are many ways in which we can raise revenue, but let us avoid measures that directly affect the poor.

Sir, this Government claims to be a listening one. So, it should listen to the cries of the poor.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Kambwili: I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Ngulube’s attention was distracted by his mobile phone.

Mr Ngulube (Kabwe Central): My apologies, Mr Speaker.

Mr Speaker, thank you for allowing me to debate this Motion.

Sir, I am aware that the Government is also builds, and I am sure that if this levy on cement is not reversed, the costs of doing business with the Government will also go up. We know that most infrastructure projects under implementation countrywide, such as schools bridges, universities, clinics and roads are Government projects. Every time drive from Kabwe, I see the people working on the Great North Road mix cement with stones to make what they calling a stone base

Sir, if the Bill is passed, it will make it very difficult for the poor to afford cement. It will also increase the cost of the school and road projects that the Government will implement, as it has already been stated. We are aware that the rate at which the prices of cement have gone up from the time the K2 increment was proposed has been very rapid and much higher than we anticipated. When Dangote Cement Plc started manufacturing cement, we saw a reduction in cement prices from about K100 per 50 kg bag to roughly half of that price, which was a relief to the people of Zambia. Now, Dangote Cement Plc, which we thought was a saviour to most Zambians who cannot even manage to buy cement in bulk, has also increased its prices. In Chama, the average price is now K85. In Kabwe, it is about K75. Equally, our Lebanese friends who make bricks and pavers have also increased their prices. We used to buy the 6 in bricks at K3.50 each. Now, they cost K5.50. The ripple effect not deferring the implementation of this tax is likely to be a disturbance of many projects. It is also likely to leave a very bad taste in the people’s mouth.

Sir, the transporters of cement are also likely to increase their prices because that is what they do whenever the price of cement goes up. So, in the end, people who live very far from Lusaka or the line of rail will have to bear the burden of the tax. I, therefore, support the Motion with reservations. Hopefully, our concerns will be taken care of.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Mutati: Mr Speaker, I thank the Chairperson of your Committee for the report, and Hon. Dr Kambwili and Hon. Tutwa from Kabwe Central Constituency for their contributions.

Mr Ngulube: Hear, hear! Hon. Ngulube.

Mr Mutati: Mr Speaker, the critical function of pricing for cement lies in the supply. As correctly put by Hon. Ngulube, when Dangote Cement Plc came on the market, the price of cement fell drastically. So, we have encouraged substantial investment in cement manufacturing. The House may wish to know that, next year, a new major cement plant with twice the capacity of Dangote Cement Plc will open in Lusaka East. Further, in two years, Ndola Lime will also open a cement plant that will have the same capacity as Dangote Cement Plc. The two plants will greatly increase the supply of cement on the market and, in turn, have a tremendous impact on pricing. So, our solution to high cement prices is more investment in the cement sub-sector. 

Mr Speaker, we are sensitive to the plight of the poor. However, the Government must raise revenue to increase salaries, and provide medicines and other social services, which are crucial. So, in terms of taxation, we aim at minimal impact on our people while endeavouring to grow the economy so that everybody benefits.

Mr Speaker, I beg to move.

Hon. Government Members called for a division.

Question that the Customs and Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2017, be read a second time put and the House voted as follows:

Ayes – (64)

Mr W. Banda

Mr Bwalya

Mr Chali

Mrs Chalikosa

Mr Chama

Dr Chanda

Mr Chansa

Dr Chibanda

Mr Chilangwa

Mr Chisopa

Mr Chiteme

Mr Chitotela

Mr Chiyalika

Mr Chungu

Mr Kabamba

Ms Kabanshi

Mr Kafwaya

Mr Kalaba

Mr Kalobo

Ms Kapata

Mr Kasandwe

Mr Katambo

Mr Kaziya

Mr Kopulande

Mr Kunda

Mr A. Malama

Dr M. Malama

Amb. Malanji

Mr Mbulakulima

Mr Miti

Mr Mubukwanu

Mr Mulenga

Ms Mulenga

Mr Mulusa

Mr D. Mumba

Mr Mundubile

Mr Munkonge

Mr Mushanga

Mr Mushimba

Mr Musonda

Mr Mutale

Mr Mutati

Mr Mwale

Mr Mwamba

Mrs Mwanakatwe

Ms Mwape

Mr Mwila

Mr Ng’ambi

Mr Ng’onga

Mr Ngulube

Mr Nkhuwa

Mr Nyirenda

Ms Phiri

Mr Phiri

Mr Sichalwe

Mr Simbao

Mr Siwale

Ms Subulwa

Rev. Sumaili

Mr L. Tembo

Mr M. Tembo

Dr Wanchinga

Mr Zimba

Mr M. Zulu

Noes – (45)

Mr Belemu

Mr Bulaya

Mr Chaatila

Mr Chabi

Mr Chikote

Ms Chisangano

Mrs Chonya

Mr Fungulwe

Dr Imakando

Mr Imbuwa

Mr Jere

Mr Kakubo

Mr Kambita

Dr Kambwili

Mr Kamondo

Ms Katuta

Mr Kintu

Ms Kucheka

Mr Kufakwandi

Mr Kundoti

Mr Lihefu

Mr Lufuma

Mr Machila

Mr Mandumbwa

Mrs Mazoka

Mr Mbangweta

Mr Michelo

Mr Miyutu

Mr Mubika

Mr Muchima

Mr Mulunda

Mr S. Mulusa

Ms Mulyata

Mr Mutaba

Mr Mutelo

Ms Mwashingwele

Mr Mwene

Mr Mwiimbu

Mr Nanjuwa

Mr Nkombo

Mr Shabula

Mr Sing’ombe

Brig. Gen. Sitwala

Mr Syakalima

Ms Tambatamba

Abstentions – (03)

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

Committed to a committee of the Whole House.

Committee on Thursday, 30^th November, 2017.

THE INSURANCE PREMIUM LEVY (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2017

Mr Mutati: Sir, I beg to move that the Bill be now read a second time.

Mr Speaker, the Bill before this House principally seeks to amend the Insurance Premium Levy Act so as to exempt reinsurance from the payment of Insurance Premium Levy.

Sir, this Bill is straightforward and I recommend it to the House.

Mr Speaker, I beg to move.

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order, hon. Members! There are far too many conversations on the left. Can we have some silence.

Mr Simfukwe: Mr Speaker, Standing Order No. 157 provides that your Committee may consider any Bills referred to it by the House. In line with that provision, your Committee was tasked to scrutinise the Insurance Premium Levy (Amendment) Bill No. 15 of 2017. In order to acquaint itself with the ramifications of the Bill, your Committee sought both written and oral submissions from stakeholders.

Sir, the Insurance Premium Levy Act was enacted in 2015 to provide for the imposition, payment and collection of levy on insurance premiums for insurance policies of all classes of insurance business carried out by insurers and insurance agents or brokers.

Sir, in his presentation of the 2018 National Budget to Parliament, the hon. Minister of Finance informed the House that risk management was a crucial part of any business and that, consequently, any undertaking intended to cover the risk of the insured and insurer must be cost-effective. He, therefore, proposed to remove the Insurance Premium Levy on reinsurance. The Bill, therefore, seeks to actualise the hon. Minister’s proposal.

Mr Speaker, all the stakeholders who appeared before your Committee supported the Bill because it would cure the apparent double taxation that arises out of levying all insurance premiums. They submitted that the amendment will also make local insurers competitive on the international market and enable them to attract insurance companies to reinsure with them. Your Committee equally fully supports the Bill.

Sir, on behalf of your Committee’s members, allow me to express my gratitude to you for granting us the opportunity to scrutinise the Insurance Premium Levy (Amendment) Bill No. 15 of 2017. Your Committee also thanks the Office of the Clerk of the National Assembly for the support rendered to it throughout its deliberations.  It is further indebted to all the witnesses who appeared before it for their co-operation in providing the necessary briefs.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Mutati: Mr Speaker, I thank the chairperson of the Committee for the support rendered to the Bill.

I thank you, Sir.

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

Committed to a committee of the Whole House.

Committee on Thursday, 30^th November, 2017.

THE INCOME TAX (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2017

Mr Mutati: Mr Speaker, I beg to move that the Bill be now read a second time.

Sir, the Bill before this House principally seeks to amend the Income Tax Act so as to:

1. revise the definition of Tax Payer Identification Number;
2. remove the K3,060 allowable annual pension contribution;
3. revise the penalties for late submission of turnover tax returns;
4. provide for a due date for the submission of the provisional tax returns for businesses registered after the 31^st March;
5. increase the base tax from K150 per year to K365 per year;
6. revise the due date on the payment of withholding tax;
7. increase the presumptive tax payable by public passenger service vehicles; and
8. to provide for matters connected with or incidental to the foregoing.

Sir, I recommend this progressive Bill to the House.

Mr Speaker, I beg to move.

Mr Simfukwe: Mr Speaker, Standing Order No. 157 provides that your Committee may consider any Bills referred to it by the House. In this vein, your Committee was tasked to scrutinise the Income Tax (Amendment) Bill No. 16 of 2017. In order to appreciate the ramifications of the Bill, your Committee sought both written and oral submissions from stakeholders.

Sir, in order to raise revenue for the nation in line with the hon. Minister of Finance’s 2018 Budget Speech, the Government proposes to review the Income Tax Act, Chapter 323 of the Laws of Zambia.

Sir, all the stakeholders who appeared before your Committee supported most of the proposals in the Bill and pointed out that they understood the Government’s need to raise revenue through the collection of various income taxes. However, they also raised a number of concerns, one of which related to Clause 16 of the Bill, which provides for the amendment of the Ninth Schedule of the Income Tax Act so as to increase by 50 per cent the presumptive tax on public service motor vehicles. The stakeholders submitted that the increase in the presumptive tax would be passed on to passengers through an increase in bus and taxi fares. Another concern was that the amendment would not only result in low tax compliance, but also give undue advantage to unregistered bus and taxi operators commonly called ‘pirate’ operators.

Sir, the presumptive tax rate on public passenger service vehicles has not been increased since 2003. An unsuccessful attempt was made in the 2016 Budget, and your Committee hopes that the factors that led to its failure were taken into consideration by the Executive in coming up with the current proposal.

Sir, while your Committee generally supports the Bill in recognition of the need for the Government to broaden the tax base, it is of the view that the increase in the presumptive tax should not be borne by the consumers of public transport. In addition, your Committee is concerned at the apparent failure by the law enforcement agencies to control the rampant operation of unregistered public transport operators and recommends that mechanisms be put in place to curb the vice, which will not only help to broaden the tax base, but also safeguard the lives of citizens who use public transport.

Mr Speaker, your Committee notes that the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) plans to start using tax agents in the collection of certain taxes, including base and presumptive taxes. However, the process of registering agents has not been completed even though there are only a few weeks to the end of 2017, and this could have negative repercussions on revenue collection in 2018. Your Committee, therefore, urges the Government to expedite the identification and accreditation of tax agents.

Mr Speaker, in conclusion, I urge all the hon. Members of the House to read your Committee’s report and support the Bill. Further, on behalf of the members of your Committee, allow me to register our gratitude to you for granting us the opportunity to scrutinise the Bill. Allow me to further thank the Office of the Clerk of the National Assembly for the support rendered to your Committee, and all the stakeholders who appeared before it for their co-operation in providing the necessary briefs.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Mwiimbu (Monze Central): Mr Speaker, I rise to express my concerns on the proposals by the hon. Minister to increase the presumptive tax for operators of public service vehicles (PSVs). I have no doubt in my mind that when the Committee deliberated on this issue, it might not have been aware of the manoeuvres of the hon. Minister of Transport and Communication to concession the registration and management of transport to a private contractor, which means that all the public transport operators will incur an extra cost because their vehicles will have to be registered through a new process. The operators will, in turn, pass the cost to the already overtaxed Zambians. I may not be surprised if the hon. Minister of Finance was not aware of the details of that transaction. So, he may be proposing these measures without taking into account what the other ministry is doing.

Mr Speaker, from what the hon. Minister of Transport and Communication has indicated to this House and the information we have, it is clear that immediately after the signing of the contract between the Government, and Lamise Investment Limited and an Austrian company, all vehicles in this country will have to be re-registered and the owners of vehicles will incur an extra cost. Further, since transportation in this country will be managed by a private contractor, it means that we are passing legislation to give money to a private contractor, who will make US$12 million per year. So, why should we do things without considering the plight of Zambians? We were told on the Floor of this House that the private contractor would make US$200 million in seventeen years. Why are we punishing our people to enrich outsiders? The average worker in this country cannot afford the current bus fares. If you rise very early in the morning, you will see all the roads of Lusaka filled with people walking to their work places. We now want to inflict more pain on them through this measure. So, while I agree with the other provisions of the Bill, I have an issue with this one. Already, Zambians are paying a lot of money in road tolls, which the operators pass on to their passengers.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwiimbu: Mr Speaker, it is a fact that the Zambian passenger is overtaxed and bears the burden of the road, carbon and insurance taxes. Therefore, this new measure will make public transportation unaffordable to more of our people.

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order, hon. Member for Monze Central!

Please, resume your seat.

Hon. Members on the left, let us have some discipline.

Continue, Hon. Mwiimbu.

Mr Mwiimbu: Mr Speaker, as I indicated, my objection is not to all the proposals of the hon. Minister of Finance. My strong objection is to the increase in the presumptive tax on public transport service operators for the reasons I have given.  So, we will propose an amendment to the Bill so that we remove this proposal. As for the other increases, we can live with them.

I thank you, Sir.

Dr Kambwili: Mr Speaker, thank you.

Sir, from the outset, I take the sentiments of the Leader of the Opposition as my own.

Mr Speaker, what has happened to the “Lower Taxes” motto of the Patriotic Front (PF)? Has it been discarded because the party has been infiltrated by the Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) and has gone back to more taxes?

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Kambwili: Just a few minutes ago, the Government increased the price of cement. Now, it wants to increase the price of transportation. These people do not use public transport because they have Toyota GXs. Even their children have vehicles that take them to school ...

Mr Speaker: Order, hon. Member for Roan!

Please, resume your seat.

You know the rules very well because you have been in the House for some time now, yet you are debating your colleagues instead of issues. You cannot do that. That is common knowledge.

Dr Kambwili: Thank you for your guidance and most obliged, Mr Speaker.

Sir, I am beginning to wonder whether this is the PF that we started with Mr Sata, which made it clear that it would charge lower taxes and put more money in people’s pockets.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Kambwili: Now, it wants to take away the people’s disposable income by introducing unreasonable taxes.

Sir, very few people in the Government use public transport. However, they should think about the poor. How can they increase the prices of cement and transport on the same day? This is unfair, and I appeal to the hon. Minister to withdraw the Bill so that he can remove the proposal to increase the presumptive tax. We support him on the other taxes, but not on this one. Instead of the more than 100 per cent increase, which is just too much, why did he not think of a 2 per cent or 3 per cent increase? Of all the percentages, why did he choose to more than double the original amount? This is unfair to the poor.

Sir, I will not support this Bill. Instead, I will call for a division.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Ngulube: Mr Speaker, allow me to speak on behalf of the people of Kabwe Central and, probably, for the benefit of my relatives in the village who may not know what presumptive taxes are.

Hon. Opposition Members: Ah!

Mr Ngulube: I know that even those saying “Ah” will learn something because I am a lecturer now.

Sir, a presumptive tax is a form of assessment of tax liability using indirect methods like income reconstruction or by application of baseline taxation across the entire tax base. Presumptive methods of taxation are thought to be effective in reducing tax avoidance and equalising the distribution of the tax burden.

Mr Speaker, in its report on the Income Tax (Amendment) Bill No. 16 of 2017, the Budget Committee made some observations that I want to repeat for the benefit of those who want to listen. Let me quote the report:

“While supporting the enactment of the Income Tax (Amendment) Bill, N. A. B. No. 16 of 2017, your Committee makes the observations and recommendations listed hereunder.

“(i)       The presumptive tax rate on public passenger service vehicles has not been increased since 2003. While an attempt to do this was made in the 2016 Budget, it was not successful.”

Mr Speaker, this tax has not been increased for fourteen years.

Sir, your Committee’s report further states as follows:

“(ii)       While supporting the proposal to adjust upwards the presumptive tax, your Committee is concerned at the apparent failure by the Government to control the proliferation of unregistered public transport operators and recommends that mechanisms be put in place to curb this practice so that only legally registered transporters are allowed to operate.  This will not only help to broaden the tax base, but it will also help to safeguard the lives of citizens who use public transport.”

Mr Speaker, I want to zero in on the two recommendations.

Sir, I note that, on the one hand, the Government wants to broaden the tax base while, on the other, there is resistance to this measure because people think that the tax burden on the citizens is already too much.

Mr Speaker, while we, the people of Kabwe Central Constituency, support the increment, we want the Ministry of Finance to be more innovative in the collection of revenue. Currently, the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) does not collect all the taxes that it is supposed to collect. So, why can the Government not find a way of spreading the burden? This tax can be put on houses while part of it could be collected through local authorities. The Government can also use other methods of raising revenue so as to not punish the people who use buses. I speak this way because there was a time I used to walk because of not having enough money to board a bus. Now, I am thinking about the person who works in Katuba and lives in Chawama Township and does not earn enough to enable him or her to commute to and from their place of work. Will such a person not be punished?

Sir, in the event that the consumers are the ones to bear the brunt of this measure, we are likely to either see non-compliance or those who will enforce this law will meet a lot of resistance because we, Zambians, do not enjoy paying taxes. Already, the requirement for people to register for tax payer identification numbers (TPINs), which has not been properly explained by the ZRA, is causing some discomfort.

Mr Speaker, on behalf of the people of Kabwe Central, who depend on public transport to go to work, I want to say that it is not too late for the Government to rethink this measure. We can come up with ways of spreading the tax burden.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Ngulube: The tax burden in Zambia is a concern to most taxpayers, as they feel fatigued. This is not because they already pay too much, but because there is, probably, a lack of knowledge about taxes. I think that, in principle, all of us in this House support the idea of increasing the revenue the Government collects through taxes. However, we want that to be realised through a broadening of the tax base so that we do not look like we are punishing the common person, as Hon. Dr Kambwili has said. So, much as most of us want to support this Bill, our concerns must be put on record. Our views, no matter how divergent, must be taken into account because we know that even the minority voices enrich the fabric of a democracy.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutati: Mr Speaker, let me begin by thanking the chairperson of the Budget Committee for supporting this Bill, including the proposal on the presumptive tax. His only concerns related to the proliferation of unlicensed public transport operators. This is an area that we are working on. We are also working on the issue of tax agents.

Sir, one of the strengths of the Patriotic Front (PF) Government is that it rolls out the infrastructure projects demanded by the people. You know that 60 per cent of the questions asked on the Floor of this House relate to the development of infrastructure like roads, clinics, schools and universities, and I commend the PF Government because it is doing very well in that area. However, it needs to be supported with taxes because, in the long term, that is what will build this country. The taxes that we are raising are aimed at fulfilling the agenda of the PF Government in the area of infrastructure development.

Sir, I have taken note of the concerns expressed on the Floor of this House, and I promise that we shall follow the PF Manifesto in rolling out infrastructure. This will help to broaden the tax base.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Hon. Opposition Members called for a division.

Question that the Income Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2017, be read a second time put and the House voted as follows:

Ayes - (58)

Mr W. Banda

Mr Bwalya

Mr Chali

Ms Chalikosa

Mr Chama

Dr Chanda

Mr Chansa

Mr Chilangwa

Mr Chisopa

Mr Chitotela

Mr Chiyalika

Mr Chungu

Mr Daka

Mr Kabamba

Mr Kafwaya

Mr Kalaba

Ms Kalima

Ms Kapata

Mr Kasandwe

Mr Katambo

Mr Kaziya

Mr Kopulande

Mr Kunda

Mr Malama

Dr M. Malama

Amb. Malanji

Mr Mbulakulima

Mr Miti

Ms Miti

Mr Mubukwanu

Mr Mukosa

Mr Mulenga

Ms Mulenga

Mr D. Mumba

Mr Mundubile

Mr Mung’andu

Mr Munkonge

Mr Mushanga

Mr Mushimba

Mr Musonda

Mr Musukwa

Mr Mutale

Mr Mutati

Mr Mwakalombe

Mr Mwale

Mr Mwamba

Mrs Mwanakatwe

Mrs Mwape

Mr Ng`ambi

Mr Ng`onga

Mr Ngulube

Mr Nkhuwa

Ms Phiri

Mr Phiri

Mr Sichalwe

Ms Siliya

Mr Simbao

Mr Simfukwe

Mr Siwale

Mr Siwanzi

Ms Subulwa

Rev Sumaili

Mr S. Tembo

Dr Wanchinga

Mr Zimba

Mr M. Zulu

Noes – (51)

Mr Belemu

Mr Bulaya

Mr Chaatila

Mr Chabi

Mr Chikote

Ms Chisangano

Mrs Chonya

Mr Fungulwe

Dr Imakando

Mr Jamba

Mr Jere

Dr Kalila

Mr Kambita

Mr Kamboni

Dr Kambwili

Mr Kamondo

Ms Kasune

Ms Katuta

Mr Kintu

Ms Kucheka

Mr Kufakwandi

Mr Kundoti

Ms Lubezhi

Mr Lufuma

Mr Machila

Mr Mandumbwa

Mrs Mazoka

Mr Mbangweta

Mr Michelo

Mr Miyutu

Mr Mubika

Mr Muchima

Mr Mulunda

Mr S. Mulusa

Ms Mulyata

Mr Mutaba

Mr Mutelo

Ms Mwashingwele

Mr Mweetwa

Mr Mwene

Mr Mwiimbu

Mr Mwiinga

Mr Nanjuwa

Mr Nkombo

Mr Samakayi

Mr Shabula

Mr Sialubalo

Mr Sing’ombe

Brig-Gen. Sitwala

Mr Syakalima

Ms Tambatamba

Abstentions – (1)

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

Committed to a committee of the Whole House.

Committee on Friday, 30^th November, 2017.

__________

COMMITTEE OF SUPPLY

[THE CHAIRPERSON OF COMMITTEES in the

Chair]

(Consideration resumed)

VOTE 51/02 (Ministry of Transport and Communication – Finance Department – K3,860,230).

Mr Mwene (Mangango): Madam Chairperson, on page 783 ...

The Chairperson: Order, hon. Member!

We have passed that Vote. We are now considering Head 51/02.

Mr Nanjuwa (Mumbwa): Madam Chairperson, I seek clarification of Programme 1003, Activity 006 – Continuous Professional Development – K200,000 and Activity 038 – Staff Training – K120,000. There was no allocation for this provision in 2017. Is it a new programme? Why was it not funded in 2017?

The Minister of Transport and Communication (Mr Mushimba): Madam Chairperson, Programme 1003, Activity 006 – Continuous Professional Development – K200,000 and Activity 038 – Staff Training – K120,00, were not funded in 2017 because we made some realignments in the ministry, and created the Department of Finance and moved some figures around.

I thank you, Madam Chairperson.

Votes 51/03, 51/04 and 51/05 ordered to stand part of the Estimates.

VOTE 51/06 – (Ministry of Transport and Communication – Department of Transport – K5,564,690).

The Minister of Finance (Mr Mutati): Madam Chairperson, I beg to move an amendment to Head 51/06 - Ministry of Transport and Communication – Department of Transport:

1. under Unit 02, Programme 1133, Activity 092 – Development of Specialised Modal Transport Strategy, by the deletion of “K50,000” and substitution therefor of ‘K200,000’; and 
2. under Unit 03, Programme 1133, Activity 092 – Development of Specialised Modal Transport Strategy – K150,000, by the deletion of “K150,000”.

Amendment agreed to. Vote amended accordingly.

Vote 51/06, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Estimates.

Vote 51/10 ordered to stand part of the Estimates.

VOTE 52 – (Ministry of Water Development, Sanitation and Environmental Protection – Headquarters – K986,460,440).

The Minister of Water Development, Sanitation and Environmental Protection (Mr Kaziya): Madam Chairperson, I thank you for according me this opportunity to issue a statement in support of the 2018 budget for the Ministry of Water Development, Sanitation and Environmental Protection.

Madam Chairperson, allow me to thank his Excellency, the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, for ably articulating the country’s development agenda. As hon. Members of Parliament are aware, the Government of the Republic of Zambia has articulated the national long-term development vision in Vision 2030, which is aimed at the country’s attainment of the prosperous middle-income status by 2030, and the medium-term development framework in the Seventh National Development Plan (7NDP), which is designed to accelerate efforts towards the attainment of Vision 2030 without leaving anyone behind, transformation of the country and the Smart Zambia Agenda. Therefore, the 2018 budget for my ministry has been aligned to the strategic focus areas of the 7NDP, which include economic diversification, job creation and enhanced human development.

Madam Chairperson, my ministry will remain pivotal to the socio-economic development of the country while ensuring environmental sustainability and ecological integrity in line with the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Madam Chairperson, as hon. Members may be aware, the Visit 2030 sets out national sectoral objectives in an effort to meet the aspirations of the people of Zambia. Among other areas, the vision places emphasise on water as a catalyst to socio-economic development, as the resource is essential to all human endeavours. Furthermore, the vision targets the provision of a productive environment and conservation of natural resources for sustainable socio-economic development, including ensuring that 90 per cent of polluting industrial facilities comply with environmental regulations.

Madam Chairperson, under the able leadership of His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, the ministry has repositioned and refocused the water resource management and development, water supply and sanitation, and environmental management functions in order to enhance their contribution to sustainable development.

Madam, the mandate of the ministry includes the formulation and review of policies on water supply and sanitation, water resource development and management, and environmental policy in order to guide the implementation of sectoral programmes. To this effect, in 2017, the ministry continued to implement various programmes related to water resources infrastructure development, such as the rehabilitation and construction of small dams and boreholes for strategic institutions and emergencies in order to enhance the provision of water for productive and social use; construction of boreholes and water schemes to accelerate the provision of clean and safe water; and improvement of sanitation services for all. Other ongoing programmes relate to the management, conservation, protection and preservation of water resources for equitable, reasonable and sustainable utilisation. There are also environmental management programmes aimed at ensuring compliance with environmental legislation.

Madam Chairperson, let me now highlight the strategic focus areas of the ministry and core programmes to be implemented in 2018.

Strategic Focus

Madam Chairperson,    my ministry will continue to discharge its mandate of ensuring the optimal harnessing of water resource for productive use, provision of clean water, supply and sanitation, and sustainable environmental management. Its activities will include the following:

1. co-ordination of the implementation of water resource management and development strategies in line with the 2010 National Water Policy;
2. spearheading of national programmes on sustainable environmental management, as provided in the 2007 National Environmental Policy; and
3. development of an enforcement mechanism in line with the provisions of the Water Resource Management Act, No. 21 of 2011; the Environment Management Act, No. 12 of 2011; and the Water Supply and Sanitation Act, No. 28 of 1997, to ensure integrated management of water resources and sustainable utilisation of water resources and the environment.

Madam Chairperson, in line with the 7NDP’s national development outcome of improved water resources management and access to water supply and sanitation, the ministry will continue to implement and scale up strategic interventions to contribute to economic diversification, job creation and enhanced human development. The interventions will include the following:

1. enhancement of rainwater harvesting and catchment protection;
2. promotion of local and trans-boundary aquifer management;
3. enhancement of the provision of adequate safe water and sanitation;
4. improvement of water and sanitation infrastructure; and
5. environmental and natural resource awareness, environmental protection and pollution control.

Madam Chairperson, in 2018, K986,460,440 has been allocated to the implementation of programmes on clean and safe water supply and sanitation, and sustainable environmental management. This will enable us to contribute to the country’s socio-economic development agenda of not leaving anyone behind. It is gratifying to note that the allocation for 2017 was only K487,100,847, meaning the allocation for next year is higher by 51 per cent.

Core Programmes in 2018

Water Supply and Sanitation and Legislation

Madam Chairperson, under this programme, the focus will be on developing infrastructure for water supply and sanitation services. As hon. Members of Parliament may be aware, although statistics indicate that 65 per cent of households in Zambia obtain water from an improved source, such as piped water, public tap, stand pipe or borehole, households in urban areas have greater access, at 90 per cent, compared with rural communities, at 47 per cent. Furthermore, the Government has continued to increase investment in the sanitation services infrastructure to accelerate the attainment of the objective of providing services to 90 per cent of the population by 2030. Consequently, the ministry has allocated K534.7 million for infrastructure development and compliance in the provision of clean and safe water. It has also allocated K8 million to information management, and research and development.

Madam Chairperson, the rehabilitation and construction programmes will be undertaken in both rural and urban areas across the country. It is expected that these interventions will improve access and facilitate significant gains in the attainment of the SDGs on water and the provision of water to 100 per cent of the country’s population.

Water Resource Infrastructure Development

Madam Chairperson, under this programme, the ministry has allocated K33.5 million to cater for the construction, rehabilitation and maintenance of small dams while K1.7 million has been provided for the drilling of exploratory boreholes for the provision of water for strategic interventions and emergencies. It is anticipated that the implementation of water infrastructure development programmes will improve the total reservoir capacity for the country, resulting in increased access to water for productive use, including irrigation, animal watering, fisheries, water supply, conservation, tourism, and other productive and socio-economic uses.

         Hydro Geometrics

 Madam Chairperson, in order to facilitate water resource infrastructure planning, data management and infrastructure development to support the Geographical Information System (GIS) and consequently increase access to hydro-geographical data, the ministry has set aside K800,000 for undertaking an inventory and mapping of dams and aquifers.

         Management of International Waters

Madam Chairperson, as hon. Members of Parliament are aware, Zambia is party to a Southern African Development Community (SADC) protocol on shared watercourses. In this regard, to foster close co-operation and sustainable utilisation of shared watercourses and advance the SADC agenda of regional integration and poverty alleviation, K1.3 million has been allocated for trans-boundary management activities in the Zambezi and Congo basins.

Water Resource Management

Madam Chairperson, in order to ensure compliance and effective promotion of the sustainable use of water for all, the ministry has provided K15.7 million towards water resource management functions. These resources will enable the ministry to execute its functions of promoting and adopting integrated water resource management and development approaches that include human, land, environment and socio-economic considerations of poverty reduction and elimination of water-borne diseases in line with the Water Resource Management Act, No. 21 of 2011.

Environmental Pollution and Protection Control

Madam Chairperson, my ministry will accelerate the implementation of the 2007 National Policy on Environment, which aims at ensuring sound environmental management within the framework of sustainable development. To that end, K25.7 million has been allocated for the enforcement of the Environmental Management Act, No. 12 of 2011.

Environmental Management and Natural Resources Awareness

Madam Chairperson, Zambia continues to be affected by the adverse impact of the climate change phenomenon due to its geographical location, multiple socio-economic stresses and low adaptive capacity. In this regard, my ministry will continue to implement a number of interventions to contribute to adaptation to and mitigation of the effects of climate change. To that end, it has set aside K13 million for the implementation of environmental programmes, notably environmental support and protection, and natural resources awareness. I must stress the important role that my ministry continues to play in the mainstreaming of environmental factors in national planning through the requirement for environmental impact assessments for all programmes, plans, policies and developments.

Policy Review and Development

Madam Chairperson, the 7NDP has articulated the need for the Government to put in place a conducive governance environment as a precondition for human security, economic growth and sustainable development. In this regard, my ministry is determined to improve the policy and regulatory environment. It has, therefore, plans to review the 2007 National Policy on the Environment in order to take into account emerging climate change-related issues and the 1997 Water Supply and Sanitation Act to take into account new developments in the sub-sector. It will also develop a water supply, sanitation and the solid waste management policy. Consequently, it has allocated K3.2 million to various activities that include sectoral policy review and development programmes.

Madam Chairperson, in conclusion, my ministry’s budget reflects our priorities, which are firmly anchored on the country’s aspirations, as articulated in the 2030 Vision and the 7NDP. I, therefore, call upon the hon. Members of this House to support it so that the ministry will be able to attain its vision and, ultimately, contribute to the realization of the people’s aspirations.

I thank you, Madam Chairperson.

Mr Ngulube: Hear, hear!

Mr Chaatila (Moomba): Madam Chairperson, I thank you for allowing me to debate this important Vote.

Madam Chairperson, when I debated the President’s Speech and you were in the Chair, I was happy because you are a woman and I am concerned about the women in rural areas. Unfortunately, and I am not surprised, the budget for the Ministry of Water Development, Sanitation and Environmental Protection presented by the hon. Minister favours the people in urban areas in terms of water supply. If you look at the Budget lines, there is none that indicates that the people in the rural areas will be provided with adequate water. Let me give examples of provisions that are related to the provision of water in the rural areas. Only K1 million has been allocated for the maintenance of rigs and procurement of motor vehicles, yet a Toyota Land Cruiser costs about K700,000. Assuming the ministry bought one, the remaining K300,000 would not be enough to maintain the rigs. Further, K850,000 has been provided for the purchase of dam construction machinery and K3.5 million has been allocated for the rehabilitation and maintenance of dams. However, during the last rainy season, three dams were damaged in Moomba and I reported them to the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU). After a study was undertaken, it was concluded that the average cost of repairing one dam was K3.6 million, meaning it would cost K10.8 million to repair all three. So, the allocation is not enough to repair even one dam in Moomba. The report was given to the ministry on account of a lack of funds at the DMMU. How many dams does the ministry intend to rehabilitate with that K3.5 million?

Madam Chairperson, K30 million has been allocated for the construction of dams. Can the hon. Minister tell us how much it costs to construct one dam, as that is an important indicator for us. I wonder what the technocrats in the ministry do if they cannot provide accurate information. Clearly, something is wrong with the information they provide. It is illogical that K8.5 million has been allocated for office administration, including the holding of meetings and workshops, while only K1 million has been allocated for the maintenance of rigs in rural areas and purchase of motor vehicles. Furthermore, I cannot see any Budget line indicating the number of boreholes that will be drilled in rural areas, yet women there walk long distances everyday to fetch water. In urban areas, sanitation is very important, as it is a factor in health, yet the women in Kalingalinga, just nearby, have been drawing water from Kabulonga in buckets for a very long time, and their households are exposed to diseases because they do not have access to clean drinking water. However, at the end of the month, they get high water bills.

The Chairperson: Order!

Business was suspended from 1640 hours until 1700 hours.

[THE CHAIRPERSON OF COMMITTEES in the

Chair]

Mr Chaatila: Madam Chairperson, when business was suspended, I concluding my contribution.

Madam, I have noted the Budget line on sanitation. The beauty of the Budget is that we see the allocations. It should be noted that Zambia is now faced with the challenge of cleanliness. The country is currently very dirty.

Mr Ngulube: Question!

Mr Chaatila: Makululu Township in Kabwe is especially dirty, and we all know that.

Laughter

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chaatila: However, only K20,000 has been allocated to the Keep Zambia Clean Campaign under cross-cutting issues. What can be done with K20,000, considering that Zambia is very dirty and many places are a health hazard to people? Why allocate only K20,000 to the cleaning up of a very dirty country? The hon. Minister should tell us the strategies that his ministry will use to keep Zambia clean with such little resources. This is why I said the technocrats in the ministry are not doing a good job, unless politicians are influencing them, as that is what we do. However, if when they sit down to look at these issues they have free minds, then, their competencies should be questioned.

Madam, earlier, I mentioned the three damaged dams in Moomba Constituency, which require K10.8 million worth of repairs, and I note that K850,000 has been allocated for the purchase of machinery for dam construction. My thinking is that the ministry should give us even just K5 million so that we can buy all the equipment that is needed and construct more dams. I want to believe that the K10.8 million that is required to repair the dams can buy all the equipment that is needed for constructing dams, which would save us money in the long term, as that equipment would not only serve Moomba, but other constituencies as well. So, why would we want to spend K10.8 million to rehabilitate three dams when we can use it to buy the equipment required to construct dams? I think the technocrats in the ministry know that buying the equipment is far cheaper than hiring a private entity to construct the dams.

Madam, those are my challenges to the hon. Minister. When I said that this Budget has left people in the rural areas behind, I was very serious, and I think that is becoming more evident as we discuss the Yellow Book in detail.

Madam Chairperson, with those few words, I thank you.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwila (Chimwemwe): Madam Chairperson, my contribution will basically be to thank the Government and the hon. Minister of Finance for securing a US$200 million loan for the Nkana Water and Sewerage Company (NWSC) from the Bank of China. We have been told that the money is expected to improve the water and sewerage systems in Kitwe, Kalulushi and Chambeshi.

Ms Mulenga: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwila: We are excited to hear that. However, we have a few concerns that we expect the ministry to address.

Madam, the first concern is on the main works, which are expected to start in June, 2018, and end in July, 2021. That is a period of four years, and we have been told that the main contractor, China Henan International Corporation, will have three teams, one for each of the towns and city covered. Our proposal is that the ministry considers compressing the project time frame into two years by increasing the number of teams. For example, in Kitwe, there can be one team in Chimwemwe alone and, maybe, Kwacha and Nkana Constituencies can share a team, as can Wusakile and Kamfinsa constituencies. We can even have four teams for Kitwe alone, one for Kalulushi and another Chambeshi. We need to compress the time frame because it is dangerous to schedule the completion of projects too close to the general elections, as people tend to think that, maybe, the Government is implementing the projects merely to gain political capital. So, we need to complete the projects way before 2021.

Madam Chairperson, my other point is on consulting engineer for the projects. We have been told that the main contractor has been given express authority to engage the consulting engineer. We hope that the consulting engineer will be a Zambian company and that he will be different from Ng’andu Consulting, who was the consulting engineer for Rufunsa and other roads during the Formula 1 Road Project in Chimwemwe Constituency, but disappeared from the site and the drainage works have remained unattended to. We do not even know who to approach over the abandoned works. Therefore, we want the consulting engineer for this project to ensure that quality work is done.

Madam Chairperson, the main works will include improvement of the NWSC’s metering system. That is welcome and the people of Chimwemwe look forward to that happening. They expect pre-paid meters to be installed in the constituency so that the daily running battles that we witness between the NWSC and residents comes to an end. The advantage of the pre-paid meters is that if you do not pay, water will not flow to your house. Conversely, if water does not get to your house, you do not incur bills. There will be no situations in which residents contest their bills like it happens currently in Chimwemwe. They claim that they get fixed monthly bills even when they get water for only one hour in a day or they have no water supply at all. So, we look forward to that being sorted out.

Madam, most of the sewer systems in Chimwemwe Constituency have collapsed, with sewer spillage everywhere in the streets, and the residents have been complaining about that. Luckily, we have been told that the main works of the project will include the rehabilitation of the sewer systems, and I am comforted that China Henan International Co-operation (CHICO) Group Company Limited, which was paid the 15 per cent down payment last month, is mobilising to get on site. The people of Chimwemwe Constituency hope that the problem of sewer spillages will come to an end next year.

Madam Chairperson, we have also been told that 20 per cent of the contract works will be sub-contracted to Zambian contractors. I hope the hon. Minister will not allow the Zambian contractors to sell the contracts back to the main contractor like it is usually done in most road projects. I believe the Government came up with this policy so that Zambian companies could benefit from technology and skills transfer from international contractors.

Madam Chairperson, on the disputed bills about which the people of Chimwemwe have been complaining, my expectation is that the hon. Minister will prevail on the utility company so that they are written off. Some households have bills amounting to K10,000, which they dispute. In this regard, I invite the Permanent Secretary (PS) in the ministry to visit Chimwemwe Constituency and listen to the complaints of the residents. We saw him in Solwezi inspecting the buildings that had been built near the main source of water in that town. Evidently, he is a hard worker. So, let him visit Chimwemwe Constituency.

Madam Chairperson, about two weeks ago, I read in the papers that the ministry had awarded an Israeli company the contract to test the purity of the underground water in Lusaka Province. If that rumour is true, the people of Chimwemwe urge the hon. Minister to cancel the contract and consider giving it to students at the University of Zambia (UNZA). We should start appreciating and benefitting from the skills and knowledge that our students acquire. Let us invest in ourselves and the students we are training.

Madam Chairperson, with those few remarks, I support the proposed budget for the Ministry of Water Development, Sanitation and Environmental Protection, and look forward to the swift execution of the project awarded to China Henan so that the complaints of Chimwemwe can come to an end.

I thank you, Madam.

Ms Chisangano (Gwembe): Madam Chairperson, thank you.

Madam Chairperson, water is life, and good sanitation is very important to prevention of diseases like skin infections, acute respiratory infections and diarrhoea. Therefore, I support his budget.

Madam, as it has been mentioned before, in rural areas, we really have a big challenge with water and sanitation, but I have not seen much money allocated to the sector in rural areas. In the last Budget, we were given only ten boreholes in Gwembe, which were not enough. Women in rural areas suffer because they have to cover long distances, sometimes, 12 km to fetch water. They leave their homes around 0400 hours in the morning with babies on their backs and big containers or buckets, and get back home around 1000 hours. That means their children go to school without eating and, sometimes, without bathing. When the poor women get home from fetching water, they are very tired, but they still have to take care of their homes. Therefore, the budget should address the plight of those women who are suffering in the rural areas. We need water.

Madam Chairperson, the other thing that is noticeable in constituencies like mine is the lack of water at some schools. Can you imagine a teacher teaching about good hygiene and telling the children to wash their hands after using the toilet and before eating, yet there is not water in the school. That lesson on good hygiene would be merely theoretical to some children, but such lessons need to be made more practical by providing water to schools. Even programmes like the School Feeding Programme are affected by the lack of water at some schools. Equally affected is the good new programme that was championed by Hon. Kopulande, the provision of sanitary pads to female pupils. The situation in schools where there is no water is really a nightmare for our young girls, and the Government should do something about it because all schools must have water.

Madam, I still see many communities share drinking water with animals simply because there are no boreholes. The nearest sources of water are rivers, streams and wells and, during the hot season, say around October or November, when water is really a problem, animals and human beings get their water from the same source. It is really shameful for that be the case fifty-three years after Independence. This is a problem we should have resolved a long time ago. Why can the ministry not construct more dams? We need dams, especially in the Southern Province and Gwembe Constituency, where many households keep animals like cattle and goats, which feed the whole nation. As you know, the terrain in that constituency is very bad for crop farming. So, most people there keep animals.

Madam Chairperson, the water and sanitation situation in towns, especially in cities like Lusaka, is equally bad. I see many women carrying big containers moving from Mtendere Township to the Presidential Housing Initiative (PHI) neighbourhood to fetch water. Women are also all over the city looking for water, and I do not know what is happening anymore.

Madam, in communities around here, there are some households that share sanitation facilities, with ten households sharing one toilet and, because of that, there have been outbreaks of diseases. Currently, there is an outbreak of cholera due to the very poor water and sanitation.

Madam Chairperson, I urge the Government to provide enough funding in the Budget for us to sort out most of the problems related to water and sanitation. Could the ministries of Water Development, Sanitation and Environmental Protection; Health; and Local Government work very hard together to eradicate cholera like it has been done in other countries because it is an embarrassing disease.

With those few words, I thank you, Madam.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Kasune (Keembe): Madam Chairperson, thank you for allowing me to add my voice to the debate on the budget for the Ministry of Water Development, Sanitation and Environmental Protection, particularly in terms of the needs of the people in rural constituencies. I represent the people of Keembe Parliamentary Constituency.

Madam Chairperson, one of the challenges I want to bring to the attention of this House is that of regulating our environment. We know that is important not only in terms of climate change, but also in terms of safeguarding our environment. In this regard, of interest are the national policies administered by the Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA). Some Auditor-General’s Reports have highlighted some of the challenges that ZEMA has in implementing the national policies on the environment, and that is a very big concern to me because there will be severe consequences for Zambia if we do not take care of our environment.

Madam Chairperson, one of the problems that I think ZEMA has is that even though the technocrats may give advice on certain issues, the hon. Minister can overrule the decisions of the agency. In this regard, I ask that the technocrats be left to do their job of taking care of our environment. For example, the National Milling Company (NMC) Limited should not have continued to operate on Cairo Road because grinding or processing corn or maize, as it is known here, into corn meal produces many environmental hazards. Such companies are best situated in industrial areas. So, there is a need to put in place and enforce environmental regulations, and that is where ZEMA must come in.

Madam, problem is the non-enforcement of regulations in the mining sector. We know that many of our water bodies are being polluted by waste from mining activities. It is, therefore, important that the ministry and ZEMA look into this problem so that they do not only safeguard people’s lives, but also protect our country.

Madam, in addition to the many concerns that my colleagues have raised, we who represent rural constituencies face the challenge of providing clean water. For example, Keembe Constituency is just about 50 km from Lusaka, yet it is not unheard of for people there to share the same sources of water with animals. That is why hon. Members of Parliament from rural areas take a keen interest in these kinds of debates. Something needs to change. As we continue to cry that no one be left behind, access to water is an entry point.

Madam, another area of concern is poor or inadequate water reticulation in public institutions. For example, some clinics still do not have running water. Some of them have gone as far as employing volunteers to draw water from nearby villages. This problem needs to be addressed if lives are to be saved. It is said that access to water is the entry point to every human being’s wellbeing. We all know that water is life. Most non-governmental organisations (NGOs) or individuals who support us in rural areas sometimes concentrate on schools, leaving out the communities. However, the communities still end up drawing its water from the schools, thereby putting a strain on the very few boreholes drilled by the well-wishers. If you went to most rural constituencies, you would find many boreholes that were sunk by different organisations, but especially Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA), which I think had a good relationship with the past Administration. The overwhelming demand for water made organisations like JICA to be unable to sustain the boreholes, which end up breaking down. The communities were also not able to sustain them.

Madam, I know that rural constituencies like Keembe have been spared by cholera. However, I think that it is very important for the ministry responsible for providing clean water to do its job so that we do not have cholera outbreaks. We cannot afford to let cases of cholera recur in the country. I know that many of my colleagues have spoken on this and that our responses to cholera outbreaks have become an annual ceremony, for lack of a better term. All of us are susceptible to contracting cholera as it continues to break out in our country. These are some of the things we need to address.

Madam Chairperson, I think that our country has lagged far behind in recycling. I know we do not debate ourselves, but think about the number of water bottles we use in this House, which are thrown away afterwards. Consider the size of Lusaka and imagine the number of bottles discarded overall. ZEMA and other organisations must promote recycling of our bottles so that we safeguard our environment. If you go round Lusaka, you will find young people, especially the homeless, collecting empty water bottles. In doing that, they are exposing themselves to diseases from the waste from which they collect the bottles. We do not know how the bottles are cleaned after they are picked. Even worse, in South Africa, there was a case of some people who started selling fake bottled water. The dangers of such a scenario can only be imagined. So, Zambia needs to prepare for some of the consequences that may result from drinking contaminated water.

Madam Chairperson, some councils are trying to sink boreholes in our constituencies. However, from what we are told, they can only sink one borehole in each ward. Therefore, in five years, there will still be many people left without safe water to drink. That is why I am saying that the hon.  Minister has to prioritise the rural areas.

Madam Chairperson, I did not hear the hon. Minister talk about poverty alleviation and the breaking the cycle of poverty, which will be difficult for the girl child because, oftentimes, in our villages, the boy child is allowed to play while the girl child is required to wake up very early in the morning to go and draw water from, sometimes, 5 km from home. After doing that, she has to go to school and may also have to do the same errand in the evening. That has a direct negative impact on their performance in class and development.

Madam, water and environmental issues are cardinal in this country and cannot be left the way they are. Significant improvements are needed, and that is why we are calling for ZEMA to be an independent body so that its decisions cannot be overruled by anyone, including the hon. Minister. Zambia is beautiful, but we need to leave it better and safer for our children and many other generations to come.

I thank you, Madam Chairperson.

Ms Chonya (Kafue): Madam Chairperson, thank you for giving me this opportunity to say something on this very important Vote, which is non-controversial, unlike the procurement of the fire tenders.

Laughter

Ms Chonya: We are talking about water, which is a basic human need. In this regard, I want to adopt my colleague’s sentiments on the challenges we experience in the provision of water to our people.

Madam Chairperson, as rightly pointed out, it is women who bear the brunt of this poor water supply because men rarely fetch water for cooking or washing. They enjoy it as it is given to them by our hardworking women.

Hon. Member: Hear, hear!

Ms Chonya: Madam Chairperson, I call for equitable distribution of boreholes. The hon. Minister promised to sink, at least, ten boreholes in each constituency this year and he has continued to assure us that the boreholes will be sunk. However, I do not know if we are still to expect that to be done in the remaining four weeks of this year. Yesterday, I could not help, but admire one person from this House who shared a report to a WhatsApp group on how his or her constituency had already benefitted from eighteen boreholes and how the constituency was very confident that more boreholes would be sunk because the target was thirty-five boreholes. I wondered how that was possible in one constituency when some of us have not seen a single borehole sunk in our constituencies. We get worried by this kind of resource sharing because some of us do not seem to be getting our fair share of the national cake in the provision of water. In some rural constituencies, our people still share their water sources with animals. We also talk about enhancing agriculture through the rearing of cattle, but we do not have sufficient dip tanks that can help us improve animal husbandry.

Madam, some of us who come from constituencies where there are rivers, for instance, the Kafue River passes through my constituency, are concerned that people with a lot of money have acquired pieces of land on the water fronts and blocked the local people who derived their livelihoods from the rivers from accessing them. The local people can no longer access the rivers and their animals can no longer drink from there because rich people have fenced off the water fronts. So, we ask the hon. Minister to guide us on the issue of water rights, especially for communities that live around water bodies to which they have historically had unlimited access.

Madam Chairperson, my grandmother comes from the Lusitu area of Siavonga. When you go to this village you actually find piped water. Before I knew the history, I used to wonder how a village could have piped water, but I was later informed that was provided to our forefathers as compensation and an incentive for their displacement from the Kariba Dam area. What I am trying to show is that even in the rural areas, it is possible to provide piped water where boreholes cannot be sunk. If we ensure that the human settlements in the urban areas are well-planned, we will be able to provide water in a more systematic way so that we do not worry much about issues of water pollution like we do now. With regard to sanitation, there is too much reliance on pit latrines, which are contributing to the contamination of underground water. With well-planned developments, we can go back to having sewerage systems instead of resorting to digging septic tanks. There is a lot that we can do to improve, be it in housing, roads or all the things that we need to attain the status of a developed country. We seem to current way of doing things, which have negative implications for our environment.

Madam Chairperson, my colleague from Keembe touched on the need to avoid political interference in the operations of the Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA). We have seen some of the agency’s professional advice on environmental issues overruled because of political influence. The effects of not respecting the advice of the experts will be felt in the long term.

Madam Chairperson, most of us know about the controversy surrounding the setting up of the iron and steel industry in Kafue. To date, the residents on the western side of the town still complain about the pollution coming from the industry, and we can expect to see the effects of that pollution in the long term. If ZEMA is allowed to work professionally, it can go in and control the level of pollution.

Madam Chairperson, it is possible for us to achieve all that we see in developed countries unless we want to remain where we are. At one point, we did not even imagine that we would have electricity in our villages, but now the Rural Electrification Authority (REA) is trying to take electricity to rural areas. Similarly, we can take piped water there.

Madam, that is my short contribution on this very important Vote.

I thank you, Madam Chairperson.

Mrs Katuta (Chienge): Madam Chairperson, I thank you for giving me and other female hon. Members the opportunity to debate this very important Vote because it touches on the welfare of many women in the country. I have very few words to add in support of this budget.

Madam, when I looked through the Yellow Book, I realised that the Vote has been allocated a small amount, yet water is life. I expected to see it allocated a lot of money like the Ministry of Home Affairs because without water, we would all be dead. One can have no food, yet still live for a period, provided one has water. So, I expected the technocrats in the Ministry of Finance to have considered this ministry very important.

Madam Chairperson, there is too much concentration on the urban areas. In Chienge, we have rivers and Lake Mweru. However, surprisingly, since 1953, no Government has thought of providing piped water for us, yet the water is just under our noses, so to say. All the Governments have failed us yet, if you look at the voting patterns, the constituency gives its heart whole-heartedly. Our water is clean and only needs a little purification, but the Government has failed us. We have even asked for boreholes and I have heard some of our colleagues boast here about the boreholes that have been sunk in their constituencies. However, if you go to Chienge, you will be greeted by a sorry site because the area is a salt belt. So, most boreholes sunk there easily dry up and I have been hoping that the Government will come to our aid. Imagine a place having a beautiful hospital without water. As we are in the rainy season, you will soon hear that there is an outbreak of cholera in Chienge not because of the carelessness of the people, but because of the poor water and sanitation environment. 

Madam Chairperson, I urge this ministry to look into the issue of boreholes seriously and not concentrate only on people in urban areas. The people in the rural areas are Zambians, too, and deserve a fair share of the national cake. I was so shocked to learn that Nkana Water and Sewerage Company was given US$510 million in 2010 by the Development Bank of Zambia (DBZ) and we hear that it has been bailed out again. What about the utility companies in other areas like Chienge? Our neighbours like Nchelenge and Kaputa…

Ng’onga: Hear, hear!

Mrs Katuta: … have been provided with water.

Mr A. M. Malama: Question!

Mrs Katuta: What about Chienge? I hear that the water tanks in Nchelenge, which is near Kaputa, will be renovated.

Mr A. M. Malama: Question!

Mrs Katuta: What is happening to this country? We have been debating the President’s pronouncements about development “… without leaving anyone behind”, but Chienge is being left behind. Our colleagues go to Chienge to ask for votes but, this time, it will be very difficult for them to get any because the people there are as good as dead. Why deny people such an essential thing as water?

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mrs Katuta: Madam, I do not think they need television. Give them water instead because it is life. Otherwise, we will soon spend money on a cholera outbreak. Is that necessary? Why not prevent the outbreak? As it is said, prevention is better than cure. I do not know if we enjoy wasting money so much that we wait for cholera to break out, then, rush in and spend money on fighting it. However, that is not caring for the people of Chienge. We are not showing love for them like we should by giving them water. There is a water pump that was provided by the Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) Government when Dr Katele Kalumba was the area Member of Parliament. However, to date, the Government has not come to our aid and the pump is just lying about idly.

Mr Livune: Hear, hear!

Mrs Katuta: The Government is failing to just set the machine up so that it starts pumping water and provide water kiosks. What is it that the people of Chienge have done to all the Governments? Our colleagues should not come to campaign there because they know they have not done anything.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mrs Katuta: I assure them that the people are tired.

Mr Ngulube: Question!

Mrs Katuta: You can question what I am saying, but you will meet the people in 2021 if you do not give them water, which …

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mrs Katuta: … is life. You cannot play with people’s lives like this. Neither can you question the people right to life. You can raise question on vehicles, not when we are talking about water.

Mr A. M. Malama: The Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) will not form a Government.

Mrs Katuta: You are most welcome.

Madam Chairperson, when the ministry’s budget was made, the hon. Minister should have sat down to check what has been allocated to the rural areas before bringing it to the House.

Mr Livune: Hear, hear!

Mrs Katuta: We see the allocations in the Budget year in and year out, but where does the money go? I plead to our colleagues to take care of all Zambians because it is a responsibility that has been given to them.

Mr Livune: Hear, hear!

Mrs Katuta: The people in the rural areas do not want to be given only schools and similar services. They want to enjoy all the good things that the people in urban areas enjoy. So, I support this budget. However, once again, I appeal to the hon. Minister and his technocrats are looking at the figures or whenever he goes somewhere to ask for grants …

Madam, the other time, I read in a newspaper about Petauke and some place in the Western Province being given a grant by a German organisation and I wondered why the grant was not extended to the people of Chienge, which does not have as big a population as the other places. We hear that the Government is making efforts to secure grants for other areas, and I plead with it to remember that the people of Chienge are Zambians, too. If they are not, let the Government declare it so that we stop bothering our colleagues.

I thank you, Madam Chairperson.

Mr Kalobo (Wusakile): Madam Chairperson, I thank you for the opportunity to debate this ministry.

Madam, the creation of the Ministry of Water Development, Sanitation and Environmental Protection was a good idea. However, it is heart-breaking to see our people still live as hewers of wood and drawers of water fifty-three years after Independence.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kalobo: Even in the mining area, where I am coming from, with all the abundant water being pumped from underground, our people are still struggling to get clean water. If human development is measured on how many people have access to basic things like food, water and decent housing, then, Zambia is clearly off tangent in terms of human development.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kalobo: There is no justification for our taps running dry when four major rivers dissect our country, ...

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kalobo: ... namely the Kafue, Zambezi, Luangwa and Luapula rivers. Further, never in the history of our country have we of any of the four rivers drying up.

Madam, access to clean water will reduce the disease burden of our communities. Our industrial waste should not kill us. So, to clean up our environment, the Government should encourage public-private partnerships (PPPs) the between the local authorities and the private sector in waste recycling. The country can also take advantage of the recycling drive to generate electricity from waste. As a starting point, the Government should concentrate on this initiative, not the nuclear energy option, which will only expose our constrained technical capabilities and poor preparedness for nuclear disaster management. 

Madam Chairperson, Zambians depend on this ministry because of its important role of providing clean and safe water. So, the ministry should not act like the other ministries that are failing to protect the workers of this country.

Madam Chairperson, I followed the hon. Minister’s statement closely and the people of Wusakile are in full support of the ministry’s target of providing clean and safe water to 100 per cent target of the country. In one local language, it is said that, “Ichela bapuma elo chikabile”, ...

Hon. Members: Meaning?

Mr Kalobo: ... meaning that iron is forged when it is still hot.

Interruptions

Mr Kalobo: Madam Chairperson, before I continue to deliver the message of the people of Wusakile, let me commend the ministry for the good job it is doing in water supply, sanitation and environmental protection in this country.

Mr Livune: Question!

Mr Kalobo: Madam Chairperson, after the creation of the ministry, the good people of Wusakile saw the Government start sourcing funds to upgrade the water supply and sanitation system in their area. That is the way to go. This ministry has also started constructing dams and sinking boreholes in Wusakile.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kalobo: Nevertheless, the people of Wusakile are concerned about the rate at which these works are being executed. They, therefore, urge this Government to put monitoring mechanisms so that the US$200 million loan that it has sourced is used for the intended purpose.

Madam Chairperson, this country also faces the problem of youth unemployment. Therefore, the youths of Wusakile say that they will provide the unskilled labour for the project.

Mr Kalobo: Madam Chairperson, since I always debate under five minutes, with those few words, I support the Budget for this ministry.

I thank you, Madam Chairperson.

Mr Ngulube: Ana kopela!

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear! Hammer, hammer!

Mr Mung’andu (Chama South): Madam Chairperson, I thank you for granting the people of Chama South the opportunity to support the budget for the Ministry of Water Development, Sanitation and Environmental Protection.

Madam Chairperson, all the hon. Members who have debated this Motion have indicated the importance of water to almost all facets of human endeavour. Therefore, in supporting these estimates of expenditure, I would like to draw the hon. Minister’s attention particularly to the needs of the people in rural Zambia.

Madam, I know that our country is urbanising at a very fast rate, and the Patriotic Front (PF) Government has embarked on the rehabilitation of water supply and sanitation systems. All the hon. Members from the Copperbelt will agree with me that our working Government …

Mr Livune: Question!

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mung’andu: … is not only rehabilitating almost all the water reticulation systems on the Copperbelt, but also providing piped water to new settlements. I encourage the hon. Minister to continue with the programme.

Madam Chairperson, for the benefit of the people of Chipili, the ministry is not only working on the Copperbelt. Here, in Lusaka, we have seen a number of roads are being diverted not to inconvenience the public, but to facilitate the installation of a new water reticulation system because the Lusaka Water and Sewerage Company (LWSC) wants the entire city to be covered by the new water reticulation system, and that has to be encouraged. The people in townships like Kalingalinga, Bauleni, Matero and Chipata are likely to start receiving clean drinking water because of this working PF  Government …

Mr Livune: Question!

Mr Mung’andu: … of His Excellency the President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mung’andu: The people of Chama South are very delighted by the efforts that this Government is making to provide clean and safe water, which is one of the priority indicators in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to them.

Madam Chairperson, the water situation might be different in most of our rural communities. For example, in Chama South, there are places like Chibungaila and, especially, Chigoma where our mothers cover a distance of not less than 10 km to access water from the Luangwa River. However, that is not because the working PF Government has not made an effort to provide water, but because of the terrain of the area. Almost all experts who have been sent to the area to explore for water have failed to find it despite digging as deep as 150 m. I ask the ministry to take particular interest in construct dams in such areas. As others have pointed out, the women of Zambia bear the brunt of the water problem. I do not know the traditions of the people of Chipili and other constituencies. However, in Chama South and some parts of the Northern Province, it is a woman’s duty to draw water. So, the hon. Minister should sit down with the technocrats and find ways of alleviating the plight of women. I know it is unparliamentary to refer to individuals who have just come here to listen to the debates. However, the technocrats are here. So, they must sit down and find ways of making water available to the women. In my opinion, the best way is through the sinking of boreholes.

Ms Mulenga: Hear, hear!

Mr Mung’andu: Madam Chairperson, I expected to see a Budget line for the procurement of new drilling rigs. It is the wish of the people of Chama South to see every council in this country given not less than two drilling rigs. I say so because Chama South and many other valley areas have loamy soil formations, not rocky like Lusaka.  Therefore, if only one rig is provided and it is suitable for drilling in rocky areas, that rig will not work in non-rocky areas. Therefore, the councils or provincial administration should be equipped with two rigs, one for each of the geological formation.

Madam Chairperson, in consultation with hon. Members of Parliament, the ministry can come up with a deliberate policy on the procurement of rigs. In the past, have made their plans without involving the hon. Members of Parliament, who know the areas where water is needed. For that reason, some boreholes become white elephants. When this working Government decided to establish public entertainment centres, the hon. Minister of Information and Broadcasting consulted us.

Ms Mulenga: Hear, hear!

Mr Livune: Question!

Mr Mung’andu: Similarly, when the technocrats want to sink boreholes, they should consult us through the hon. Minister. We know that it is not possible to sink a borehole in every village. However, we know that if one is sunk, for example, at Tendere, it would service many villages around that area.

Madam, I have noticed that there is little money allocated to the sinking of boreholes in the 2018 Budget. Instead, emphasis has been put on dam construction and rehabilitation. Therefore, the people of Chama South expect 60 per cent of the 2019 Budget to go to the provision of water in rural areas.

Madam Chairperson, finally, I would like to inform the hon. Minister that our water sources, such as rivers and underground reservoirs, face serious threats. In Lusaka Central, where I stay, some boreholes are placed within 3 m of septic tanks. That is dangerous and laws have to be enacted to protect our water sources. In rural areas, previously, our people used to draw clean water from the streams. Now, the sources are slowly becoming endangered by population growth and human activities. Therefore, using a multi-sectoral approach, the ministry should work with other ministries should enact laws that will create buffer zones around the water sources, especially the rivers that are very important to the provision of water in our country. For example, Kafue River provides water to almost all the major cities in this country, as it traverses the country from the Copperbelt Province to the Southern Province. Another important river is the Zambezi. However, its source is threatened. Equally, the Luangwa River, which passes through Chama, has been encroached upon by the people. Therefore, as the hon. Minister plans activities in water resource management, he should consider plans for protecting our water sources.

Madam, with those few remarks, I support the estimates.

I thank you, Madam Chairperson.

Mr Kaziya: Madam Chairperson, I wish to pay tribute to all the hon. Members of Parliament who have debated this important Vote.

Mr Ngulube: Hear, hear!

Mr Kaziya: I thank most sincerely Hon. Chaatila from Moomba, Hon. Mwila from Chimwemwe, Hon. Kanene from Keembe, Hon. Chonya from Kafue …

Laughter

The Chairperson: Order, hon. Minister!

The Member of Parliament for Keembe is Hon. Kasune. We do not have Hon. Kanene in this House.

Mr Kaziya: Sorry for that mispronunciation, Madam. Bear with me.

Madam, I also wish to pay tribute to Hon. Katuta from Chienge, Hon. Kalobo from Wusakile, Hon. Mung’andu …

The Chairperson: Order!

Business was suspended from 1810 hours until 1830 hours.

[THE CHAIRPERSON OF COMMITEES in the

 Chair]

Mr Kaziya: Madam Chairperson, before business was suspended, I was acknowledging the hon. Members who debated the Vote for my ministry, and I was about to mention Hon. Chisangano.

Madam, all the debaters raised concerns on water reticulation in their constituencies, with one pointing out that women and children in rural areas are the ones who suffer the most where access to clean water is a problem. More important still is the fact that they have all acknowledged the important role that water plays in our lives and the importance of providing good sanitation services to our communities.

Madam, issues of the environment were also prominent in the hon. Member’s debates, and the Government is committed to ensuring that issues of the environment, such as land degradation; protection of water heads, water lands, wetlands and marshlands; deforestation; and pollution, are given attention they deserve.

Madam, the Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) will continue to act professionally in exercising oversight on issues of the environment.

I thank you, Madam Chairperson.

VOTE 52/01 – (Ministry of Water Development, Sanitation and Environmental Protection – Human Resources and Administration Department – K75,576,010).

Mr Mwene (Mangango): Madam Chairperson, I seek clarification on Programme 1137, Activity 090 – Procurement of Office Equipment – K84,000 and Activity 099 – Procurement of Office Equipment – K20,170. There are two allocations for the same activity. Further, the amounts allocated to the two activities in 2017 are identical but, in this Budget, they are different. Is this not a duplication of activities?

Mr Kaziya: Madam Chairperson, Programme 1137, Activity 090 – Procurement of Office Equipment – K84,000 and Activity 099 – Procurement of Office Equipment – K20,170 are not a duplication of one activity, as they are meant to cater for the cost of procuring various office equipment in the ministry.

I thank you, Madam.

The Chairperson: Hon. Minister, why are the amounts identical in the 2017 Budget, but different in the 2018 Budget?

Mr Kaziya: Madam, the amounts were the same this year, but one activity has been phased out. That is the reason it seems like two are the same activity.

The Chairperson: Can you repeat your statement about an activity being phased out. Is that the response, hon. Minister?

Mr Kaziya: Madam, one activity was realigned to another department.

The Chairperson: Which department?

Mr Kaziya: Madam Chairperson, I would like to correct the statement that one activity has been phased out. The figures for the two activities are the same and they are provided for the procurement of office equipment.

I thank you, Madam Chairperson.

Mr Chabi: Eku sobana!

Mr Samakayi (Mwinilunga): Madam Chairperson, I have a couple of questions on pages 800 and 801. Firstly, why is there a huge increase in the allocation to Programme 1000, Activity 001 – Salaries Division I – K14,151,970. The allocation for 2017 was K5 million. Secondly, why has the allocation to Programme 1007, Activity 007 – Personnel Related Arrears – K3,000,000 increased from the 2017 amount of K470,896? I also seek clarification on Programme 1010, Activity 091 – Verification of Responses to Audit Queries – K315,000 and Activity 065 …

The Chairperson: Order!

Give the hon. Minister an opportunity to respond.

Mr Kaziya: Madam Chairperson, could the hon. Member mention the page number again.

The Chairperson: It is page 800, Programme 1000, Activity 001 – Salaries Division I – K14,151,970. The allocation to this activity in 2017 was K4,977,347. The question is: why such a huge increase? Answer that question before the next one.

Mr Kaziya: Madam Chairperson, the increase in the allocation to Programme 1000, Activity 001 – Salaries Division I – K14,151,970 is the result of an increase in activities.

I thank you, Madam.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

The Chairperson: The next question is on Programme 1007, Activity 007 – Personnel Related Arrears – K3,000,000. Again, there is a big increase from K470,896 to K3 million. Have you got that one, Hon. Minister?

Mr Kaziya: Not yet.

The Chairperson: It is on page 800.

Mr Kaziya: Madam Chairperson, Programme 1007, Activity 007 – Personnel Related Arrears – K3,000,000 is meant to cater for the dismantling of arrears accrued in the procurement of goods and services in this fiscal year. The increase is due to the inherent arrears after the realignment of the ministry.

I thank you, Madam.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

The Chairperson: Hon. Samakayi, you can now ask your question on page 801.

Mr Samakayi: Madam Chairperson, I seek clarification on page 801, Programme 1010.

Could the hon. Minister explain …

The Chairperson: Order, hon. Member!

Which activity of Programme 1010?

Mr Samakayi: Programme 1010, Activity 09.

The Chairperson:  There is no ‘Activity 09’. Do you mean Activity 091?

Mr Samakayi: Yes, madam. Programme 1010, Activity 091 – Verification of Responses to Audit Queries – K315,000. In 2017, this activity was allocated K20,210 was allocated to this Activity. Further, under the same programme, there is Activity 065 – Audits of Revenue and Expenditure – K335,000, Activity 089 – Audit of Departments – K330,000 and Activity 099 – Audit of Books of Account – K151,790. What is the rationale behind these activities? Who audits the ministry’s accounts? I thought it was the Auditor-General’s Office. Further, why is the verification of audit responses more costly than the actual audit when there are normally only a few queries that need verification and the exercise is supposed to be a very simple? It is supposed to be undertaken in a few days.

The Chairperson: Order, hon. Samakayi!

You are supposed to ask a question, not debate.

Hon. Minister, explain why there is such a big increase in the allocation to the verification of responses to audit queries and why the total expenditure on audits is so high.

Mr Kaziya: Madam Chairperson, the increase in the allocations to Programme … is due to the increase in planned internal activities after the realignment of the ministry.

I thank you, Madam.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwiinga (Chikankata): Madam Chairperson, I seek clarification on Programme 1003 Activity 039 – Staff Training and Development – K400,000. This year, the activity was allocated K79,278. What kind of training and development will require this huge sum of money?

Mr Kaziya: Madam Chairperson, the increase in the allocation to … is due to the capacity building requirements for new staff in the realigned ministry.

I thank you, Madam.

Mr Miyutu (Kalabo Central): Madam Chairperson, I seek clarification on pages 801 and 803, Programme 1030, Activity 001 – Attending Workshops, International Conventions and Conferences – K515,000. Why is this programme repeated on two different pages?

The Chairperson: Hon. Miyutu, we are not yet on Vote 52/02. We are dealing with the programmes on pages 800 to 802, which are under Vote 52/01.

Mr Miyutu: Madam Chairperson, my question is on page 801, but I reserve it.

Vote 52/01 ordered to stand part of the Estimates.

VOTE 52/02 – (Ministry of Water Development, Sanitation and Environmental Protection – Environment and Natural Resources Management Department – K301,942,880).

Mr Mutati: Madam Chairperson, I beg to move an amendment to the Vote by the deletion of the department name “Ministry of Water Development, Sanitation and Environmental Protection – Environment and Natural Resources Management” and the substitution therefor of the department name “Ministry of Water Development, Sanitation and Environmental Protection – Environmental Management”.

Amendment agreed to and Vote amended accordingly.

Vote 52/02, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Estimates.

VOTE 53/03 – (Ministry of Water Development, Sanitation and Environmental Protection – Department of Water Resources Development – K44,962,000).

Mr Mwiimbu: Madam Chairperson, I seek clarification on Programme 1395, Activity 001 – Rehabilitation and Maintenance of Dams – K3,540,000, and Programme 1398, Activity 001 – Construction of Dams – K30,000,000. How many boreholes will be drilled under Programme 1395 and where?

The Chairperson: Mr Mwiimbu, the construction of Dams is on Programme 1398.

Mr Mwiimbu: Madam Chairperson, I am sorry.

Madam, on Programme 1395, Activity 001 – Rehabilitation and Maintenance of Dams – K3,540,000, how many dams will be rehabilitated and where?

Mr Kaziya: Madam Chairperson, Programme 1395, Activity 001 – Rehabilitation and Maintenance of Dams – K3,540,000 is meant to facilitate the rehabilitation and maintenance of selected small multi-purpose dams in countrywide. It will also cater for procurement or hire of materials, tools, plant equipment and maintenance works, and wages, allowances, community mobilisation, sensitisation, and training in operations and maintenance. 

Madam Chairperson, Programme 1398, Activity 001 – Construction of Dams – K30,000,000 is meant to cater for the construction of three small earth dams for multi-purpose use in selected needy areas to increase access to water for domestic, irrigation, livestock, fisheries, flood and drought mitigation, and water conservation. It will also cater for the management of contracts and compensation of people in the areas affected by the construction. 

I thank you, Madam Chairperson.

Mr Mwiimbu: Madam Chairperson, the hon. Minister has not answered my question, which is very categorical. I asked him how many boreholes will be sunk and where. He must have that information since this is an activity-based budget. The same applies to the second question. Can he tell me how many dams will be constructed and where. He can just tell me whether a borehole will be sunk, for example, in Matero.

The Chairperson: Hon. Minister, are you able to provide that information? You can, probably, give an estimation of how many dams you think can be rehabilitated.

Mr Kaziya: Madam Chairperson, on Programme 1395, Activity 001 – Rehabilitation and Maintenance of Dams – K3,540,000, I said that the provision is for the maintenance of dams, not boreholes. There is no borehole mentioned in this programme. I have mentioned that the provision is meant to facilitate the rehabilitation and maintenance of small boreholes for multi-purpose use.

I thank you, Madam Chairperson.

Hon. Government Member: Hear, hear!

The Chairperson: Hon. Minister, you are the one mentioning boreholes. You initially said that the two programmes are all on dams. However, you have just mentioned boreholes in connection with the two programmes. Please, clarify that point.

Mr Kaziya: Madam Chairperson, thank you for that guidance.

Madam, the programme is on dams, not boreholes.

I thank you, Madam Chairperson.

Hon. Opposition Members: Where?

Mr Kaziya: Madam Chairperson, I have mentioned that it will be countrywide.

I thank you, Madam Chairperson.

Hon. Government Member: Hear, hear!

Mr Nanjuwa: Madam Chairperson, I seek clarification on Programme 1302, Activity 007 – Purchase of Dam Construction Machinery – K850,000. In 2017, this activity was allocated K450,000. How many machines will be purchased?

Mr Kaziya: Madam Chairperson, Programme 1302, Activity 007 – Purchase of Dam Construction Machinery – K850,000 is meant for the purchase of dam construction equipment, which will contribute to the reduction of costs associated with the construction and maintenance of water resources infrastructure.

I thank you, Madam Chairperson.

Mr Lihefu (Manyinga): Madam Chairperson, I seek clarification on page 107…

The Chairperson: Order, hon. Member!

There is no page 107.

Mr Lihefu: Sorry, Madam Chairperson.

Madam, I seek clarification on page 807, ...

Hon. Government Members: Question!

Mr Lihefu: ... Programme 1140, Activity 004 – Inspection and Monitoring of Projects – K100,000. The allocation to this Activity has been reduced to K100,000 from the K200,000 allocated last year. Why has the allocation to this very important Activity been reduced?

Mr Kaziya: Madam Chairperson, Programme 1140, Activity 004 – Inspection and Monitoring of Projects – K100,000 is meant for effective follow-up on projects. The decrease is due a result of the integration of some activities into other programmes.

I thank you.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Vote 52/03 ordered to stand part of the Estimates.

VOTE 52/04 – (Ministry of Water Development, Sanitation and Environmental Protection – Department of Water Resources Development – K11,478,130).

The Minister of Finance (Mr Mutati): Madam Chairperson, I beg to move an amendment to Vote 52/04 – Ministry of Water Development, Sanitation and Environmental Protection under Unit 03 ‒ Water Planning Unit, by the deletion of the unit name “Water Planning Unit” and the substitution therefor of the unit name “Monitoring and Evaluation Unit”.                        

Question put and agreed to. Vote amended accordingly.

Mr Samakayi (Mwinilunga): Madam Chairperson, I seek clarification on what Programme 1203, Activity 028 – Sector Funding Mechanism – K300,000, is all about.

Mr Kaziya: Madam Chairperson, Programme 1203, Activity 028 – Sector Funding Mechanism – K300,000 is a new activity that is associated with mechanism for funding to the environmental sector.

I thank you, Madam.

Mr Mwene: Madam Chairperson, I seek clarification on Programme 1192, Activity 002 – Budget Development and Planning and Co-ordination – K300,000. Last year, the activity was not budgeted for but, this year, it has been allocated a lot of money. Why has so much money been allocated to budgeting?

Mr Kaziya: Madam Chairperson, Programme 1192, Activity 002 – Budget Development Planning and Co-ordination – K300,000 is also a new activity meant to provide for development planning and co-ordination.

I thank you.

Mrs Simukoko: Hear, hear!

Vote 52/04, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Estimates.

VOTE 52/06 – (Ministry of Water Development, Sanitation and Environmental Protection – Housing and Infrastructure Development – K544,043,000).

Mr Mutati: Madam Chairperson, I beg to move an amendment to the Vote by the deletion of the department name “Ministry of Water Development, Sanitation and Environmental Protection – Housing and Infrastructure Development” and the substitution therefor of the department name “Ministry of Water Development, Sanitation and Environmental Protection – Water Supply and Sanitation”.

Amendment agreed to and Vote 52/06 amended accordingly.

Mr Samakayi: Madam Chairperson, would the hon. Minister explain to the House why the counterpart funding to donor-funded projects has gone down.

The Chairperson: Which programme is that?

Mr Samakayi: Madam Chairperson, Programme 5011, Activity 018 – Counterpart Funding to Donor Funded Project – K5,016,880. In 2017, the Activity was allocated K12,974,051. Why has the allocation been reduced?

Mr Kaziya: Madam Chairperson, Programme 5011, Activity 018 – Counterpart Funding to Donor Funded Project – K5,016,880 is meant to provide counterpart funding for the donor-support project on water supply and sanitation. The reduction is due to the scaling down of activities as a result of the completion of the project.

I thank you, Madam Chairperson.

Vote 52/06, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Estimates.

Vote 52/07 ordered to stand part of the Estimates.

VOTE 80 – (Ministry of General Education – K9,577,288,885).

The Minister of General Education (Dr Wanchinga): Madam Chairperson, I thank you for giving me the opportunity to issue a statement in support of the 2018 budget for the Ministry of General Education. In doing so, I will, firstly, describe very briefly the core functions of the ministry and highlight some performance milestones reached during the 2017 Budget. Secondly, I will give a breakdown of the 2018 budget for the ministry. Given the central role of this sector to the socio-economic development and general well-being of the country, I have every belief that the hon. Members of the House will support these estimates without hesitation.

Madam, the 2018 budget for my ministry are informed by the Patriotic Front (PF) Manifesto and the President’s policy pronouncements, and are in line with the ministry’s Education and Skills Sector Strategic Plan and the country’s strategic priorities for the period 2017 to 2021. The priorities are, in turn, aligned to the Seventh National Development Plan (7NDP). An effort was also made to factor into the budget the various concerns that have been repeatedly expressed in recent Parliamentary debates, such as the need to lower the teacher/pupil ratio through the recruitment of teachers, the need to increase the national classroom capacity to absolve some of the over 800,000 out-of-school children and the need for  improved classroom facilities like desks, information and communication technology (ICT) equipment, and the provision of decent housing units for teachers. The House has also repeatedly heard calls for us to complete the various school infrastructures being constructed countrywide, some of which have been at the portal frame level for a number of years. We have also been called upon to enhance our capacity to respond to disasters, especially those that strike during the rainy season, such as the blowing off of roofs and collapsing of walls, and the degradation of school infrastructure due to age.

Madam Chairperson, the 2018 Budget has attempted to respond to these concerns either through budgetary provisions or policy shifts. For example, in order to enhance service delivery, the decision has now been made that the manufacture and distribution of desks will now be done at provincial and district centres by contractors who will be engaged by the ministry. Similarly, the ministry is seriously considering decentralising the recruitment of primary school teachers to district and provincial levels in order to address the disturbing phenomenon of teachers leaving rural areas and many schools unmanned.

Mr Ngulube: Hear, hear!

Dr Wanchinga: Only secondary school teachers will be recruited centrally.

Madam Chairperson, the mandate of the ministry is structured around five sector pillars, namely, early childhood education, primary education, secondary education, youth and adult literacy, and management and support services. These pillars are backed stopped by a number of Government institutions, namely the Examination Council of Zambia (ECZ), Zambia Educational Publishing House (ZEPH) and the Teaching Council of Zambia (TCZ).

Madam, the ministry superintends over 8,824 primary schools, of which 2,480 are community schools, and 851 secondary schools, of which eighteen are community schools. It is also the largest public sector employer, with 104,000 teachers, who do not include the 3,140 who have just been recruited.

The Chairperson: Order!

(Debate adjourned)

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HOUSE RESUMED

[MR SPEAKER in the Chair]

(Progress reported)

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MOTION

ADJOURNMENT

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

Question put and agreed to.

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The House adjourned at 1913 hours until 1430 hours on Thursday, 30^th November, 2017.

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