Thursday, 16^thSeptember, 2021

 

The House met at 1430hours

 

[MADAM SPEAKER in the Chair]

 

PRAYER

_______

 

COMPOSITION OF SESSIONAL COMMITTEES

 

SESSIONAL COMMITTEES – MEMBERSHIP

 

Madam Speaker: Hon. Members, in accordance with Article 80 of the Constitution of Zambia Cap. 1 of the Laws of Zambia, and Standing Order 165 of the National Assembly of Zambia Standing Orders, 2021, the Standing Orders Committee has appointed Members of Parliament to various standing committees for the First Session of the Thirteenth National Assembly as follows:

 

HOUSE KEEPING COMMITTEES

 

House Business Committee (10)

 

The Hon. Speaker (Chairperson)

 

The Hon. Mrs M. Nalumango, MP, Her Honour the Vice-President

 

The Hon. M. Chisangano, MP, First Deputy Speaker (Vice Chairperson)

 

The Hon. M. Moyo, MP, Second Deputy Speaker

 

The Hon. S. Mulusa, MP, Government Chief Whip

 

The Hon. B. N. Mundubile, MP, Leader of the Opposition

 

Mr S. Kampyongo, MP, Patriotic Front Whip

 

Mr B. Mpundu, MP

 

Ms K. S. Mulenga, MP

 

Dr C. Andeleki, MP

 

Committee on Privileges and Absences (10)

 

The Hon. M. Chisangano, MP, First Deputy Speaker (Chairperson)

The Hon. Mr M. Haimbe, MP, Minister of Justice

 

The Hon. S. Mulusa, MP, Government Chief Whip

 

The Hon. B. N. Mundubile, MP, Leader of the Opposition

 

Mr I. Wamunyima, MP

 

Mr D. M. Mabumba, MP

 

Ms B. Nyirenda, MP

 

Brig-Gen. M. S. Sitwala, MP

 

Ms S. K. Sefulo, MP

 

Mr C. C. Kang’ombe, MP

 

Parliamentary Reforms and Modernisation Committee (10)

 

The Hon. M. Moyo, MP, Second Deputy Speaker (Chairperson)

 

The Hon. Dr S. Musokotwane, MP, Minister of Finance

 

The Hon. M. Haimbe, MP, Minister of Justice

 

The Hon. G. Nkombo, MP, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development

 

The Hon. Ms P. Kasune, MP, Deputy Government Chief Whip

 

Mr J. Chibuye, MP

 

Mr M. Kafwaya, MP

 

Mr S. K. Michelo, MP

 

Mr E. M. Musonda, MP

 

Ms M. Nakaponda, MP

 

GENERAL PURPOSES COMMITTEES

 

Public Accounts Committee (10)

 

Mr A. C. Mumba, MP

 

Mr N. M. Mukumbi, MP

 

Mr W. C. Mwambazi, MP

 

Mr I. Wamunyima, MP

 

Mr J. Daka, MP

 

Mr L. Mufalali, MP

 

Mr K. Mukosa, MP

 

Ms M. Phiri, MP

 

Mrs J. Sabao, MP

 

Mr V. Lumayi, MP

 

Committee on Delegated Legislation (10)

 

Mr J. Mulebwa, MP

 

Mrs E. Munashabantu, MP

 

Mr K. Siachisumo, MP

 

Mr R. M Mutale, MP

 

Mr C. Chibuye, MP

 

Mr G. Ngowani, MP

 

Amb. J. Malanji, MP

 

Mr P. Twasa, MP

 

Mr S. Hlazo, MP

 

Mr M. Nyambose, MP

 

Committee on Government Assurances (10)

 

Mr E. Kamondo, MP

 

Ms J. Nyemba, MP

 

Mr G. K. Kandafula, MP

 

Mr E. Banda, MP

 

Mr E. Tembo, MP

 

Mr K. Mandandi, MP

 

Mr D. Mulunda, MP

 

Mr H. Mapani, MP

 

Mr F. R. Kapyanga, MP

 

Mr R. M. Chabinga, MP

 

PORTFOLIO COMMITTEES

 

Committee on Media, Information and Communication Technologies (10)

 

Mr S. Mushanga, MP

 

Ms B. Nyirenda, MP

 

Mr A. Z. Lubusha, MP

 

Mr Munir Zulu, MP

 

Mr R. M. Kangombe, MP

 

Mr L. Mkandawire, MP

 

Mr W. Mulaliki, MP

 

Mr O. Amutike, MP

 

Mr M. K. Tembo, MP

 

Eng. S. Mabenga, MP

 

Committee on Energy, Water Development and Tourism (10)

 

Mr C. C. Kang’ombe, MP

 

Mrs E. Munashabantu, MP

 

Mr P. Kalobo, MP

 

Mr C. A. B. Katotobwe, MP

 

Eng. S. Mabenga, MP

 

Mr G. Ngowani, MP

 

Mr R. K. Chitotela, MP

 

Ms K. S. Mulenga, MP

 

Mr L. Hamwaata, MP

 

Mr R. M. Kangombe, MP

 

Committee on Local Government Accounts (10)

 

Mr M. K. Tembo, MP

 

Rev. G. Katuta, MP

 

Mr L. Chibombwe, MP

 

Mr K. Kampampi, MP

 

Mr M. Nkulukusa, MP

 

Mr W. Kolala, MP

 

Mr Emmanuel M. Musonda, MP

 

Mr L. Simumba, MP

 

Mr M. Mutelo, MP

 

Mr L. Lubozha, MP

 

Committee on Local Governance, Housing and Chiefs’ Affairs (10)

 

Mr N. Samakayi, MP

 

Mr T. S. Simuzingili, MP

 

Mr M. Jamba, MP

 

Mr T. E. Mutinta, MP

 

Mr B. Lusambo, MP

 

Mr C. Shakafuswa, MP

 

Mr S. Mwale, MP

 

Ms M. Mabonga, MP

 

Mr K. Siachisumo, MP

 

Mr R. M. Mutale, MP

 

Committee on National Economy, Trade and Labour Matters (10)

 

Mr B. Mpundu, MP

 

Mr R. K. Chitotela, MP

 

Mr M. Kafwaya, MP

 

Mr N. Simutowe, MP

 

Mr G. Sialubalo, MP

 

Ms S. K. Sefulo, MP

 

Mr D. Chisopa, MP

 

Mr D. M. Mabumba, MP

 

Mr E. Kamondo, MP

 

Mr M. Mubika, MP

 

Committee on National Security and Foreign Affairs (10)

 

Mr C. M. Mpundu, MP

 

Ms S. Mwamba, MP

 

Mr L. J. Simbao, MP

 

Brig-Gen. M. S. Sitwala, MP

 

Mr M. Malambo, MP

 

Mr S. Hlazo, MP

 

Mr S. C. Chanda, MP

 

Mr P. Twasa, MP

 

Mr C. Chibuye, MP

 

Mr W. Mulaliki, MP

 

Committee on Parastatal Bodies (10)

 

Mr M. Anakoka, MP

 

Mr B. Kambita, MP

 

Ms J. Nyemba, MP

 

Mr A. M. Kasandwe, MP

 

Mr V. P. Musumali, MP

 

Mr S. Kampyongo, MP

 

Mr J. Chibuye, MP

 

Mr R. M. Chabinga, MP

 

Mr H. Mapani, MP

 

Mrs M. C. Mazoka, MP

 

The composition of other committees will be announced tomorrow.

 

Hon. Members, after I have completed announcing the composition of all the committees, if any hon. Member finds that they do not belong to any Committee, such Member should inform the Office of the Clerk accordingly.

 

I thank you.

 

_______

 

MOTION

 

MOTION OF THANKS

 

(Debate resumed)

 

Mr Simbao (Luanshya): Madam Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for giving me an opportunity to represent the people of Luanshya for the very first time in this House. I, therefore, would like to start by giving my maiden speech and then, contribute to debate on the Motion of Thanks.

 

Madam Speaker, I would like to start by congratulating the people of Zambia for the liberation and victory they witnessed by choosing the United Party for National Development (UPND). They used the UPND as a vehicle to carry Zambia forward and for this, we, as a nation, are proud of that victory.

 

Madam Speaker, allow me to acknowledge and appreciate the people of Luanshya for giving me this mandate to represent them in this House. Indeed, it is not that I was the best in Luanshya. There are a number of people in Luanshya who would have represented them, but this time around, they decided to give me an opportunity to serve. For this, I want to affirm my commitment and loyalty to the people of Luanshya. They chose progress over retrogression of the former regime. They did this by electing our President, His Excellency, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, electing me as Member of Parliament, the mayor, and a number of councillors under the UPND party. They chose them to lead the team of Luanshya to a brighter future.

 

Madam Speaker, I want to thank God for the following people. The first I would like to thank is my wife, who is a qualified administrator with a master’s degree from the University of Zambia (UNZA), and is very professional in her work. When the former Ruling Party heard that I was standing as Member of Parliament in Luanshya, it decided to victimise her. She is a Town Clerk, but she was asked to choose between being disciplined or me stepping down. She decided to be disciplined. For the past five months, my wife has been serving a suspension. I thank God that the UPND went through because had it not been the case, as I am speaking, my wife would have now received a letter of expulsion. Currently, she is still at home waiting to be recalled.

 

Madam Speaker, I also want to thank my children whom I gave up for the sake of campaigns, and they understood. I want to thank my campaign manager, Mr Mtonga, especially his family, who completely gave him to me so that he could assist me during the campaigns. Further, I want to thank the Christians of Luanshya, especially the Pastors and Reverends, who tirelessly joined me in prayer. For this, I am very grateful.

 

Madam Speaker, I want to go on and thank Betty, Winny, Niko, and Bana Lwewo for their support. I also want to thank Amos and Isaac for driving my campaign vehicle; they really did a great job. I want to thank the ward, constituency, district and, indeed, the provincial officials for adopting me.

 

Madam Speaker, Luanshya has endured the pain caused by the former Government. There was a lack of freedom of expression in Luanshya. While in Luanshya, you would never mention anything to do with the UPND without getting into trouble for it. There was a problem with freedom of assembly. It is no wonder that you would find that at no point did His Excellency, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, visit Luanshya because every time he was about to visit Luanshya, they made sure he never went there. As we read in the Bible, when the Lord Jesus was passing by and the blind people heard, about him, they tried to call out to him but some people tried to stop them. The more they stopped them, the louder they shouted, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy upon us.”

 

Madam Speaker, this is what happened in Luanshya. The more they tried to make sure that His Excellency, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, did not go to Luanshya, the more Luanshya shouted, “Change, change, change!” Luanshya had been reduced to a town of beggars.

 

Madam Speaker, it is extremely disappointing to see the roads that are in Luanshya. You would not believe that it is a town in Zambia. We are so disappointed with the former Government because the former President visited Luanshya and he saw the state of the roads in Luanshya, yet he decided to do nothing about it. I doubt if at all Luanshya ever had leaders because if it had any, they would have been going to the former President to explain to him about the state of roads in Luanshya. We read of how Nehemiah’s face fell down when he heard of how Jerusalem had been torn down. However, the type of leaders we had had no feelings for Luanshya Town, which is extremely disappointing.

 

Madam Speaker, I want to assure the people of Luanshya that I will not let them down. I want to assure them that I will make sure that everything that belongs to Luanshya goes back to Luanshya. I am not going to be scared to mention it to any Government officials, including the hon. Ministers. As long as it is a demand for something that I think Luanshya deserves to have, I am going to make sure that I make it. I will always be available for the people of Luanshya. I will call until we make Luanshya a better town, once again, to live in. Right now, we are ashamed to say we come from Luanshya because it is not a town that one can boast about.

 

Madam Speaker, I want to appreciate the UPND Manifesto because it actually meets the challenges of Luanshya very well. It is for this reason that I feel proud to belong to the UPND at a time when Luanshya is going to restore its glory.

 

Madam Speaker, allow me now to move on to the speech by His Excellency the President. Firstly, I want to congratulate the President on the speech which he brought to the House. The speech actually describes the kind of man he is, a true Christian. He is a man of peace and with a purpose to fulfil to God’s people. When I recall the kind of life he led when he was an Opposition Leader, it is very sad to remember the way he was treated by the former Government.

 

It is very disappointing how some of those who supported him humiliated him whenever they changed camps. It was only God who saw him through each day. That is the only explanation that I can give; it was only God who made him see each other day, yet this man walked in here and said politics should not divide us but unite us. I feel very encouraged by that. I want to remind the people of Luanshya that this is what I will bring back to Luanshya. Politics are not going divide to us; they must unite us. I do not care where one belongs; I am a Member of Parliament for everyone in Luanshya. He spoke of unity, peace and love.

 

Madam Speaker, I draw great inspiration to be a leader from the President’s Speech. In his speech, the President stressed industrialisation. In the past, Luanshya was among the industrious towns on the Copperbelt. It had so many industries and a number of people were employed. Today, there is no industry to talk about in Luanshya; nothing. As I was heard the President, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, talk about how he would want the industries to become important, I felt encouraged. I foresee Luanshya being restored, once again, and the people of Luanshya getting jobs. I will make sure I help the President to find people who would want to invest in Luanshya. I will always be there. I am not going to leave this task to him alone. I thank God that when I worked for Zambia Metal Fabrication (ZAMEFA), I had a great opportunity to get a number of contacts, which I am going to use to see what I can bring to Luanshya as I work for His Excellency the President, Mr Hakainde Hichilema.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Simbao: Madam Speaker, Luanshya has been known as a mining town but, of late, things have changed. The people of Luanshya have now turned to agriculture and they make sure that they plough. I was so happy to hear the President attach great importance to agriculture. As I said earlier, I will make sure I work closely with the hon. Minister of Agriculture until the ministry attaches great importance to agriculture in Luanshya. However, the Ministry of Agriculture in Luanshya literally has no vehicle. I wonder how the previous Government expected the agricultural staff to go round to encourage the farmers. I will make sure that agricultural officers get a vehicle so that they are able to visit the farmers.

 

Madam Speaker, I was happy to hear the President encourage us to be sensitive to the challenges of our people. In Luanshya, there is a township called Fisenge. It has been a township for very long time, but very little attention has been given to it. Our girl children would walk 10 km to town to go to school and a number of things not worth mentioning in here happened to them. Yes, the previous Government built a school but for some reason or the other, it has not been completed and I do not even know how the pupils are learning. I will make sure that the school is completed by working closely with the hon. Minister of Education.

 

Madam Speaker, Kasongo is a township which is very near the Boma and the Medical Stores Limited (MSL) built a store just about 100 m away from Kasongo, yet there is no electricity. Therefore, I was excited when the President talked about electrifying rural areas. Kasongo deserves to have electricity. There is a school and clinic in Kasongo, but all these facilities do not have electricity. It is very sad. How do children learn like that?

 

Madam Speaker, in conclusion, I wish to, once again, thank the people of Luanshya and Zambia as a whole for their resolve to change Government because had we had attempted to let these people continue, Zambia would have become extremely bad.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Hon. PF Members: Question!

 

Madam Speaker: Order!

 

Mr Simbao: Madam Speaker, I am thankful to the Almighty God for making me part of the team that will shape the future of Zambia by being elected Member of Parliament for Luanshya. I ask the people of Luanshya to trust our processes. We shall deliver –

 

Mr Kafwaya: On a point of order, Madam.

 

Madam Speaker: A point of order is raised.

 

Could the hon. Member of Parliament, who is standing, indicate what law, procedure or privilege has been breached before he proceeds to state what the point of order is.

 

Mr Kafwaya: Madam Speaker, thank you very much.

 

Madam Speaker, my point of order is based on Standing Order No. 134, on a matter of significant national interest.

 

Madam Speaker, ...

 

Madam Speaker: It is too late now to raise that point of order.

 

May the hon. Member, who was debating, conclude his debate.

 

Mr Simbao: Madam Speaker, I was asking the people of Luanshya to trust the process because we shall deliver to their expectations.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mundubile (Mporokoso): Madam Speaker, thank you very much for giving me this opportunity to debate the President’s Speech.

 

Madam Speaker, I want to start by interrogating and analysing the speech that the President delivered to this House to see whether it met the aspirations of the Zambian people that it is intended to serve.

 

Madam Speaker, political parties campaign based on party manifestos. We, as politicians, go round to sell our party manifesto and explain to the electorate what we will do for them once voted into power.

 

Madam Speaker, an opposition political party is a government in waiting. Ideally, an opposition political party begins to position itself and sell a message on what it is going to do for the people and, I believe, this is exactly what the United Party for National Development (UPND) in the Opposition, then, did when it was selling its manifesto. One message it sold very well was the “Bally will fix it” mantra, which I believe sold very well as it made promises to the citizens. Once an opposition political party is voted into government, the policy of that government is derived from the manifesto. The government begins to implement its promises by turning them into policies.

 

Madam Speaker, the President’s Speech, the first speech of the President to Parliament, is a combination of the promises made so that from that speech, matching orders can be given to hon. Ministers to begin to implement what were, then, campaign promises going forward. So, when we look at the President’s Speech, it is not enough just to take a glance and pass judgement on whether it was well delivered or informative. One begins to interrogate, dissect and package it, and understand it from the perspective of the people that it is intended to serve.

 

Madam Speaker, in this particular case, I will first of all look at the various categories of Zambians who were meant to be addressed by this speech. First of all, one has to look at the interest of students, the youths, the unemployed trained teachers, the unemployed trained nurses, the civil servants, the miners and the farmers, among others. So, as we begin to look at these categories, we, for instance, look at the youths.

 

Madam Speaker, when the youths were listening to the President delivering that speech, did he meet their aspirations? What were their interests? What did the youths want to hear on that day? The students were very attentive from wherever they were listening in different localities and colleges. What were they expecting out of that speech? Did the President meet the aspirations of these groups? Did the President come out clearly on that day on how he is going to meet the interests of the unemployed teachers and nurses?

 

Madam Speaker, the civil servants were very attentive on that day. Did the President meet their aspirations? What about the miners and the farmers? Unless hon. Members of Parliament are reading a different speech from the one I have, when I go through these categories, it is very clear that His Excellency the President departed from his campaign promises. At the moment, the youths are wondering what is going on. As I speak in this House, the unemployed trained teachers and nurses are wondering what is going on. They feel cheated.

 

Interruptions

 

Madam Speaker: Order!

 

May we allow the hon. Member to debate without interruptions.

 

Mr Mundubile: Madam Speaker, it is not uncommon to react that way because the truth hurts, but we are going to deliver. I, as Leader of the Opposition, will stand to discharge my function, which is to remind the Executive of the many promises that it made.

 

Madam Speaker, as I speak, the miners are wondering what is going on. They want to know the Government’s position on Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) and Mopani Copper Mines. Are we giving up ownership or we are continuing with the running of the mines, as Zambians. The President should have come out very clearly on that. The Zambian economy is anchored on the mining sector. If we are to transform the economy, we cannot proceed without talking about mining. We want to know what is going to happen to this particular sector. So, the miners were eager to listen. Even as we read that statement, we all know that nothing was mentioned. The President was very general. He spoke in generality and talked about reforming the mining policy. We needed him to be specific and to come out clearly and give marching orders to his hon. Ministers, but he did not do that.

 

Madam Speaker, let me now come to free education. It was very strange because I am also speaking English and the President also spoke in English.

 

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mundubile: Madam Speaker, I think that all of us speak English and we should know that free education is free education. Free education and quality education are two different things. I do not know which dictionary Hon. Mutale was reading, but free education and quality education are totally two different things. So, the President came here and began to redefine free education. You cannot come to Parliament and start redefining free education. We know what free education is. Free education is free education. We expected the President to be very clear on what he wanted to talk about on free education.

 

Madam Speaker, on the many unemployed nurses and teachers, the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning will come to deliver his budget. I am hoping that they can take advantage of that. They have a second chance. The President ignored this particular aspect. The hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning has a chance to redeem his boss, your President. He should come here and tell us the provisions under the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health. We, on left side of the House, will be on hand to support an increased budget under the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health because the nurses and teachers need to be employed. They were promised jobs and that is the reason they went and stood on those long queues.

 

Madam Speaker, we are also interested in seeing what is going to happen in the agriculture sector. The farmers were promised that the price of inputs would be reduced. We want to be here to support the increased budget in the Ministry of Agriculture so that the price of fertiliser can be as low as K250. We want to see that because that is what the farmers were promised. We want the floor price of maize to go down to K250. If I were to quote the promises, it was supposed to be effective 1^st September, 2021. That is what we wanted to see. We will wait and see when the hon. Minister of Finance and National Development comes to present those numbers to this House.

 

Ms Kasune: On a point of order, Madam.

 

Madam Speaker: A point of order has been raised.

 

Ms Kasune: Thank you, Madam Speaker, and may the hon. Member on the Floor, please, pardon me. However, I rise on a serious point of order on the hon. Member of Parliament, who is on the Floor. In his debate, he referred to the President as –

 

Madam Speaker: Hon. Member, before you proceed, just kindly state the breach that has been committed, in accordance with Standing Order 131.

 

Ms Kasune: Madam Speaker, I think what I am trying to refer to is the fact that the hon. Member is actually –

 

Interruptions

 

Ms Kasune: No. Give me chance to explain.

 

Madam Speaker: Can we have some Order!

 

Ms Kasune: Madam Speaker, the hon. Member is out of order in the sense that he is referring to the President of the Republic of Zambia as “their President”, yet he is the President of the Republic of Zambia. Is he in order to refer to His Excellency the President as “their President”?

 

Madam Speaker, I seek your serious ruling.

 

Interruptions

 

Madam Speaker: Order!

 

Since the point of order does not comply with the requirements of Standing Order 131, the said objection is not admissible.

 

May the hon. Member for Mporokoso continue.

 

Mr Mundubile: Madam Speaker, I was talking about the youths. The needs of the youths in this country should not be taken lightly. It is an earnest appeal to the Government to ensure that the promises that were made to the youths are met. I know that it cannot be done over night, but we expected a statement to be made on how we are going to proceed. We would not have been that unreasonable to expect those things to be done over night. In the absence of a speech, you create a crisis because, then, people remain wondering what is going to go on.

 

Madam Speaker, can you imagine how things would have been different had the President come out very clearly by making a clear statement about mining. It was not only going to be clear to the miners, but also to the hon. Minister of Mines and Minerals Development. If the President had come out clearly, even the hon. Minister of Education was going to be properly directed on how to proceed. If the President had come out very clearly on the unemployed teachers and nurses, hon. Ministers would have been instructed accordingly.

 

Madam Speaker, going forward, we will continue to play our role, as the Opposition, to make sure that even political parties that will come in future do not campaign based on falsehoods and excite people on things that they cannot do. This will be a lesson to many political parties out there that, yes, you can win an election based on falsehoods, but it becomes extremely difficult thereafter because you are unable to respond and answer to the many questions your voters may be asking. So, it is a lesson. Political parties out there should begin to adjust their manifestos to realistic manifestos so that they do not struggle, as our friends are doing right now.

 

Madam Speaker, with those few remarks, I thank you.

 

Thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Emmanuel M. Musonda (Lupososhi): Madam Speaker, thank you very much for recognising me to deliver my maiden speech. Let me take this opportunity to, first of all, thank the Almighty God for his mercies and His blessings on my life. Special thanks go to the former President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, and the Patriotic Front (PF) leadership at all levels for adopting me to contest the Lupososhi Seat.

 

Madam Speaker, I would also like to thank my beloved wife, my five lovely children, friends, relatives, in particular, Mr Chipambwe Nkole; my campaign manager, for the tireless effort that he made in securing my victory. To all those who offered moral, logistical and financial support, I say thank you to my comrades and may God bless them in all their endeavours.

 

Madam Speaker, special thanks go to the Catholic Nuns of Child of Jesus, Sisters of Immaculate Conception, Salesian Sisters, the Catholic Priests of Nsombo Parish, Ipusukilo Parish and Saint Peters Luwingu Parish, the Anglican Church, United Church of Zambia (UCZ), and all the Pentecostal churches in Lupososhi for their spiritual guidance and prayers offered. I will also extend my special thanks to Senior Chieftainess Chabula, Senior Chieftainess Chungu. Chief Chabula, Chief Katuta, Sub-Chief Mbulala and Sub-Chief Chibaye for their unflinching support rendered to my election victory.

 

Madam Speaker, I first came here as a Member of Parliament in 2001, and I was the one and only PF Member of Parliament, fifty-nine days after our late founding father, Mr Michael Sata, formed the PF. I am back again as opposition Lupososhi PF Member, after a sabbatical leave of fifteen years. This shows how the people of Lupososhi value me and I cherish this gesture and will not take it for granted. I will ably represent them and will always be there for them. My coming back to Parliament, as opposition PF Member, is very symbolic.

 

Madam Speaker, like I earlier stated, I first came as a Member of the Opposition and ten years later, the PF formed the Government. I am back as an opposition Member again –

 

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

 

Hon. UPND Members: Question!

 

Mr Emmanuel M. Musonda: Madam Speaker, meaning five years from now, the PF party will bounce back to power. It is not a matter of question because God’s political will for Zambia is for leadership to be in descending order. The United National Independence Party (UNIP) Government led this country for twenty-seven years; the Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) Government led for twenty years; and we, in the PF, led for ten years, and this was in descending order. Therefore, this New Dawn United Party for National Development (UPND) Government will lead for five years, in descending order.

 

Hon PF Members: Hear, hear!

 

Hon UPND Members: Question!

 

Mr Emmanuel M. Musonda: Madam Speaker, that is the will of God for Zambia and the will of God will be not be changed, especially that the UPND has failed to fulfil its electoral promises. It should be ready to pack and leave in 2026. We are coming back.

 

Madam Speaker, Lupososhi is now a one constituency district and I want to thank the former President for recognising Lupososhi and granting it a district status. The PF Government is the first Government to have recognised the immense contribution women make to good governance by appointing the first ever credible woman Vice-President, Hon. Inonge Mutukwa Wina.

 

Hon. Michelo: Interjected

 

Mr Emmanuel M. Musonda: Madam Speaker, I will not be derailed by Hon. Michelo. Lupososhi Constituency is endowed with all a lot of natural resources such as minerals, water, good soils and very favourable weather conditions. The people of Lupososhi are agriculture-oriented. We produce a lot of cassava groundnuts, beans, and maize. This is an unparalleled. We just lack the market because of the abundant harvests.

 

Madam Speaker, the PF Government started the rehabilitation of feeder roads and the construction of new feeder roads. I expect the New Dawn UPND Government to continue on this infrastructure development path. In Lupososhi, being a new district, we only need one major project that will change the whole scenario and this is a road that runs from Samfya through to Chifunabuli, Lupososhi to Luwingu, which is the ‘Bisa Belt’.

 

Madam Speaker, this road has to be built to bituminous standard. Failure by the New Dawn UPND Government to build this ‘Bisa Corridor’, my brothers should not expect a vote from us in 2026. Mulaunka!

 

Hon. Members: Meaning!

 

Mr Emmanuel Musonda: Madam Speaker, it means that they will go.

 

Laughter

 

Madam Speaker: Hon. Members, allow the hon. Member to debate freely.

 

Mr Emmanuel M. Musonda: Madam Speaker, let me also thank the PF Administration for the health infrastructure that it built in Lupososhi. We have three mini hospitals and rural health centres, which have reduced the distance that our people walk to access health facilities.

 

Madam Speaker, Lupososhi Constituency is endowed with manganese and iron, which is an abundant rich metal. I want to thank an Indian firm that has come forth to establish a steel processing plant to the tune of US$15 million.

 

Madam Speaker, I hope the New Dawn Government will support the establishment of the steel processing plant in Lupososhi. In the first year of establishment, this investment will create 300 jobs for the people of Lupososhi. I would like to thank Chieftainess Chungu, who has offered 100 ha of land. Lupososhi is endowed with water bodies. I hope the New Dawn Government will support aquaculture farming.

 

Madam Speaker, let me now address myself to the President’s Speech. However, before I do that it was quite embarrassing during the inauguration when the Former President Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu was handling over the instruments of power to the just sworn in President, Mr Hakainde Sammy Hichilema. The video footage is there to prove what I am saying. Instruments of power were first received by a cadre, then, handed over to the President, Mr Hakainde Hichilema. It is very unprecedented.

 

Madam Speaker: Hon. Member, on that issue, just yesterday, I gave direction that unless the hon. Member has facts to confirm that the particular person was a cadre and not appointed by the Government, then, you may continue with that line of debate. However, it is better to stick to facts.

 

You may continue.

 

Mr Emmanuel M. Musonda: Madam Speaker, I am guided but I hear that there is a video footage and it happened on the Floor of this House when –

 

Madam Speaker: I have guided. I do not know if you should continue along those lines.

 

Mr Emmanuel M. Musonda: Madam Speaker, I am guided.

 

Madam Speaker, in trying to debate the President’s Speech, I will address myself to one thematic area on page 46, and this is to do with good governance. The New Dawn Government, through His Excellency, Mr Hakainde Sammy Hichilema –

 

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

 

Madam Speaker: A point of order is raised.

 

Mr Mbao: Madam Speaker, I rise on a very serious point of order. I will take you to Standing Order No. 35(4) which states:

 

“(4) A presiding Officer shall, in discharging the duties of the presiding officer, act fairly and impartially.”

 

Madam Speaker, is the House in order to, first of all, adopt what we are calling ‘The Hybrid System’, take a Frontbencher, the hon. Cabinet Minister of Mines, and put him in the Amphitheatre where there is no microphone? I also want to understand the rationale that behind choosing who should speak because we cannot see some of the people who are speaking on the list. At the same time, some of the people have spoken more than twice.

 

Madam Speaker, I will take you to Standing Order No. 32. I hope I quote it correctly and it states:

 

“If grave disorder arises in the House, the Speaker may suspend the business under consideration, or adjourn the House, for a period, as the Speaker considers appropriate under the circumstances, without Question put.”

 

Madam Speaker, I think things are not okay here. We were not brought to this House to become spectators. We are here to debate and participate in the Business of the House. We have been trying to raise this point of order since the House resumed today, but it is only now that the problem has been resolved. My brother in the Amphitheatre has tried to speak, but he cannot contribute and participate in the business on the Floor.

 

Madam Speaker, I seek your serious ruling.

 

Madam Speaker: Thank you for the point of order. However, the hon. Member has debated his point of order.

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Madam Speaker: The sitting allocation in the Chamber or in the Committee Rooms is at the discretion of the leaders of the Opposition and the Ruling Party. So, that is not my responsibility, but that of the respective leaders of political parties.

 

On that ground, the point of order is inadmissible.

 

Can we make progress.

 

May the hon. Member debating, please, proceed.

 

Mr Emmanuel. M. Musonda: Madam Speaker, I said in trying to debate the President’s Speech to this House, I will restrict myself to only one thematic area of good governance on page 46. His Excellency President Hakainde Sammy Hichilema said:

 

“Our administration abhors corruption.

 

We have a zero tolerance policy on corruption in all its forms.”

 

Madam speaker, I equally abhor leadership that fails to fulfil its electoral promises.

 

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Chaatila: Like PF!

 

Mr Emmanuel. M. Musonda: Good governance demands honesty and integrity. It is very distasteful when you make electoral promises and fail to fulfil them.

 

Madam Speaker, I will also address myself to a paragraph where His Excellency said that there will be an introduction of specialised fast track stolen asset mechanisms and courts for corruption and economic crimes.

 

Madam Speaker, in 2001, I was here. The late President Mwanawasa, SC., may his soul rest in peace, came to this House and said that he had established a prima facie case against the late President Dr F.T.J. Chiluba, may his soul rest in peace, and that we were to lift Dr F.T.J. Chiluba’s immunity. We did that. Fast track institutions called the Taskforce were established and we supported that. We were promised that taskforce would recover stolen money, which would be ploughed back into the economy and the Treasury. Did we see that?

 

Madam Speaker, there are hon. Members here today, whom I respect. They were here and saw that it never happened. They were on this side of the Floor at that time. What did we see? The recovered items which they showed on television were just knickers, bambas, shirts, and shoes.

 

Madam Speaker, everybody can remember that because that is what they showed us. I will support this New Dawn Administration, just I like I supported the New Deal Administration at the time in 2001, in its fight against corruption because I abhor the act. In doing so, as this New Dawn Government establishes fast track courts, it should kindly also bring to this House legislation that will provide for fast track implementation of free education. We will support that.

 

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Emmanuel. M. Musonda: Madam, the Government should also bring legislation to reduce the cost of fertiliser, and fast track it. We will support the Government because the people it is going to send to jail will have no people to support them financially just like Kungo’s children and others, who were killed during elections. The wife to Kungo is now a widow and the children have no one to support them, therefore, they need this free education, kindly fast track it.

 

Madam Speaker, I would also urge that the Government fast tracks the sale of the Presidential jet; it promised us. It should also reduce the exchange rate of the United States Dollar (USD) to K5. Quickly fast track it. Bring economic policies that will quickly reduce the exchange rate of the USD to K5. This is what the Government promised the people of Zambia. The UPND was elected on the basis of its electoral promises. Honesty and integrity is what is required in governance. However, I do not see it in this New Dawn Government.

 

Mr Chaatila: It took the PF ten years!

 

Mr Emmanuel. M. Musonda: Madam Speaker, jobs were promised to nurses, trained doctors, teachers, and agriculturalists. The implementation of employment should be fast tracked. We will support the Government.

 

Madam Speaker, with those few words, I beg to reluctantly support the President’s Speech.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Laughter

 

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mulunda (Siavonga): Madam Speaker, thank you so much for affording me this opportunity to deliver my maiden speech for the second time in this House. First and foremost, I would like to congratulate you, Madam Speaker, together with your two Deputies, on being elected to preside over the affairs of this House.

 

Madam Speaker, I would like to give a special congratulatory message to His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Hakainde Hichilema. I also wish to congratulate Her Honour the Vice-President of the Republic of Zambia, Hon. Nalumango.

 

Madam Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to pay glowing tribute to the United Party for National Development (UPND), as the party in Government and the party in Siavonga, for adopting me to stand and for giving me a second chance to represent the good people of Siavonga. I do not take that for granted; I appreciate. I also want to thank God Almighty for his grace over my life and his mercies that are new every morning.

 

Madam Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity as well to thank my wife, Fridah Phiri, my children, my extended family and everybody who supported me in Siavonga Constituency.

 

Madam Speaker, it was a hot battle against the Patriotic Front (PF) regime. We fought running battles, but by God’s grace and mercies, we were able to defeat the PF throughout the country.

 

Madam Speaker, before I proceed, may I thank the campaign team led by my campaign manager, my dear one, Lubinda Mubiana. I also wish to remember the campaign team, the District Chairperson and his committee, and the Constituency Chairperson and his committee. I would like to tell them that I will be available and will be with them both in good and bad times.

 

Madam Speaker, Siavonga has never known that the PF ever existed, as a Government, because it left no mark in Siavonga. It breaks my heart to hear what the PF was doing in other places, yet it was singing every day about not living anyone behind. The developmental inequalities that we have seen in this country are unprecedented. There has never been a Government like the PF.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mulunda: That regime was blood thirsty and an architect of violence. We had never experienced this violence until the Zambian people wrongly voted the PF into power in 2011. From then on, everything started going down. We have never seen what we saw during the PF’s rule. When we talk of development, our colleagues boast about it. A few minutes ago, the hon. Member of Parliament for Lupososhi was boasting about the Government having built three new hospitals, and not clinics.

 

Madam Speaker, in Mansa Central, the former hon. Minister of Heath boasted about how he had littered the constituency with more than seventy clinics, in one constituency. In Chilubi Island, the Government built two district hospitals. As if that was not enough, it built a nursing training school, but there is nothing in Siavonga. Anyway, we can forgive them. They used to dance to a song titled ‘Dununa reverse’. Elderly people would dance to that, yet they were taking us backwards.

 

Madam Speaker, when it comes to development in Siavonga, there is nothing that the PF can point at. We have no footprints of the PF in Siavonga. In Siavonga, township roads are pathetic. They are in a deplorable state and feeder roads are nothing one can talk about. We cried and appealed to the, then, Government, but it never listened. At some point, they mocked us on the Floor of the House and told us to ask our President Mr Hakainde Hichilema to help us. In Siavonga, there is no modern hospital, modern market, modern bus station, civic centre and youth skills training centre. There was selective development.

 

Madam Speaker, when it came to empowerment, our colleagues would say they were empowering the youths and the women. If anybody went to Siavonga and asked anyone at the market how many women or youths were empowered by the PF, the answer would be a big zero, and not that we did not present these issues at their offices. I went to every office, including the Ministry of Infrastructure Development and Housing concerning the roads and I talked to Hon. Chitalu Chilufya about the hospital. I visited everybody else and I put it in writing. I also rose on the Floor of the House and I have answers in writing from the ministries. Alas, in other places, there is development. I asked for only six communication towers in my constituency, but only one communication tower was erected, against fifteen in other places.

 

Madam Speaker, there are no clinics and hospitals. We instead, prudently used the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), which came through my office, on projects that we felt could help our people, especially in the education sector and health sector. We constructed clinics and classroom blocks in a bid to make sure that health facilities were within reach and could be accessed by everyone. Once we did that, the Government kept away.

 

Madam Speaker, I want to comment on the assertion that the PF wants to ride on that we made promises. We made the promises yesterday, and they cannot give us two days to organise ourselves and sit down and be able to respond and implement them because we do not even have a Budget right now.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mulunda: Madam Speaker, I wonder how the PF wants us to proceed when we have not yet come up with our own Budget. Do they want us to use their Budget? The Budget for the past regime had nothing. Even if the former Government would promise to do A, B, C, D in every ministry, only half of the funds were given or nothing. That is how the PF operated.

 

Madam Speaker, when it comes to violence, yes, the PF is portraying – before I talk about violence, still on the promises, the PF promised the people of Zambia that they would have more money in their pockets and that it was going to reduce taxes and that is the reason the people voted for the PF. The PF also said it was going to bring cheap fuel from Saudi Arabia, but have we seen that? Nothing.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mulunda: Madam Speaker, when it comes to violence, the PF is talking about Kungo. Yes, we are saddened by that, but think of Matapa, our own supporter, …

 

Hon. Member: Deeper, go deeper.

 

Madam Speaker: Order!

 

Mr Mulunda: … who was murdered by the PF and their people are saying (inaudible)

 

Madam Speaker: Order! We cannot hear the speaker. The time has been stopped. The hon. Member will be given a few more minutes to conclude because he has lost out in terms of time. I have given him fifteen extra seconds.

 

Madam Speaker: Hon. Member, if you can hear us, you may proceed. Is the microphone on?

 

Mr Mulunda was inaudible.

 

Mr Mulunda: Madam Speaker, I was talking about violence. At some point, our President, His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, and his top officials were accused of murder in Livingstone and were brutalised. They were taken to police stations like common criminals. What came out of that? Where are they today? They are out of police stations because they did not commit any offence. However, some PF members have been found guilty. The PF leaders are aware that the PF has always been a very violent political party. We experienced many things under that regime.

 

Madam Speaker, the good news is that God Almighty answered the prayers of the people of Zambia. God answered all the prayers we had been offering. He gave us a man. From the 12^th of August, the time he was declared President, everybody has said that they can now breathe fresh air like we are in a country. At that time, at the slightest mistake of wearing UPND regalia, a person would be beaten up like no man’s business. If he went to report to the police station, the police would lock him up instead. Against all odds, God Almighty made Mr Hakainde Hichilema President. He came through because God is good –

 

Madam Speaker: Order!

 

Time for the hon. Member’s maiden speech expired.

 

Mr Mulunda: Madam Speaker, I want to start by looking at the rule of law under the previous regime, and I was actually about to delve into that. At bus stations and markets like City Market today, people are conducting their businesses in an orderly way. They are moving freely. They are able to make decisions and embrace everyone. A PF member is able to hug a UPND member because they are one. That was what was lacking. What was lacking was leadership in this nation. Leadership came immediately the leader was declared the winner, and he said there would be no more cadreism in markets and bus stations and order came back. Why were we living like we were under a spell? Nobody could think that we could ever challenge a police officer or a PF cadre. They could do anything that they wanted to do.

 

Madam Speaker, I appreciate the New Dawn Government for creating a ministry that is going to look specifically into business and empowerment issues. Our women and youths with small and medium enterprises lacked empowerment funds. They could not access Government funds. They could not get anything. It was prudent for His Excellency the President to introduce such a ministry that will take care of our youths. The burden that this country has is the youth. In the past regime, the youths were groomed to drink beer and then go and beat up other people. Some people, then, even built houses from insulting His Excellency the President, Mr Hakainde Hichilema. If one spoke or sang ill about him, one would be given money and would be a hero and be worshipped, but not anymore because order has come back to this country.

 

Hon. PF Members: Question!

 

Mr Mulunda: Madam Speaker, I know that this country is going to prosper. Those who are questioning, right now, are from the past regime. I know that some people are failing to manage the loss. They are failing to manage what they went through because they are still in a state of shock. They cannot believe that they are out of power because they thought they had put everything in place using money. However, the people of Zambia were watching from the terraces and said, “we are waiting for that wonderful day, 12^th August, and we will punish them.” That is the reason people woke up as early as 03 A.M. They were on the queue because they wanted to punish no other party except that party. The members of that party are consoling themselves that they are coming back into power in 2026. They are not coming back. I can assure them that because their character defines who they are. The people of Zambia do not admire their character and they will not vote them back into power.

 

Madam Speaker, when it comes to development, we have seen the President spreading appointments across this country in terms of appointing hon. Cabinet Ministers and other key positions. That is the way we are going to spread development across this country. Every province or place will receive a fair share of the national cake, unlike what we saw in the past where we were told that the past Government had built this and that in certain areas, yet nothing had been built in other areas. The former hon. Minister for Lusaka Province was boasting about a road that leads to his neighbours in Mutumbi, and he said the roads are okay. Go to Siavonga and see what is happening.

 

Mr Lusambo: Question!

 

Mr Mulunda: Madam Speaker, Siavonga is supposed to be a tourist destination, but there is no airstrip and the roads are pathetic. There is nothing. There are sites that are supposed to be visited by tourists, but they are inaccessible. One cannot get to those places because the past Government neglected Siavonga, as a town. I know that changes are coming. Siavonga will be a beautiful place that people will desire to visit. I know that even Parliament would have many workshops in Siavonga. However, one cannot drive there now because roads are no longer there. What are there are just paths.

 

Madam Speaker, I know that some people are still dreaming that things can never happen in that way. I know that the President has put measures in place. Just give us time. Be patient a little bit. When the PF Party was campaigning in 2011, it said that it was going to give us a new Constitution. It gave itself a Constitution in 2016 and signed it at the National Heroes Stadium, and that Constitution gave the PF sleepless nights. That is how disorganised that party was. If you rush into doing something, at the end of the day, it will come back to you.

 

Madam Speaker, today, everyone is singing about changing the Public Order Act. However, when we used to tell the PF Government to change it, it did not listen. We told them that it was not good. The hon. PF Members pushed the Constitution of Zambia (Amendment) Bill No. 10, but if we brought that Bill today, are they going to support it? No, they are not going to support it because they feel it was not brought in good faith. What we are looking for is prudence in running the country, and that is what the UPND or the New Dawn Government is bringing to this nation. It shall be prudent in everything that it will do. It will make sure that everybody has a fair share of whatever the Government will be doing. Two or three years from now, the narrative from PF members will change. They will start coming in the night like Nicodemus and will try to defect because they know that in 2026, again, there is nothing for them.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mapani (Namwala): Madam Speaker, thank you for according me an opportunity to deliver my maiden speech on the Floor of this House.

 

Madam, to start with, allow me to thank the Almighty God for making it possible for me to represent the people of Namwala in this august House. I thank God for the protection, guidance and wisdom that he gave me during and after the elections.

 

Madam, further, allow me to also thank the United Party for National Development (UPND) family, the national executive, national management, provincial committees, district committees, constituency committees, and ward committees, through our leader, who is currently the Republican President, His Excellency Mr Hakainde Hichilema.

 

Madam Speaker, allow me to also thank my family for the support it gave me during and after elections for managing to contain themselves even in my absence. I say many thanks to my wife and children. Let me further thank my friends and parents who stood by me during the trying moments while campaigning. I equally want to thank the people of Namwala, through the four chiefs, namely Chief Nalubamba, Senior Chief Mungaila, Chief Mukobela and Chief Muchila for accepting our message and allowing the people to vote for the UPND, enabling me to be their representative in this august House.

 

Madam, I would be failing in my duties if I did not recognise your victory and that of your two Deputies in becoming the Presiding Officers of this House.

 

Madam Speaker, during our campaigns, we went through the entire constituency of Namwala. The livelihood of the people of Namwala depends on agriculture, that is, crop, livestock and fishing farming. I am not ashamed to mention that Namwala is one of the underdeveloped constituencies. There is nothing that one can point at in Namwala that can give a grade to the people of Namwala. The people of this constituency are ready to work provided they have a Government in place, which is willing to deliver and drive their aspirations.

 

Madam Speaker, Namwala has been on standstill for the past ten years because the previous regime did not respect the agriculture sector.

 

Mr Lusambo: Question!

 

Mr Mapani: The agriculture sector was ignored in the province. The people of Namwala struggled, but they did not receive any help from the previous regime. The people of this constituency are ready to work provided the Government is in a position to listen and provide the services required in the agriculture sector.

 

Madam, the agriculture sector was destroyed in the past ten years in that despite people paying the required amounts under the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP), they did not receive their inputs. It was difficult for the people of Namwala to seriously engage in agriculture because of the failure of the Government to provide the necessities. People paid towards the FISP, but only two or three bags were given to each beneficiary. However, in other provinces of this same country where people paid the same amount of money, they received eight to ten pockets of fertiliser. We tried to find out why this was so from the then hon. Minister who failed to tell us why the exercise was conducted in the manner that it was.

 

Madam Speaker, I want to put it on record that Namwala is one of the largest, if not, the largest producers of beef in this country. The people there keep animals, but the Patriotic Front (PF) Government failed to help them combat the diseases that broke out among their animals. The people of Namwala struggled and it was not easy, but they managed to keep the few animals that they have, at the moment, through their hard work. It is our prayer that, under the New Dawn Government, as pronounced by the Republican President, the life of the people of Namwala will return to normal.

 

Madam, we went round the constituency during our campaigns and noticed that there are no roads in Namwala. The constituency only has one road, which is the Choma/Namwala Road. We need infrastructure in Namwala. We need the Niko/Monze Road, Namusonde/Maala Road, and Niko/Itapa Road to be worked on. We also need the Kabanze/Chief Muchila’s Palace Road and Ichila Turn off/Itapa Road to be worked on. These are economic roads, but over the last ten years, it was not easy to get them worked on because no attention was paid to the people of Namwala by the PF Government.

 

Madam Speaker, you might want to know that there is nothing to point at in the education sector in Namwala. For the past ten years, no secondary or primary school was constructed with the help of the Government. Currently, Namwala has two secondary schools and a few primary schools. The secondary schools are within a radius of fifteen kilometres while the rest of Namwala has no secondary and primary schools. The only primary schools that you find in Namwala are those built by the community called community schools.

 

Madam, further, when pupils reach Grade 4, they have to walk not less than 10 km to access upper primary education, which is very unfortunate. It is my hope that the PF will never, at any given time, indicate that the national cake was shared evenly.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mapani: We heard former Ministers and Members boasting that they had managed to build five secondary and five primary schools in a space of five years whilst in some provinces, such as the Southern Province, particularly in Namwala District, pupils are still getting their education under trees. This is unfortunate and it is inequality. I appeal that from today, the former regime will realise that the New Dawn UPND Government ought to be given time to reorganise and work on the failures of the PF because this country got to where it is because of it.

 

Mr Lusambo: Question!

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear! Hammer!

 

Mr Mapani: I hope that from today, they will desist from pretending that the national cake was shared evenly when the contrary is what obtained.

 

Madam Speaker, allow me to look at the President’s Speech made as he opened the First Session of the Thirteenth National Assembly. Allow me to quote from page 16, paragraph 3 on agriculture:

 

“To improve agricultural production and productivity, Government will ensure access to affordable agricultural inputs such as fertilizers, chemicals and pesticides.”

 

Madam Speaker, coming from a rural constituency, the President’s Speech excited the people of Namwala because their livelihood depends on agriculture. His Excellency the President, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, has actually put agriculture as a tiller of this economy and the people of Namwala are very excited because now they know that their lives will get back to normal.

 

Madam Speaker, it is only through agriculture that we believe employment will be created. It is only in agriculture that we believe food for the nation will be provided. It is out of agriculture that the economy of our country will get back on its feet unlike what is happening.

 

Madam Speaker, allow me to also to indicate that previously, to receive inputs, one needed to align himself or herself to the Patriotic Front (PF) Government despite having made payments under FISP, which was very unfortunate.

 

Hon. Government Members: Shame!

 

Mr Mapani: Madam Speaker, further, in supplying these inputs to the people, ethnicity strings were always attached. In an event of the contrary, one would never get the inputs that he or she required. Despite being an affiliate of the PF, one needed to be a vuvuzela, which means, to always be a praise singer for the party in the Government.

 

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

 

Madam Speaker: A point of order is raised.

 

The hon. Member raising the point of order, kindly specify the alleged breach that has been committed.

 

Mr Mutale: Madam Speaker, I thank you for according me this chance to rise on a very serious point of order. Standing Orders 65(1)(b) states:

 

1. A member who is debating shall -

 

“(b)      ensure that the information he or she provides to the House is factual and verifiable.”

 

Madam Speaker, the hon. Member debating said that for one to access farming inputs under the Patriotic Front (PF) regime, one needed to be a cadre or a vuvuzela. Can the hon. Member verify or bring facts to support that statement.

 

Madam Speaker, is he in order to mislead this House when we all know that this country received or achieved a bumper harvest twice?

 

I need your serious ruling, Madam Speaker.

 

Madam Speaker: The hon. Member has even debated his point of order. The hon. Member on the Floor comes from Namwala and, I believe, he is speaking from facts. So, that point of order is not admitted.

 

Proceed, hon. Member for Namwala.

 

Mr Mapani: Madam Speaker, this can be deduced from the way the fertiliser distribution was done during the 2019/2020 Farming Season. People paid for vouchers, but only two bags were given to each individual who paid in the Southern Province, whilst in other provinces, people got more than ten to fifteen bags. So, this is evidence of what happened.

 

Madam Speaker, allow me to take this opportunity, again, to actually thank the President for indicating that the Government is going to provide dip tanks. Quoting from the same speech on page 16, paragraph 4, talking about agriculture, he said, 

 

“This will be achieved through the re-designing of the Farmers Input Support Programme to transform it into a more cost-effective and sustainable intervention.”

 

Madam Speaker, like I said before, Namwala is a beef-producing constituency. So, to proceed and manage to produce more beef, we need the Government’s intervention by ensuring that it actually provides dip tanks to the farmers. It is not all the farmers who can afford to have dip tanks. Due to the previous regime’s failure to attend to farmers, we do not have enough animals that we can point at to enable the country to export beef. With the new programme, as enshrined in the President’s Speech, it is our hope that we will manage to export. We know that the person who was actually delivering the speech, His Excellency the President, is a farmer. We have to trust in him to do the correct thing to improve the lives of the people across the country.

 

Madam Speaker, we want to thank His Excellency the President, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, for his pronouncements to ensure that the people of Zambia receive the inputs at a reasonable fee across the country, regardless of their ethnic grouping. This is what we have been looking for the past ten years, but we never achieved under the PF Government. So, it will be ill of one to stand today to advise the new Government when they had an opportunity to do their work in ten years, but wasted their time. This is time for the people of Zambia to stand up together and start counting themselves by identifying who they are because the issue of ethnicity will not be tolerated in this country anymore.

 

Madam Speaker, further, I want to assure the citizens of this country that the information they have been hearing that the former President did a favour to President Hakainde Hichilema by handing over power to him is not correct. The dictates of the Constitution of Zambia are very clear. We are subjected to elections every five years. The preferred candidate by the citizens of the country takes the win. Once he wins, it is the duty of the losing candidate to hand over power to the winning candidate. There is no favour, whatsoever. So, this pronouncement of making people believe that a favour was done is not correct. There is no favour.

 

Madam Speaker, the UPND only needed a favour from the people of Zambia, to whom they sold the information of their intention. So, let no one mislead the country that there was a favour done. There was no favour and we never needed a favour. A winning person has to be given the instruments of power, as per demands or dictates of the Constitution of Zambia. People’s rights were violated for the past ten years. My President never visited my constituency because his rights to freedom of assembly and association were derogated, which was wrong. The people of this country ought to enjoy their rights. We do not need to ask for a favour from anyone.

 

Madam Speaker, finally, we need to put it clear that those who are perceived to have committed wrongs should let the law take its course.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mapani: Madam Speaker, we do not want anyone to intimidate outsiders, threatening people from actually ensuring that the correct thing is done. Those who committed wrongs ought to face the wrath of the law. On the issue of gassing, despite my time running out, I wish to state that I lost my treasurer, and I believe this issue will be looked at up to the conclusion so that people can face the law.

 

Madam Speaker: Order!

 

The hon. Member’s time expired.

 

Mr Kalimi (Malole): Madam Speaker, I am so grateful for giving me this opportunity to debate in this august House for the first time.

 

Madam Speaker, before I proceed, I thank the Almighty God who brought me where I am today. Apart from that, I thank my family and wife, Ruth Chilufya Kalimi, who endured for me to be where I am and has been supportive until I have reached Manda Hill. I salute my children; Lt. Chileshe Kalimi, Chilaka Kalimi, Annie, Natasha and Kaela, my namesake; and I thank them very much. I also salute the Patriotic Front (PF) structures in Malole Constituency, my district chairperson, the entire group, the province and, indeed, the Central Committee of the mighty PF for according me a chance to stand on the PF ticket.

 

Madam Speaker, I would be failing in my duty if I failed to salute and thank my hero, His Excellency the former President of Zambia, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, who gave me a chance to stand as Member of Parliament for Malole. Wherever my humble President is, prosperity will judge him. He is a very good leader and is very humble.

 

Madam Speaker, I also thank and salute the Bemba Royal Establishment (BRE), Paramount Chief Chitimukulu, the most intelligent paramount chief we will ever have, Chief Chimba, Chief Makasa, Chief Chimbola and Chief Chilangwa. I also salute the voters of Malole, the women, men and the youth, who braved the violence and intimidation during elections, and soldiered-on by queuing up and giving me the vote of up to 250,000 plus. I salute my taxi drivers, religious leaders, the pastors’ fellowship and the marketeers in Malole Constituency. Let me not forget my late mother, who succumbed to death during my campaign, may her soul rest in peace. There is nothing I could have given her apart from the victory.

 

Madam Speaker, before I proceed, I want to observe a moment of silence for my brother and late friend, Jackson Kungo, who was murdered by murderers. Wherever Jackson Kungo is, he is a hero. He will go down in the history of Zambia as having fought for the people of the North-Western Province and Zambia as a whole. May we observe a minute of silence in his honour.

 

Hon. Members of Parliament stood in silence for one minute.

 

Mr Kalimi: Madam Speaker, thank you very much.

 

Madam Speaker, Julius Nyerere stated that if a person can kill just to go to State House, …

 

Interruptions

 

Madam Speaker: Order!

 

Mr Kalimi: … then, that person is not worth being a leader. State House is not a place that one can look forward to. It is a very lonely and busy place and, sometimes, one even misses his friends. However, I find it very unacceptable that my friend, Jackson Kungo, was murdered. On this juncture, I salute my cousin, Joseph Mulenga, whose hand was chopped off when President Hakainde Hichilema visited Malole. Today, he does not have a hand. I salute him for supporting me, and posterity will judge him. He is ever a good person. I want to state that whoever rises by the sword will definitely will go down by the sword. Time is coming for people who have committed atrocities in this country to pay back.

 

Madam Speaker, I want to quote 1 Samuel 8:1-20. The youths turned up in numbers to vote for the Government. When the people rose against Samuel and said they wanted a leader, God said, “fine, I will give you a leader, but it is not me who is giving you this leader, it is yourselves.” All those who have eyes and ears should go and read this. What happened –

 

Madam Speaker: Hon. Member, you are not allowed to quote the Bible if that is what you are doing.

 

Mr Kalimi: Madam Speaker, I thank you for the guidance. However, whatever happened, the leader they were given was something else.

 

Furthermore, Madam, I thank my predecessor, Mr Christopher Yaluma, who worked tirelessly to take developmental projects to Malole Constituency. I salute him where he is. I think he worked hard, as an hon. Member of Parliament, for the past ten years.

 

Madam Speaker, here is what I expect to see in Malole for the next five years. As we are aware, Malole is an agriculture-centred district. We would like to see to it that agriculture is the cornerstone of the constituency. We want to ensure that the Government provides fertiliser to the farmers, as it promised the people of Zambia. We want this Government to increase the pockets of fertiliser from six to twenty-five, as it promised the people. I think we will support this Government if it does that.

 

Madam Speaker, we want to see to it that the township roads in Malole are worked on because Malole was declared a district in 1995 and we want to make sure that these things are done. Water reticulation is another thing. We want to ensure that there is proper sanitation in Malole Constituency and we are going to lobby for that. We want this Government to embark on the completion of the Nseluka/Kayambi Road, which is in a bad state. The previous Government started working on that road and I hope this Government will continue working on it.

 

Madam Speaker, I want the Chambeshi Ring Road to be worked on, and I will be very happy, as a representative of the people of Malole, if that is done. The Chambeshi Bridge, which links Malole Constituency to Shiwang’andu and Chinsali, also needs to be worked on. I do not want the people of Malole to be neglected because they voted for the PF. I want this bridge to be worked on. Kabisha Bridge is another issue. It becomes impassable during the rainy season and I expect this Government to work on it. Ngulula Road needs to be worked on as well as Mabula Road, which the contractors abandoned.

 

Madam Speaker, rural electrification also needs to be done. I expect this Government to even procure desks in the next five years so that, at least, pupils can learn in an enabling environment. Schools should be electrified in the next five years so that, at least, pupils can learn in a proper environment. As regards the deployment of teachers in the next five years, I do not want any school not to have a teacher. I want schools to be transformed so that, at least, the learning environment becomes very affordable.

 

Madam Speaker, we expect this Government to complete the Government houses in Mungwi District in Malole Constituency so that the civil servants are motivated. We expect this Government to work on the markets so that it completes what the hard-working and very responsible Government started. As I stated earlier, we expect this Government to work on the police post and police station in Malole Constituency so that we can enhance security for our people in the constituency. Mukuka Mfumu Mini Hospital needs to be equipped. So, we expect this Government to work on these things, which the previous responsible Government started. We expect those things to be done.

 

Madam Speaker, I now wish to contribute to the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address, which was delivered to this House.

 

Madam Speaker, I can assure you that there is nothing to write home about because this document had no policy direction. The speech was empty and just something else.

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Kalimi: Madam Speaker, in my justification, I will refer to page 13, on economic transformation and job creation. I am an economist by profession.

 

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

 

Madam Speaker: A point of order is raised.

 

Mr Mapani: Madam Speaker, I stand to be directed purely based on Standing Order 65(2)(a), which states as follows:

 

“(2)      A member who is debating shall not -

 

1. impute any improper motives to the President, Vice-President or any other member.”

 

Madam Speaker, was the hon. Member in order to imply or assume that the Republican President, His Excellency Mr Hakainde Hichilema, killed for him to get to State House?

 

Madam Speaker, I seek your serious ruling.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Madam Speaker: Thank you for that point of order.

 

The hon. Member on the Floor was delivering his maiden speech, but as we debate, we have to be cognisant of the provisions of the Standing Orders and stick to facts and not bring into the debate anything that tends to impute an improper motive to the President, the Vice-President or any other Member. So, that is the guidance that I will give to the hon. Member who is debating.

 

Please, proceed.

 

Mr Kalimi: Madam Speaker, thank you very much.

 

Madam Speaker, I was saying that I will refer to page 13, on economic transformation and job creation. When the President came to this House, he had a chance to prove to himself how this is going to transform the country. For me, the President failed lamentably to provide all this transformation and to guide even that which is to come.

 

Madam Speaker, let me give an example. I expected the President to indicate how the Kwacha is going to appreciate and to justify his claim. He had said that when he is sworn in the morning, the Kwacha would appreciate in the afternoon. The President was supposed to justify that and provide leadership in that manner, but that was lacking. Had the President done that, I would have supported his speech. So, to me, the speech was just hollow and there was nothing to write home about.

 

Madam Speaker, we expected the President to provide direction on how businesses would be centred on Zambians, but he failed to do that. We also expected the President to mention that he was going to provide appropriate tax and rates in his framework to allow Zambian companies to compete in a favourable environment because that is what the PF stood for and what the Zambian people expected. We expected the President to say that the UPND is going to facilitate an environment in which Zambian businesses can have access to credit and finance. That is what we expected from that speech and what we call economic transformation and not what we saw. That was empty.

 

Madam Speaker, I wasted my time listening to that speech because it was just empty.

 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kalimi: Madam Speaker, we expected the President to state that he would upscale the small and medium-scale enterprises into large-scale enterprises, but he failed to articulate those issues. In view of this, the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprise Development is just an irrelevant ministry, which has been created to give jobs to his friends and nothing else.

 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kalimi: Madam Speaker, I cannot support such. What is that? We have heard that rhetoric already. It was like mentioning common names such as a Phiri anabwela, Mutale and Mutinta, which are found everywhere. There was nothing new in that speech. It is just like Mutinta, Kayela or Mulenga. That speech is like those common speeches we have heard before because there was nothing special about it.

 

Madam Speaker, on education, I am an educationist. I taught for fifteen years …

 

Interruptions

 

Madam Speaker: Order!

 

Mr Kalimi: … in the Ministry of Education. I was a teacher. I value education to the core because it has made me be where I am today. Where is free education? It is an illusion. Do not use the back door to come into power. We want free education so that, at least, my children, Mutale na Mulungu, in Mbala, Mpulungu and everywhere, can access it. I want my nephew to have access to free education. Where is the free education? The President failed lamentably to explain this. Those were the issues that the President was supposed to bring onto the table to give hope to the Zambian people and the youths, in particular, who voted for him.

 

Madam Speaker, the PF Government and party introduced free education from Grade 1 up to Grade 7. What was new about the President saying that? We expect graduates from Kwame Nkrumah University and the University of Zambia (UNZA) to have access to free education. They voted for him at UNZA while we got very low votes so we expect him to provide free education. Those are the things which he was supposed to show us. Had the President done that, I would have supported him because there are many people whom I am sponsoring in my constituency and I would have been relieved. Those are the kinds of Presidents we want, but he failed to provide policy direction. How do I support such policy? No wonder I am saying that the speech was empty. I wasted my time sitting in this House listening to that speech because that was just a progressive report.

 

Madam Speaker, I expect the President to come back and, maybe, address this House, again, to state how he is going to come up with free education and we are going to support him because he is the President of Zambia and also my President. So, there is nothing I can do. If the President provides free education, I will be very happy. My children will have access to free education and my nephews will go to university. That is what we want. Even my mother in the village will be very happy because there will be free education. Do not give free pronouncements. I would be the first one to even move a Private Member’s Bill to compel the Government to sell the Presidential Jet and pay allowances to the students. I would be very happy to do that because we want free education.

 

Madam Speaker, the Higher Education Loans Board is my brainchild. When I was the first secretary in charge of economics and trade in Nairobi, I am the one who produced that concept paper to where it is. How is the ministry going to transform and form the Higher Education Loans Board because that concept has worked in Kenya, Burundi while Zambia is the third country to adopt it. Let him tell me. I was paid over that, as a diplomat, and I challenge him because he was supposed to show us how he was going to do that. To me, those were just a Phiri anabwela songs which everybody can sing. The bursary was just milking us because the students were not even responsible; the students should be responsible.

 

Madam Speaker, let me come to energy.

 

Mr Tembo: On a point of order, Madam.

 

Madam Speaker: Order!

 

A point of order is raised, but the hon. Member can continue.

 

Mr Kalimi: Madam Speaker, the President was very elaborate on energy. However, in the same instance, I expected the President to state how fuel would be reduced from K17 to K5, but he failed lamentably to state how the Zambian people are going to benefit from the reduction.

 

Madam Speaker, with due respect, if fuel is reduced, even the cost of doing business will reduce, including the price of mealie meal. That is the mathematics we expected from the President. How are you going to reduce poverty rather than just saying that, “I do not accept the standard of poverty in Zambia” because even we do not accept, yet you have removed −

 

Madam Speaker: Order!

 

May the hon. Member debating address the Chair.

 

Mr Kalimi: Madam Speaker, thank you very much.

 

Madam Speaker, the President was concerned about poverty and he said that it will reduce. That was very good. However, where is the K1,500 salary increment meant for the civil servants? If that is given, I will be the first one to support His Excellency the President, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, the Bally, BMW, because these are the things we expected to hear. You reduce the Social Cash Transfer Scheme of the poor people in Makasa and you say you are going to reduce poverty. Where on earth?

 

Madam Speaker: Order!

 

The hon. Member’s time expired.

 

Mr C. M. Mpundu (Chembe): Madam Speaker, my name is Cliff Mpundu, Member for Chembe Constituency. As a starting point, I will deliver my maiden speech before I comment on the Motion on the Floor.

 

Madam, firstly, I would like to thank my family, especially my mother, my daughter; Queen Mpundu; and my son; Jonathan Mpundu; for the support they gave me before, during, and after elections. I would also like to thank Chiefs Kasomalwela, Kundafumu, Kapwepwe, and Matanda, for their support as well as for allowing me to superintend over Chembe District.

 

Madam Speaker, I would also like to thank my party President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, all the eight ward officials, constituency, district and provincial officials, for adopting me, under the Patriotic Front (PF) ticket, to represent the people of Chembe. I also want to thank all the people of Chembe, and the Church, especially Father Musonda.

 

Madam Speaker, I want to put it on record that Chembe is a constituency which is in its infancy. Taking that into consideration, it needs a lot of infrastructure and other forms of development. As we all know, development is a process and the PF Government had started infrastructure development and other developmental activities. Among them are as follows:

 

1. district administration office project, which was started and is at 90 per cent completion;
2. twenty low-cost houses for civil servants also at 90 per cent completion;
3. Chembe Police Station at 80 per cent completion;
4. construction of Chembe Boarding Secondary School at 65 per cent completion;
5. construction of the police post at 34 per cent completion; and
6. construction of a civic centre and two very important person (VIP) houses at 40 per cent completion.

 

Madam Speaker, the community has not been left out in this developmental agenda. It has also rendered a hand. The good people of Chembe, at Kaweye in Lukola Ward, have moulded some bricks to build a school there. The distance to Lukola Primary School is too long. They need the Government to complement their efforts.

 

Madam Speaker, there is a 2x2 classroom block that is being constructed at Lukola Primary School by the community and at Milima. They need Government complementation. In addition, having seen the rise of crime in Kundafumu, the community has built a police post with the help of Chief Kundafumu. It also needs the help of the Government. I hope that this will be the first police post to be officially opened by the hon. Minister for Home Affairs because all it requires is complementing effort from the community since the building of the police post has already began.

 

Madam Speaker, the police do not have a vehicle and they need one for their operations.

 

Mr Sing’ombe: Tell Kampyongo.

 

Mr C. M. Mpundu: Madam Speaker, at the same time, Chembe Police Post also needs a vehicle which should come from the Government of the day.

 

Mr Sing’ombe: Kampyongo.

 

Mr C. M. Mpundu: Madam Speaker, having seen the suffering of the people of Chipete, Kasomalwela, the PF Government had embarked on working on the roads leading to Kasomalwela and Chembe, Chipete and Kalasakando. These roads are critical to agriculture. During the rainy season, the roads are impassable. The most critical issue is that most farmers in these areas are women. It renders them more vulnerable when getting their inputs and taking produce to the market.

 

Madam Speaker, in the same vein, the teachers also suffer in terms of their movements to work stations. We hope that this Government will continue from where the PF Government left. These are the roads which lead to the two, namely Royal Highnesses, Chiefs Kasomalwela and Kapwepwe.

 

Madam Speaker, this constituency being agricultural-oriented, the roads have made the produce from these areas susceptible to exploitation. As we know, the economic activity in our area is agriculture, that is, producing crops like cassava and maize. However, the road network has led to the selling of produce such as cassava, which should to be sold at K50 per bag to be sold at K550 instead.

 

Madam Speaker, in terms of health facilitates, we have a mini hospital which was recently opened. In Chembe, there are clinics at Lukola, Kundafumu, Kasomalwela, Mwami and Kalasakando. Since the PF Government had started the electrification process, we need the new Government to put up mortuaries at these facilities.

 

Madam Speaker, we also need clinics at Kalusha, Muombe, Sepe, Luansa, and Temfwe. The areas also need more doctors and nurses.

 

Madam, since the water of the Luapula River just runs along the corridors of the community, Chembe needs to graduate from boreholes to a proper water reticulation system. Secondly, it is also a tourism venture which the United Party for National Development (UPND) Government should consider because the fish has already been depleted in the Luapula River and water is simply running. Therefore, we need the water to be utilised.

 

Madam, in terms of industrialisation, the PF Government had opened Mansa Sugar Company, which is running. Many youths have started getting employed at the company. However, we need more attention to be paid because as much as we can have this economic activity, it has to translate to the well-being of the people.

 

Madam Speaker, the Government, especially the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, must have a say in ensuring that the people of Chembe fully benefit from Mansa Sugar Company. Lastly, Chembe District also needs a trades school or skills training centre for youths.

 

Madam Speaker, let me now get to the Motion on the Floor of this House on the speech that was presented by the President, Mr Hakainde Hichilema. We agree that he has given us his story and we have listened –

 

Madam Speaker: Order!

 

Business was suspended 1640 hours until 1700 hours.

 

 

[MADAM SPEAKER in the Chair]

 

Mr C. M. Mpundu: Madam Speaker, I was saying that we have listened to the story and you know a story has two sides; it can be a good story or it can be a bad story. In this vein, we will only take the story we have listened to as being good if we see the implementation of what was contained therein.

 

Madam Speaker, allow me to just look at one thing. Of course, I agree that his Excellency has powers to realign ministries, and there is no question about it. However, I just want to talk about one thing, especially on taking the Ministry of Chiefs and Traditional Affairs to the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development. That ministry, on its own, I think, was well set as a platform to resolve matters of conflict in that area. For example, we still have issues in that area to do with titles of sub-chiefs because they were inflicted –

 

Mr Sing’ombe: Are you a chief?

 

Madam Speaker: Hon. Member, the issues of ministries was already approved. You should address your debate to the President’s Speech on the Occasion of the Ceremonial Official Opening of the Thirteenth National Assembly.

 

Mr C. M. Mpundu: I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Madam Speaker, when you look at the entire President’s Speech, it has a lot of promises whose fulfilment many Zambians are waiting for.

 

Mr Chaatila: They are coming.

 

Mr C. M. Mpundu: They are waiting for the reduction in the price of fuel. The civil servants are also waiting for their salary increment of K1,500. Even in my village in Chembe, they are waiting for free education, which was promised. Let the UPND Government fix, I underline the word ‘fix’, this before the civil servants, women, youths, and the elderly stop breathing.

 

Mr Sing’ombe: They stop what?

 

Mr C. M. Mpundu: They are waiting.

 

Mr Chaatila: What will they stop?

 

Mr Lusambo: Hammer!

 

Mr Sing’ombe: Come again!

 

Interruptions

 

Mr C. M. Mpundu: Before they stop breathing.

 

Interruptions

 

Madam Speaker: Order!

 

Continue with your debate, hon. Member.

 

Mr C. M. Mpundu: Madam Speaker, at the same time, when you analyse the speech, it has a lot of policy reforms, which involves a lot of money. Changing a policy or engaging in reforms goes with financial implications. That money can be used to drill a borehole at Mwami Clinic where there is no borehole or it can be channelled to other avenues.

 

Madam, the President also talked about cadrerism. Cadres are human beings like us. They have been with us from time immemorial. Those people are part of society, but in the President’s Speech, there is no designed programme for them outlining what will be done for the cadres to also survive because in that aspect, there are pull and push factors.

 

Mr Chaatila: So, you want them to continue?

 

Mr C. M. Mpundu: So, we need to design a programme on how those people are going to survive. They are part of society and the President said it is an inclusive Government. Let the cadres be included as we soldier on.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Mr Chaatila: I thought so.

 

Mr Chibuye (Roan): Madam Speaker, let me begin by thanking you for according me this opportunity to give my maiden speech and, indeed, comment on the President’s Speech.

 

Madam Speaker, allow me to add my voice to the long list of hon. Members in congratulating you and your two Deputies on having been elected as Presiding Officers for the Thirteenth National Assembly. Let me also congratulate all hon. Members of Parliament on being re-elected and elected, especially my fellow hon. Independent Members of Parliament, for reigning victorious over the then ruling PF Party and the then strongest Opposition, the UPND.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Chibuye: Madam, it was not easy sailing to conquer these two giants. Congratulations, colleagues. On behalf of the good people of Roan Constituency, allow me to also congratulate His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, and the United Party National Development (UPND) Party, on emerging victorious in the 12^th August, 2021, General Elections.

 

Madam Speaker, it will be unfair if I fail to thank to the Sixth Republican President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, for being magnanimous in accepting defeat and handing over the instruments of power peacefully.

 

Madam Speaker, let me also say thank you so much to my lovely and caring wife, Tize Chola Nonde, my daughters; Chitima, Chola and Tina; my sons; Daniel in China, Mwila, Tinozi, David, and Amadu; and my three beautiful granddaughters. I am also very thankful to the campaign team that was led by the fearless, courageous, and experienced Mr Felix Matobwe, who was also the campaign manager for Hon. Vernon Mwaanga and Hon. Chishimba Kambwili.

 

Madam Speaker, I also thank the two mine workers unions, that is, the Mineworkers’ Union of Zambia (MUZ) and the National Union of Miners and Allied Workers (NUMAW), for giving me the platform to sell my vision to the miners. I thank the minibus and taxi drivers from Mpatamatu, Roan and Town Centre, and the wonderful marketeers from Kawama, Mpatamatu and Roan markets. I thank the pastors’ fellowship of Mpatamatu and Roan churches, all pastors, reverends, fathers, deacons and apostles, in their respective individual capacities. I also thank the mining fraternity of Luanshya Copper Mines, JCHX Mining Construction Zambia and, indeed, the 15 MCC African Construction & Trade Limited.

 

Madam Speaker, I thank that mother and sister selling along the corridors of Top One shop and, indeed, Madan Shop. I thank the brothers and sisters, and sons and daughters in those money booths. I also thank the small-scale farmers in Kalende, Kanshinde, Chendamaungo, Kampelembe, Chisokone, Chilabula, Kamishishi, Mpata Hills, Maila and, indeed, Maposa farming areas.

 

Madam Speaker, I thank the security team that worked tirelessly to collect the sick and dead from various points of Roan Constituency, which was led by Mr Oliver Mposha. I cannot forget to thank the former miners of Roan Antelope Mining Corporation of Zambia (RAMCOZ). I can only say that they will not be disappointed for depositing their trust and confidence in me. Indeed, it was not easy to conquer the Ruling and Opposition parties and to emerge winner out of the eleven candidates who stood.

 

Madam Speaker, let me assure the people of Roan Constituency that I shall work with the Government of the new dawn and President Hakainde Hichilema to ensure that the following is attained.

 

Madam Speaker, I am aware that the Patriotic Front (PF) Government, under the tutelage of His Excellency the former President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, embarked on various developmental projects such the Kafulafuta Dam and the Makoma Water Reticulation projects. I want to ride on the same to ensure that the challenges in Section 27, kwa Mota and kwa Amulo are worked on and people start receiving water. I will lobby for urgent attention to be paid to the rehabilitation of the Mpatamatu/Roan Town Road. I will also work on the collapsed sewer network in the constituency.

 

Madam  Speaker, I also thank the PF Government for having built beautiful houses for the men and women in uniform at Mpatamatu Station that were commissioned by the then Minister of Home Affairs, Hon. Steven Kapolyo Kampyongo. I will engage the responsible line ministries to ensure that the working conditions, salaries and equipment at the mines are quickly attended to. I will also ensure that the mines start sending miners for routine medical checkups and tests for silicosis, unlike the way it is. So, I will work closely with the hon. Minister of Mines and Minerals Development to ensure that all these hiccups are sorted out.

 

Madam Speaker, I will also engage everyone in ensuring consensus is reached in the usage of the Constituency Development Fund (CDF). I will also work closely with the Government for the betterment of the constituency. I will ensure priority is given to the locals for any jobs or employment opportunities that may arise in our constituency. I will also engage the mines to allow our people to continue cultivating in the areas that lie in mining areas. I will ask the mines to continue conducting underground mining or sinking shafts whilst our people cultivate on the land above.

 

Madam Speaker, I will work with the hon. Minister of Mines and Minerals Development to ensure that Luanshya Copper Mine starts utilising the seven mining licences that were issued to it by the then Government to start functioning instead of the three or four that are operational as at now. I will also engage the hon. Minister of Mines and Minerals Development to compel Luanshya Copper Mines to immediately open 28 Shaft, which according to the technocrats, is said to contain close to twenty-five years worth of copper ore. In turn, this will give our people the much-needed employment, as was articulated by His Excellency the President.

 

Madam Speaker, I shall also engage the Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development to engage investors to sink shafts unlike the open pit mines, which arouses great fears in the people as the copper mining and blasting is being done, literally, in some cases less than 500 m or 100 m away from the homes. This is also posing a great danger to infrastructure, which is developing cracks and may collapse in the near future.

 

Madam Speaker, from the aforesaid, I want to mention here that Roan Constituency has predominantly been a mining constituency and before privatisation, we had over 8,000 miners in direct employment. Today, we only have about 1,200 direct jobs and 1,800 contractual jobs.

 

Madam Speaker, the copper mined at Baluba Mine and Milyashi Mine is of high grade, but it is sad that our hardworking miners are not handsomely paid. The lowest paid miner, working under ground and in shifts, is paid a paltry K1,300, as a take home pay. Surely, what can a miner working underground in shifts, and, in some cases, working for twelve hours do with a K1,300 as a take home pay?

 

Madam Speaker: Hon. Member, your time for the maiden speech has run out. You are now supposed to debate the President’s Address.

 

Mr Chibuye: Madam Speaker, thank you for the guidance. Let me now turn to the President’s Speech. To me, the speech that was given by the President was inspiring.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Chibuye: All I need to see is the actualisation of the speech. There are so many things that the President alluded to in his speech. Coming from a mining town, I am interested in what the President said about miners or Zambians starting to enjoy the benefits of the mineral wealth of this country. I want to see the miners in Mpatamatu at JCHX Mining Construction Zambia, Luanshya Copper Mines and at 15 MCC African Construction & Trade Limited start enjoy the benefits of their wealth.

 

Madam Speaker, at Luanshya Copper Mines, our brothers and sisters are subjected to unbearable ill treatment. There is no way a human being can work from 0700 hours to 1900 hours without having lunch and going to the toilet. The moment this happens or the moment a miner is found in this situation, all the Chinese say is, “you, job will finisher,” meaning you are fired. Our brothers and sisters are not allowed to go to church. The moment they do so and they report back to work, the Chinese will tell them that, “you go. Maria, Maria, Yesu, Yesu, pay you,” meaning, you go to the son of God to get your salary. I ask the New Dawn Government to check on these bad issues that are happening at 15 MCC African Construction and Trade Limited and Luanshya Copper Mines.

 

Madam Speaker, I thank the previous Government under His Excellency the former President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, for having embarked on massive infrastructure development and I ask the New Dawn Government to build on these projects. The Kafulafuta Water Dam will be able to supply clean water to Mpongwe, Masaiti, Luanshya, Ndola, and Roan constituencies. I want to make sure that the cries of dirty water in Roan Constituency are a thing of the past. I also want to mention here that the project that was started by the PF Government of rehabilitating the collapsed sewer and water reticulation systems, which were built way back before I was born, are worked on. These projects are ongoing. I will also work closely with the hon. Minister of Youth, Sport and Arts to ensure that the youth resource centre that was started by the PF Government in 2014 is completed.

 

Madam Speaker, in his speech, the President talked about creating employment. During his campaigns, the President promised youths employment. This is the only avenue and vehicle that can help the New Dawn Government to create more employment. After all, the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) can only work well if we have skilled manpower. We shall be drawing the much-needed skills in carpentry, motor vehicle repairs, bricklaying and carpentry, among others, from the youth resource centre. So, it is important that the New Dawn Government steps in and completes this project.

 

Madam Speaker, during the rainy season, Roan and Mpatamatu townships are cut away from the Central Business District (CBD) because the river that connects the two townships always gets submerged. I will be appealing to the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning and the hon. Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Urban Development to quickly help us. After all, His Excellency the President, Mr Hakainde Sammy Hichilema, got more votes based on the promise that all these things were going to be worked on.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Mr Mwila (Mufulira): Madam Speaker, thank you for according me an opportunity to deliver my maiden speech on behalf of the people of Mufulira. This is my first maiden speech, having been elected to this House for the first time. I am most grateful for the opportunity to make this maiden speech. I would like to start by thanking God Almighty for the gift of life and health, and for allowing His will to be done that I stand, today, as an elected Member of Parliament for Mufulira.

 

Madam Speaker, I also thank my party, the mighty Patriotic Front (PF), and President Edgar Chagwa Lungu and the entire central committee for adopting me to stand on the PF ticket. I am deeply indebted to the party for the trust and confidence it had in me by allowing me to stand, as a party candidate. I am specifically grateful to President Lungu, a democrat, a patriot and statesman who put the country’s interest ahead of his own, his family and that of the party throughout his tenure as President of Zambia. I am truly grateful to him.

 

Madam Speaker, I thank the following for their support and contribution to my victory in the just ended elections: my wife, Hilda Ngulube Mwila; and our three children; Mulenga, Kapungwe, and Mwila; for enduring my long absence from them when duty called; my mother, Mrs Loveness Chisala Mwila for the unwavering support, encouragement and prayers. I also pay tribute to my late father Mr Golden Mwila Senior. May his soul rest in peace.

 

Madam Speaker, I thank the church denominations, including the Catholic Church, the United Church of Zambia (UCZ), the Reformed Church of Zambia (RCZ), the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA), the Baptist Church, the Anglican Church and all the Pentecostal Churches and the pastors’ fellowship in Mufulira. I also thank the hardworking campaign team, including Mr Lloyd Sichone, Mr Kennedy Mwansa, Madam Jennifer Lwanga, Mr Joshua Chalwe, Mr Chipili Songwe and Mr Dan Mulenga, among others. I also thank the PF district leadership led by Hon. Sandi and Mr Shula and the PF Mufulira Constituency leadership led by Mr Andrew Msiska, a veteran politician. I also thank the Copperbelt University (CBU) School of Business, Class of 1999, for all the support rendered and resources provided to the campaign. Further, I thank the PF leadership in all the ten wards and all the councillors who stood on the PF ticket. Some of them won, while others did not win. I am grateful to them all.

 

Madam Speaker, I also thank all the candidates who participated in the elections both at the adoption stage within the party and at the general election stage. I will be magnanimous in my victory, and I wish to extend a hand of friendship to all the candidates who participated in the election. I thank all the voters in Mufulira Central for the support, and by extension, I thank all the Zambians for turning up in large numbers to vote.

 

Madam Speaker, despite the violence that characterised the elections before, during and after the polls, Zambians across the country bravely stood in long queues to cast their important vote in exercise of their civic duty of universal suffrage. Some parts of this country experienced serious electoral violence. I will cite a few incidents of violence. A PF member of the Central Committee, Mr Kungo, was brutally murdered when he was merely exercising his right to vote on election day. It was a very sad moment. Two PF members were also murdered in Kanyama on 30^th July, 2021. Our own parliamentary candidate in Matero was stabbed during the campaigns. What is common about all these murders and attacks is that all the victims were PF members. It took President Lungu to invoke his constitutional powers to deploy security personnel to ensure peace prevailed.

 

Madam Speaker, this country also experienced violence following the announcement of the final presidential result. The United Party for National Development (UPND) cadres went on rampage destroying private and public property, which included malls and mobile money booths. Some of the people who were using those booths may have even voted for the UPND, but when they woke up on the day of the announcement, their booths were no more. This was very sad.

 

Madam Speaker, one wonders what would have become of this country had the PF been declared winner of the election or if President Lungu had heeded calls to petition the presidential election results. The machetes owned by the people who were determined to rule this country, come what may, were going to be all over the streets of this country. However, President Lungu put the country first above his presidency, personal interest, and, indeed, above the interest of the PF Party. We are reminded of the adage that, “those who live by the sword, will die by the sword.” Zambians are watching and they will make the best judgement in not so far a future.

 

Madam Speaker, Mufulira Constituency is one of the three constituencies in Mufulira District on the Copperbelt. The constituency has received unprecedented development in the last ten years. We have seen the construction of new township roads made and mini hospitals and clinics constructed in various wards. My election makes me the fourteenth Member of Parliament since the constituency was created and the tenth since Independence.

 

Madam Speaker, let me also thank my predecessors for their contribution to the development of the constituency. My focus areas in the constituency will be to tar or complete the works on the Mufulira/Ndola Road, the new district hospital in Kamuchanga, the modern market in Kamuchanga, the secondary school in Kansuswa and the mini hospital in Bwananyina, among many other projects that we will embark on.

 

Madam Speaker, I pledge loyalty to the Patriotic Front (PF) Party, which brought unprecedented development to this country in just ten years in power.

 

Hon. Government Members: Question!

 

Mr Mwila: As a social democrat, I will continue to advocate for pro-poor policies and programmes. The party will surely come back in 2026.

 

Hon. Government Members: Question!

 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mwila: Madam, yes. We will be back in 2026.

 

Madam, to the nation, for the next years that I will sit in this Legislature, I pledge to support pro-poor laws that will protect the majority poor, keep children in school, create jobs for the many unemployed and provide social safety for those struggling to make ends meet in our country. Therefore, I want to remind the Government that I will speak for the people of Zambia to ensure that the campaign promises that the UPND made to the people of Zambia are fulfilled.

 

Madam Speaker, there is no need to remind them of their promise of free education, twelve bags of fertiliser, reduction in the price of mealie meal, the exchange rate, employment, and the selling of the President Gulf Stream to pay for university student loans. These reminders will keep coming.

 

Madam, I will be averse to capitalist policies such as privatisation of state-owned enterprises and reduction of spending on social programmes. Such policies will just send our people into unemployment and deep poverty. The geo-political world is split between east and west and Zambia must choose its friends carefully. Friendship must be based on mutual respect and recognition of our sovereignty as an independent State. Therefore, I will only support Government programmes, policies and laws that will not injure or jeopardise our political and economic sovereignty.

 

Madam Speaker, I now wish to comment on the Motion of Thanks.

 

Madam, the speech delivered to this House by President Hichilema was a cold speech because it was neither friendly nor sympathetic. When the President came to address the nation, he knew that he was coming from an election marred with brutal violence.

 

Mr Sing’ombe: Caused by the PF!

 

Mr Mwila: I expected the President to be friendly and sympathetic to the victims and their families. Alas, his statement glossed over the violence, much to the surprise of many people. Let me quote page 6 where he says:

 

“Despite isolated incidents of violence recorded before, during and after voting, the elections were generally peaceful.”

 

Madam, I do not agree with this statement. He knows very well that many people lost their lives due to political violence. As a statesman, I expected him to sympathise and commiserate with the families that lost their loved ones and breadwinners due to political violence. To make such a statement makes him uncaring. That statement glossed over such sad incidents.

 

Madam Speaker, allow me to discuss what happened to Former President Lungu on inauguration day at Hero’s Stadium. That signalled the first act of impunity by the UPND Government. The stadium was filled contrary to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) regulations.

 

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

 

Madam Speaker: A point of order is raised.

 

Mr Mbao: Madam Speaker, is the hon. Member on the Floor in order to start discussing things that happened at the stadium instead of concentrating on the President’s Address, which is the issue at hand? I need your serious ruling.

 

Madam Speaker: The hon. Member has not indicated which Standing Order has been breached, in accordance with Standing Order 131. Therefore, that point of order is not admitted.

 

You may continue.

 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mwila: Madam Speaker, while Africa and the rest of the world were praising Zambia for the democracy and demonstration of unity, cadres were filled in the stadium to create an embarrassing –

 

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

 

Madam Speaker: A point of order has been raised.

 

Mr Nkulukusa: Madam Speaker, Standing Order 65(a) states that:

 

1.  

 

1. confine their debates to the subject under discussion;”

 

Madam, based on what the hon. Member is debating by talking about what happened at the stadium, is he in order to divert from the discussion under debate and start talking about other things?

 

Madam, I need your ruling.

 

Madam Speaker: The hon. Member is supposed to address his mind to the President’s Speech, which is the Motion on the Floor of the House.

 

May the hon. Member debating concentrate on the President’s Address.

 

Mr Mwila: Much obliged, Madam Speaker.

 

Madam, in the first paragraph of the speech, on page 7, the President said:

 

“I thank my predecessor, His Excellency, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, for facilitating the transition.”

 

This transition happened at the Heroes Stadium where cadres were filled to capacity and caused embarrassment.

 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mwila: I expected the President to come here and apologise to his elder brother for that behaviour which the cadres displayed in the stadium.

 

Madam Speaker: Hon. Member, I ruled on that matter. Concentrate on the President’s Speech.

 

Mr Mwila: Much obliged, Madam Speaker.

 

Madam, allow me to also describe this speech as doom and despair to the Zambian people. We expected the President to come here and put into policy the many promises that the UPND made to the people of Zambia and explain how they were going to be actualised. However, this speech sounds like a manifesto. The same statements that were made during the campaigns found themselves in this speech.

 

Madam Speaker, I will outline my points of concern in this speech that caused me to describe it as causing doom and despair to the Zambian people.

 

Madam, on education, we have all talked about the Zambian people waiting for free education. As the hon. Member for Mufulira, I have a long list of people who have requested for help in paying of school fees and I expect my pockets to be relieved by the Government. That promise is not going to disappear. I will help the people of Mufulira by ensuring that it is fulfilled.

 

Madam Speaker, the President was here talking about why his children do not need tax payers’ money to pay for their school fees. However, the promise of free education was not made to the President’s children, but to the many children of the many Zambians who believed this promise, and they are waiting. We do not mind whether his children benefit from the taxpayers or not, but the children of the many Zambians who are in this country are waiting for this promise to be fulfilled.

 

Madam, on energy, the President talked about cost-reflective tariffs. During the campaigns, we saw how the UPND Government talked about sealing the leaks in ensuring fiscal discipline in this country. However, statements around cost-reflective tariffs will mean consumers of electricity paying higher rates. The rates that we are paying for electricity are already high. If these cost-reflective tariffs will mean that the cost of electricity in this country is to increased, both at domestic and commercial level, it is something that I will not render my support to.

 

Madam Speaker, with regards to mining, I am coming from a constituency that depends on the mining sector. We needed the President to make himself very clear on the Government’s position on Konkola Copper Mine (KCM) and Mopani Copper Mines. My constituency has quite a number of people who are working for Mopani Copper Mines, at the moment. I am sure, as I go back to the constituency, these are the questions that I will have to answer. As the PF Government, we had a very clear road map on Mopani Copper Mines and KCM. Now, the Government has changed.

 

Madam Speaker, I invite the hon. Members on your right to read our economic recovery plan that was issued last year. It was very clear on how we were going to handle the mining sector. Currently, there is a question mark on how this Government is going to proceed with Mopani Copper Mines and KCM. The people of Mufulira are waiting.

 

Madam Speaker, this Government has already demonstrated how it is backtracking on the many campaign promises that it made to the people of Zambia. When we hear phrases such as “BMW, Bally Muntuwabufi” it is because of backtracking on promises barely one month in Government.

 

Interruptions

 

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Member.

 

A ruling on the issue of BMW, Bally Muntuwabufi was already made. Please, can we use Parliamentary language. Can you withdraw that statement.

 

Mr Mwila: Madam Speaker, I withdraw that phrase.

 

Madam Speaker, I refuse to subscribe to the terminology that we have a New Dawn Government. In fact, nightfall has befallen this country as a result of this Government. It is a new dusk. It is nightfall.

 

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

 

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mkandawire (Kabwata): Madam Speaker, thank you for giving me this opportunity to deliver my maiden speech. I give thanks to my Creator, the Lord Jesus Christ, for granting me this chance to be found among such hon. Members representing different constituencies in Zambia.

 

Mr Lusambo: Tatuleumfwa!

 

Mr Mkandawire: Madam Speaker, I join my colleagues in saluting His Excellency the President, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, for his most gracious speech delivered on 10^th September, 2021. I thank the President for reminding us of our role, as Parliamentarians, in the governance of our country.

 

Madam Speaker, allow me to congratulate His Excellency the President, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, and Her Honour the Vice-President, Mrs Mutale Nalumango, on their victory during the just ended elections. It has been a long road to attaining this victory, which is dedicated to all the voters in the country.

 

Madam Speaker, I would be failing in my duty if I did not congratulate you on your election to preside over this House together with your Deputies. Your election, as a first female Speaker, is a great milestone in the history of mother Zambia. I also wish to pay my tribute to the United Party for National Development (UPND) for adopting me as a representative of Kabwata Constituency residents. I thank His Excellency the President, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, for trusting me to be his vision career in Kabwata. Many thanks go to all the UPND officials and members in Kabwata Constituency for their support during the voters’ mobilisation and protection exercise, which made it possible for me to be here. Sincere thanks go to my lovely wife, Charity Mkonyo, my children, friends, and relatives for their love, care and encouragement.

 

Madam Speaker, above all, I am deeply indebted to the voters for entrusting me to represent them in Parliament. This is, indeed, a mammoth task which requires total commitment, hard-work, and support from all stakeholders, including the Central Government, local government, the civil society, the Church leadership, the community leaders and the business community. The support of the Opposition voters is equally required for one to succeed as Kabwata Member of Parliament.

 

Madam Speaker, this august House may wish to know …

 

Mr Lusambo: Bikenikoicimwela!

 

Laughter

 

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Members!

 

Can we allow the hon. Member to debate freely.

 

Mr Mkandawire: … that I have joined the list of illustrious representatives that include among others, the first hon. Member of Parliament, Mary Mwango, and her immediate past successor, Hon. Given Lubinda. I thank these leaders for the solid foundation that they have laid in Kabwata.

 

Madam Speaker, according to the 2010 Population Survey, Kabwata Constituency stands at 174,338 people. Obviously, the number is much higher today. The constituency has five wards, namely Chilenje, Kabwata, Kamulanga, Kamwala, and Libala.

 

Madam, I now wish to inform the House some key challenges facing the constituency. Residents underscored these challenges during our successful door to door campaign. The first challenge is the lack of employment opportunities especially among the youths. There are many youths who have completed Grade 12, college, and university education. Others have dropped out at Grade 7 and 9 levels. Sadly, most of these youths are unemployed due to the limited opportunities. Without employment, some youths have lost hope and have opted to engage in illicit vices such as crime, excessive consumption of alcohol and drugs.

 

Madam Speaker, the priority will therefore, be to sensitise these youths to have a change of mindset to venture into business. The youths will be encouraged to capitalise on opportunities that will be offered by the newly created Ministry of Small-Scale and Medium Enterprises.

 

Madam Speaker, secondly, the Ministry of Education will be lobbied to improve the capacity of tertiary education such as, Chilenje Trades Training Centre, that offer practical skills like tailoring and carpentry. We will lobby for funding, equipment and instructors so that these institutions are equipped to train the youths effectively.

 

Madam Speaker, another challenge is that of garbage disposal. The collection and disposal of garbage at markets and communities has been challenging. To resolve this, we will embark on educating the general populace on the economic benefit of waste management. We will also educate the populace to capitalise on the newly formed Ministry of Green Economy and Environment. The creation of this ministry clearly demonstrates the commitment of the UPND Government to manage waste profitably.

 

Madam Speaker, in the health sector, I thank the previous administration. We are fortunate to have Chilenje First Level Hospital, which also caters for patients from other constituencies. We also have Kamwala Clinic and Kabwata Clinic as well as Edgar Lungu Clinic in Kamulanga Ward. The Ministry of Health will be lobbied to ensure that the medical personnel, equipment, and drugs are readily available at these facilities. In the case of Edgar Lungu Clinic, we will lobby for its upgrade so that patients can be seen for twenty-four hours instead of the current six hours.

 

Madam Speaker, in the education sector, we are privileged to have public secondary schools in each ward. However, classes are over crowed due to the high number of learners. Urgency will be given to lobby the Ministry of Education to consider building extra classroom blocks at Chilenje, Kamulanga, Libala and Kamwala Secondary schools.

 

Madam Speaker, in the commercial and transport sector, traders and bus drivers expressed concern over incidents of financial extortion by political cadres. Hopefully, with the newly introduced policy of stopping caderism in these entities, such cases of extortion, will decline. To curtail the vice, my office will continue educating the drivers and market traders not to pay such levies to criminals but to councils. Where necessary, we shall report the culprits to the Zambia Police Service for action.

 

Madam Speaker, shortages of houses, especially for essential workers like police officers, teachers and medical officers, is another challenge. Police officers continue to share houses meant for one family in Janet Sakala Police Camp. We will lobby the Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security to upgrade and build additional decent houses for these officers.

 

Madam Speaker, related to this is the failure to pay retirees and widows their terminal benefits on time. Some retirees at Janet Sakala Police Camp have not been paid for two years. Unfortunately, their continued stay in the camp has denied other officers accommodation. We will lobby the Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security to speed up the payment of retirees at Janet Sakala Hospital Camp. There are also no houses for medical personnel at Chilenje First Level Hospital. There is no accommodation for teachers at Arthur Wina and Lusaka Basic schools. Libala Secondary School only has two houses for teachers. Therefore, we will lobby the Ministry of Education to consider building houses for teachers.

 

Madam Speaker, we are also concerned about the shortage of trading spaces at our markets in Kabwata. These markets are a major source of employment for many residents. Unfortunately, due to inadequate space, some traders are trading on the streets outside the markets. This poses a danger to the lives of our citizens. We shall lobby the Lusaka City Council and the Ministry of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development to consider improving markets like Kabwata Munyaule, Chifundo and others.

 

Madam Speaker, in the energy sector, residents have continued to bemoan the high tariffs being levied by Zesco Limited. We will lobby the Ministry of Energy to consider accepting new investors in this sector. With more competitors, we envisage a reduction in the tariffs.

 

Madam, in the road sector, we are blessed to have a number of tarred roads in the constituency. However, there are also many untarred roads in our township. One of these untarred roads is –

 

Madam Speaker: Order!

 

Your time for the maiden speech is up. You can move to the President’s Speech.

 

Mr Mkandawire: Madam Speaker, I wish to join my hon. Colleagues in commenting on the speech by His Excellency the President, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, delivered on Friday 10^th September, 2021.

 

Interruptions

 

Madam Speaker: Hon. Members, let us allow the hon. Member to debate without any interference.

 

Continue, hon. Member.

 

Mr Mkandawire: Madam Speaker, people must enjoy the fruits of changing the Government. I totally agree with the President when he said people must enjoy the fruits of changing Government.

 

Madam Speaker, you may wish to know that most voters lost hope in the Patriotic Front (PF) Government, hence the verdict to vote the UPND on 12^th August, 2021. The people made that decision because their aspirations were not fully met. Therefore, the President pledges to meet the aspirations of the voters. The UPND promised free education, freedom of assembly and rule of law, among other liberties.

 

Interruptions

 

Madam Speaker: Order!

 

Mr Mkandawire: Madam Speaker, so far, I am happy to note that the UPND has succeeded to grant the freedom of assembly and association. We are seeing the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC), which previously covered the Ruling Party only, now covering the Opposition as well. Traders and bus drivers have been liberated from political cadres who were extorting their hard earned money. The councils have started collecting revenues from the markets and bus stations. These are the fruits of changing Government that the President was alluding to. Special appreciation to the youths for –

 

Mr Fube: On a point of order, Madam.

 

Madam Speaker: A point of order is raised.

 

Mr Fube: Madam Speaker, the point of order is in line with Standing Order No. 69, which states that a Backbencher shall only read a maiden speech but the hon. Member on the Floor is reading the President’s Speech. Is the hon. Member in order to do that?

 

Interruptions

 

Madam Speaker: Order!

 

The hon. Member was quoting from the President’s Speech.

 

May the hon. Member, please, continue.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Madam Speaker: Order!

 

Mr Mkandawire: Madam Speaker, special appreciation to the youths for facilitating the regime change. The role the youth played in removing the PF from Government cannot be ignored. The youths deserve commendation for benching the PF. They were dissatisfied because their aspiration for employment and other opportunities were not met by the PF. We, therefore, thank the youth and pledge to meet their aspirations. So far, the youths who are trading in markets and those who are working as drivers and conductors have started seeing the benefits of the regime change. These youths no longer pay illegal fees to cadres. However, this reaction by the youths is also a warning to the UPND not to become complacent.

 

Rev. Katuta: On a point of order, Madam Speaker.

 

Madam Speaker: A point of order is raised.

 

Rev. Katuta: Madam Speaker, I am riding on the point of order raised by the hon. Member of Parliament for Chilubi. Our hon. Colleague is still reading; he is not quoting. Is he in order to continue quoting?

 

Madam Speaker, I seek you serious ruling.

 

Madam Speaker: I will allow the hon. Member to continue debating.

 

Interruptions

 

Madam Speaker: Can we, please, have some order.

 

Mr Mkandawire: Madam Speaker, the Republican President raised a valid point in his speech. You may wish to know that the President wants to unite the country and focus on development.

 

Interruptions

 

Madam Speaker: Hon. Members, can we have some order in the House.

 

Mr Mkandawire: Madam Speaker, consequently, the President was right to stress the importance of uniting Zambia. So far, President Hakainde Hichilema has included personnel from all the ten provinces in his Cabinet. This will be a starting point of uniting our beloved country.

 

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

 

Madam Speaker: I have allowed the hon. Member to continue debating. That point of order is not admissible.

 

Mr Mkandawire: Madam Speaker, once united, it becomes easy to focus on development and distribute national resources of this country for the benefit of the people, including the Cabinet. Everyone is likely to benefit from the national cake. There is a huge task of rebuilding the country because of that, hon. Members –

 

Madam Speaker, I agree with the Republican President that the UPND has a huge task to rebuild the economy. We aspire to form Government so that we can rebuild the economy and improve the lives of our citizens and this can be achieved with the prudent usage of resources. We are equal to the task because we pledge to run a corrupt free Government. We also pledge to spend the available resources on important matters and not wasteful expenditure. Therefore, these resources will be channelled to growing the economy.

 

Madam Speaker, I wish to conclude by thanking you for giving me the chance to comment on the President’s Speech.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Munir Zulu (Lumezi): Madam Speaker, allow me to congratulate you on being voted as the first female Speaker of this House. Permit me also to congratulate your First and Second Deputy Speakers.

 

Madam Speaker, in haste, I give glory to God for this rare opportunity in my life time. Let me also thank my wife, my family, friends, the traditional rulers of Lumezi, my campaign team led by Mr Mpunda Museteka and permit me to congratulate His Excellency the President, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, on his election as our Republican President.

 

Madam Speaker, permit me to pay glowing tribute to the former President, His Excellency Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, for graciously handing over power and placing Zambia as a shining example of democracy world over.

 

Madam Speaker, my political journey began when I was a student at the National Institute of Public Administration (NIPA) when I participated in the union politics as president, where I represented every student very well regardless of tribe, race, gender, religion and political affiliation. I carry this spirit in me until this day. That is why when I look around here, I see all people defined by citizenship only and not by tribe, race, gender, religion or political affiliation.

 

Madam Speaker, my election to this House is a sign that leadership is a trust from the people and it can be withdrawn at any given time. Having given this background of where I come from politically, I want to share with this House the motivation behind my candidature to represent the people of Lumezi Constituency and all Zambian youths. It is not a secret that luxuries, opportunities and resources of this country are an exclusive monopoly of the elderly folks.

 

Madam Speaker, a number of youths have realised that captainship of their affairs is an outdated system. Therefore, the youths want to take full responsibility of their affairs. That is why in Chipata, a youth by the name of George Mwanza aged twenty-seven years old participated as Chipata City Council Mayor, as an independent candidate, and triumphed over the candidates sponsored by the former ruling party, the Patriotic Front (PF), and the current Ruling Party, the United Party for National Development (UPND). His Worship the Mayor, Mr George Mwanza, is just a small drop in the ocean. In this House, there are other youths, such as Hon. Warren Mwambazi, Hon. Christopher Kang’ombe, Hon. Tasila Lungu and Hon. Romeo Kangombe and others who have decided to take a seat in the governance system of this country. This shows that youths have refused to be represented in solving their affairs.

 

Madam Speaker, it saddens me that despite this willingness of the youths, our governance system seems to have devised its own way of treating youths as perpetual under-five, who must watch from the bench. It is sad that the Government of His Excellency the President, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, seems to be hesitant to engage youths at full length in governance.

 

Madam Speaker, many people expected the President to have a clear roadmap on youth affairs of accessing opportunities in issues of empowerment or regarding our natural resources such as mukula, rosewood and mukwa. The President failed to give a clear roadmap on youth empowerment issues, but went to make minor appointments of very few youths in certain positions merely to paint an impression that we are making headway when the fact is that youths remain tails in this country. Nowhere is the arrogance of elderly folks so well demonstrated as in the instance of captainship of youthful aspirations, which is vivid in the attitude elders have towards youths who want to sit at the table of national affairs.

 

Madam Speaker, we have seen situations before where young people have been fought by the Government for merely trying to make a difference. I have in mind the Construction for Africa Company owned by a youth, Rogers Mugala, which was viciously fought by elders at the National Pension Scheme Authority (NAPSA). His company was blocked from even commenting on any tenders at NAPSA and the matter is still in the High Court. We hope the New Dawn Government will not fight the young people using the courts so as for them not to have a fair share of the national cake.

 

Madam Speaker, it seems it is a dangerous affair for youths to aspire to be meaningful in this country. We have decent young lawyers in this country by the names of Zaza McQueen and Simon Mwila, but they are not considered for serious opinions in this country. As we are seated in this honourable House, we have young men such as Phil Chikuwa, who runs a company called Phil Auto, but Parliament still finds it decent that we buy our vehicles from non-Zambians instead of promoting our own Zambians.

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Munir Zulu: Madam Speaker, we have young people in this country who still feel that buying a vehicle from Toyota Zambia or Marunouchi Zambia is better than buying from Phil Auto. I think this House should do better than that.

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Munir Zulu: Madam Speaker, in my constituency, people draw drinking water from pools where their domestic animals such as dogs and cats drink water from. In Lumezi, there is no economic activity which can give the people jobs and business opportunities to earn a living. Lumezi has two national parks, namely Lukusuzi and Lubambe, yet people do not benefit from the tourism activities. Instead, we have seen the Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) arresting the residents of Lumezi for merely being found with a rabbit, yet lions continue to kill people without any protection from ZAWA.

 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Munir Zulu: Madam Speaker, expectant mothers walk very long distances as long as 40 km to access medical facilities. In most cases, the unborn babies die due to hardships experienced during pregnancy. Road networks between communities remain poor. The girl child is exposed to early pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases at an early age of thirteen. Male youths are abusers of drugs and alcohol because they have no jobs and empowerment. All this is due to poverty that lacks in the midst of plenty. There are tourism opportunities in Lumezi that can empower people if investment is made in such areas.

 

Madam Speaker, it is a sad story that this country has been giving ZAWA concessions based on ten year periods and I hope this New Dawn Government will consider revoking those licenses so that the locals can benefit from the tourism sector. My aspirations are motivated by the urgent need to unlock Lumezi and help my people sort out their challenges.

 

Madam Speaker, let me turn to the issue of the fast track court, which the President spoke about. I want to put it on record that I reject it. It is an establishment that lacks logic and targets political opponents of those in power. The assumption that any court will deal with certain cases faster than others is a notion which has no expression in the presumption of innocence. Those who will be appointed to sit in judgment against those accused will draw their power from the appointing authority. This is a recipe for political persecution.

 

Madam Speaker, permit me to make an emphasis that I am one of those who could be given a rare privilege to move a Motion one day in this House to abolish the Constitutional Court because we do not need it, as a country. It is recipe for anarchy, and we do not need the fast track court.

 

Madam Speaker, I am one of the first victims –

 

Madam Speaker: Order!

 

Time for the hon. Member’s maiden speech expired.

 

Mr Munir Zulu: Madam Speaker, permit me, then, to move to the Motion of Thanks. I have challenges with the New Dawn Government. The United Party for National Development (UPND) won the election through young people. The President did very well to appoint Hon. Stanley Kakubo, Hon. Tayali, and Hon. Mweetwa as it represents our generation. Also, the President did well to appoint Hon. Chushi Kasanda as Information and Media, despite her having difficulties pronouncing certain words.

 

Laughter

 

Mr Munir Zulu: Madam Speaker, but she represents our generation.

 

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Munir Zulu: Madam Speaker, the President would have done better than to appoint the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning who had appended his name during the signing of Zamtel to Lap Green of Libya. The President would have done better on that appointment. The President should have done better to appoint a better minister than Hon. Mutati whom we have known since high school.

 

Hon. PF Members: Hammer!

 

Mr Munir Zulu: Madam Speaker, permit me to also say that the President should have done better to appoint an advisor on youthful affairs than having a Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) affairs department at State House. What we need is someone who will take charge of young people’s aspirations and not outdated ones.

 

Madam Speaker, permit me to agree that we needed the creation of new ministries. I feel sad that the Ministry of Gender has been abolished. We have few women in leadership in this country. We should have maintained the Ministry of Gender.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

 

Madam Speaker: Order!

 

Mr Katakwe (Solwezi East): Madam Speaker, my name is Dr Katakwe, Member of Parliament for Solwezi East Constituency, representing the people of Mushindamo District.

 

Madam Speaker, allow me to deliver my maiden speech to this august House. This is an honour that I have accepted with immense gratitude, humility and respect. In this regard; I will do my best to execute my mandate, primarily for the people of Solwezi East, and Zambia as a whole. I greatly thank the Almighty God by whose grace I am, and we are alive.

 

Madam Speaker, allow me to recognise and acknowledge the superb and tremendous moral, physical, spiritual and financial support from my wife, Martha Yowela. To my children and other family members who rendered their support, I say great thanks.

 

Madam Speaker, before I delve into the details of my maiden speech, may I also take this opportunity to congratulate you on your election as the seventh Speaker of this august House, not only that but the first ever female Speaker in the history of Zambia coming on board to serve with the seventh President of this great nation.

 

Madam Speaker, the great number, seven, is of biblical significance and signifies the new dawn of our nation, Zambia. I also congratulate our First and Second Deputy Speakers. It is pleasurable, gratifying and encouraging to the young men and women, who have ventured into politics to see Madam Deputy Speaker take her role. This goes a long way in reducing the gender gap that exists in our country. May we continue to break the glass ceiling which affects and infects the women folk, especially the girl child.

 

Madam Speaker, I would like to congratulate my fellow hon. Members on their victory in the just ended general elections. It is time to work and deliver. To my fellow party members in United Party for National Development (UPND), our President, His Excellency, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, Her Honour the Vice-President, Mrs Mutale Nalumango, National Management Committee, provincial team, district, constituency and branch officials in Mushindamo District and, indeed, the Friends of UPND (FOU), I thank them all for the support before, during, and after the August General Elections.

 

Madam Speaker, they fought so hard, especially that Mushindamo District was underrated and thought of as a constituency where the now opposition would just walk over based on the chopper that was flying around dishing out money. However, the people of Mushindamo demonstrated that money is not everything. There is more to life.

 

Madam Speaker, everyone in Mushindamo is the reason I am here. I thank them. I am thankful to my opponents who made me campaign every day to win big and protect the vote. They made me stronger and forced me to learn more about politics. I hope we work together for the common good that we all aspired for, that is, to serve the people better.

 

Madam Speaker, let me now emphasise to this august House that I have a huge responsibility over a vast constituency, which is predominantly rural, covering about 140 km, up north, 130 km down south, and a span of about 100 km.

 

Madam Speaker, allow me to zero in on the issues affecting Mushindamo Constituency.

 

Delimitation

 

Madam Speaker, as a vast constituency, which is only about 500 km from Lusaka the capital city of Zambia, Solwezi East Constituency stands at 5,252 square kilometres with a population of 127, 604, as of 2018 Census of Statistics. However, out of this population, only close to 20,000 registered as voters in the just ended elections of which only about 14,000 voted. This is because the previous regime, the Patriotic Front (PF) disfranchised our people, which was quite sad. People were disfranchised by restricting the issuance of National Registration Cards (NRCs) when it mattered the most, and the constituency remains undeveloped.

 

Madam Speaker, being a vast constituency, it is, therefore, imperative that relevant authorities consider delimitation of Solwezi East. For instance, we can have Mushindamo North and Mushindamo South constituencies because the constituency is too vast.

 

Central Business District

 

Madam Speaker, the other challenge we are facing is the location of the Central Business District (CBD). There is nothing to point at to indicate the location of CBD. Initially, it was supposed to be situated near the Mushindamo River. However, because of the political influence of the previous regime, it has never been developed.

 

Agriculture

 

Madam Speaker, Solwezi East Constituency has a potential to become the hub of agriculture. It is endowed with vast natural resources, forests, rivers, untapped minerals and good and usually heavy rainfall. However, the main livelihood of the people of Mushindamo remains that of small-scale farming.

 

Madam Speaker, it is, however, sad to note that despite the massive agricultural potential that Solwezi East has, it was neglected by the previous PF regime for the reason that the people of Mushindamo were never voting for it.

 

Madam, when it comes to the market, Solwezi East has one market which is gazetted at Kipushi Border and our people find their way to sale their commodities there because Solwezi Central is quite far. However, the previous regime, the PF, mounted two road blocks for the Zambia National Service (ZNS) people who have actually been brutalising and beating up the people. Whoever was or is found taking maize, popcorn, chickens or goats to the border, which is a gazetted market, is always beaten up, which is very unfair. However, in the same vein, you would find cartels by the PF smuggling mealie meal to the border town while locals continue to suffer. To this effect, I am calling on the Ministry of Defence to ensure that the issue of the ZNS brutalising our people in Mushindamo is resolved as soon as possible.

 

Madam Speaker, when it comes to the road network, Solwezi East has one key road which is the Solwezi/Kipushi Road. This road’s terrain has extremes during the rainy season and the dry season. You remember a few years ago, a chopper was air lifting our children who were going to Mushindamo Girls Technical School. It is quite pathetic. That road during the dry season is so dusty and it has actually led to many road traffic accidents.

 

Madam Speaker, there are many other roads. One of them is called the Mafita Road, which links Mujimanzovu to St Dorothy, which is middle way. We have many other roads and one of them just ends at the river called Lwenge or Kafue River, where the previous regime, the PF, put two boats in order to smuggle mealie meal to the other side with a cadre who was collecting revenue which never reaches the council.

 

Technical malfunction

 

Madam Speaker: Is there anyone who has there ZOOM switched on?

 

Mr Katakwe: Madam Speaker, when it comes to the hospital, –

 

Madam Speaker: Order!

 

Hon. Members, who have their ZOOM on, please, can you switch it off if you are in the Chamber.

 

Hon Member debating, you can proceed although we cannot see you now. There is something wrong with the hybrid system.

 

Mr Katakwe: Madam Speaker, when it comes to the hospital or health services, Mushidamo or Solwezi East only has seventeen clinics, most of them in bad condition. There is only one mini hospital with eighteen bed spaces and it has never been operationalised. It is sad to note that our hon. Minister of Honey Bee would actually boast about having built many clinics in their area, alas, there is nothing in Mushindamo.

 

Hon. PF Members: Question!

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hammer, hammer!

 

Mr Katakwe: Madam Speaker, there are many challenges. In the education sector there are actually no housing facilities or infrastructure. The education offices are actually housed in a four bed roomed house. As I am talking they owe the owner of that house K120,000.

 

Madam Speaker: Order!

 

Time for the hon. Member’s maiden speech expired.

 

Mr Katakwe: Thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Madam Speaker, allow me, at this juncture, to profoundly support the speech that was made by the biblical Moses, His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, the one whom God the Almighty found fit to deliver the children of Zambia from the bondage and the shackles of extreme poverty, corruption, genocide intentions to wipe out the entire Zambian race through expired drugs, police brutality, gassing, the removal of students bursaries, disabling the University of Zambia (UNZA) lecturers Unions, brutal killing of innocent souls like Nsama Nsama; the State Prosecutor; Vesper; the student at UNZA, and dismissal of professional police officers, and disabling the media. We all know. It is on record.

 

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

 

Madam Speaker: A point of order is raised.

 

Mr Katakwe: Madam Speaker, the President made it crystal clear –

 

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Member. A point of order has been raised.

 

Mr Fube: Madam Speaker, in the Standing Order that talks about debate, part of it says that a debater should remain relevant. I think he is not doing that. Is the hon. Member debating in order to talk about deaths, which the President never addressed?

 

Madam Speaker: Hon. Members, just for guidance. As the other hon. Members were debating, they referred to deaths of some people who were not referred to in the President’s Address. So, the hon. Member is in a way responding and is correct in the manner that he is debating.

 

May the hon. Member proceed with his debate.

 

Mr Katakwe: Madam Speaker, the President made it crystal clear when he outlined, on page 13, the broad policy direction for the next five years. It is an outline although our friends, the PF, want all the nitty-gritty’s, which is unfair. I think, it is a lack of understanding. The five-year broad policy outlined the economic transformation and job creation, human and social development, environmental sustainability, and good governance environment.

 

Madam Speaker, let me zero in on the last point which is dear to my heart; good governance environment. Good governance refers to the welfare in governance and improving the quality of governance. It enables the Government to provide equal opportunities and fair delivery of goods and services to the people who are most marginal in society. Good governance is a way of measuring how public institutions conduct public affairs and manage public resources in a preferred way. Governance is a process. It is unfortunate to find the hon. Member of Parliament for Malole claiming that he is a learned teacher by profession, yet talk about Government processes such as the K1,500 to be given to the civil servants. How can you, indeed, begin to spend before you present your budget? I find that actually out of order. The process of decision-making and a process by which decisions are arrived at is part of good governance.

 

Madam Speaker, good governance is the bedrock of national development. Through it, we can unite the country, as the President stated, and focus on development. Through good governance, we can enjoy the fruit of change of Government, which we have begun to see since the kwacha begun to appreciate. Through good governance, we can build the economy for citizens to benefit. We can implement the fiscal deficit and restore confidence on the financial market. Through good governance, we can enhance social protection for the poor Zambians. Through good governance, we can make agriculture a viable sector to help accelerate development. These were the points that the President was stressing. Farmers can have cheap agriculture inputs and can restore transparency and accountability. In the mining sector, there can be an increment in the production of copper, gold and cobalt.

 

Madam Speaker, through good governance, building roads and airstrips can make Zambia a prosperous tourism destination. We can improve the Higher Education Board system and help the poor. Of course, we expect, even what the President said, his children do not need free education and he stressed that there may be misunderstanding after that speech. Our friends want free education overnight, which is practically impossible. We afford zero tolerance to corruption through good governance and this, our President stated, there can be no sacred cows in the fight against corruption past present and the future. The President assured us of this and those who are criminal in nature; we are actually going to follow them.

 

Hon. UPND Member: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Katakwe: We can resolve the challenges retirees’ are faced with unlike what we saw in the previous PF Government where retirees were crying and lamenting, yet had been forgotten about.

 

Madam, we can improve the health sector through good governance and not through intentions of genocide to make the Zambian people die. If one notices, there has never been a year that so many Zambians have died as they did, and this was not just because of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), but because of the expired drugs. The former hon. Minister knows that expired drugs are very dangerous to human health, but that was allowed in the previous regime. Issues of gassing, the forty-eight houses and many other issues have never been resolved.

 

Madam Speaker, we can invest in road, rail and air transport and achieve this. We can also introduce Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) and all this can be done through good governance. To the contrary, the previous regime demonstrated bad governance in this country and, today, it has fallen from grace and occupies its current position.

 

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

 

Mr Chanda (Kanchibiya) Madam Speaker, I am deeply honoured and profoundly grateful for this opportunity to address this august gathering of the representative of the people of our great Republic of Zambia. Before I proceed to deliver my maiden address, we should all be continually mindful that there is nothing more precious than the gift of life, which all of us present here are enjoying. For that, we thank God Almighty for the gift of life.

 

Madam Speaker, no human being should be killed for belonging to a different political party and for no reason, as comrade Jackson Kungo was. May I take this opportunity to pay my heartfelt tribute to a fallen comrade, friend and brother, Jackson Kungo, who was senselessly and gruesomely killed at a polling station in Solwezi on 12^th August, 2021. Through this august gathering and, through you, allow me to convey my deepest condolences to the family of comrade Kungo as well as those others who have lost their loved ones due to the scourge of political violence at the hands of those who have not learnt to disagree without being violently disagreeable.

 

Madam Speaker, it is, therefore, my firm hope that the new United Party for National Development (UPND) administration, as a Government priding itself in upholding the rule of law, will give maximum and fair attention to ensuring that justice is served to the victims of political violence, past, present and future. In the recent past, and the last few days, we have read and heard how the Mayor for Kabwe has been harassed by UPND cadres in Kabwe. It is immoral that the UPND, as a party, would remain quiet about this matter. We read about how the Kanganja family burial sites in the North-Western Province were vandalised by UPND cadres, yet the party and the Government remains dead silent.

 

Madam Speaker, in the words of scripture, we are reminded that though we are many, we are one body. Yes, we are one people –

 

Madam Speaker: Hon. Member, no quoting from the scripture.

 

Mr Chanda: I am guided, Madam Speaker.

 

Madam Speaker: Withdraw that quote.

 

Mr Chanda: Madam Speaker, I withdraw.

 

Madam Speaker, yes, we are one people and we are ‘One Zambia, One Nation’ with a shared heritage, destiny, traditions and culture. We, therefore, have to constantly remind ourselves of this eternal truth that what unites us is far greater than that which separates us, be it holding divergent views, belonging to a different political party or holding different political ideologies. It is in this light that this address and my subsequent deliberations in this august House should be understood that this is not personal and that we have to disagree without being violently or hatefully disagreeable. My holding divergent views should never degenerate in animosity or hatred with any Member of the UPND, for example, and vice-versa.

 

Madam Speaker, as I look back over my life, the significance of this moment dawns on me as something of an epiphany. My political career came to the fore when as a young lad, I won the GM Mayor Public Speaking Contest for Ndola District in 1993. I subsequently went on to be chosen as the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Co-ordinator for the African Youth Parliament in Nairobi, in 2001 and I was later elected as Vice-President for the SADC Youth Movement in Pretoria, South Africa, in 2002.

 

Madam Speaker, I am now standing before you for the first time in this Chamber, as a representative of the great and resolved people of Kanchibiya, in this very House that makes ultimate determination of the passage of legislation for our nation. From my formative years, through my long journey to this place, I have retained the resolve to make a positive difference in my community, my country and my continent. May I announce, from the outset, that I am a Pan-Africanist. I, therefore, stand here today humbled that through a democratic process, the people of Kanchibiya inspired by what my party, the Patriotic Front (PF), and I stand for, elected me to be their representative in this august House.

 

Madam Speaker, regardless of the outcome of the 12^th August Election for the PF, I wish to pay special tribute to our party President and the sixth President of the Republic of Zambia, His Excellency the former President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, to whom I proffer my deepest and unreserved gratitude for his wise counsel, humility, compassion, empowering and people-centred leadership, among others. His fatherly guidance has helped shape me into a better leader and a nationalist, Pan-Africanist and overall a better human being that I am today. I am eternally grateful for the pivotal role President Edgar Lungu played in my virtue adoption as Kanchibiya Constituency Member of Parliament, under the PF.

 

Madam Speaker, having said that, the people of Kanchibiya have not sent me here to adulate or verbally profligate, but rather to debate. As John F. Kennedy once said:

 

“Without debate, without criticism no administration and no country can succeed and no republic can survive.”

 

Madam Speaker, in the interest of democracy and the development of our Republic, I will do my utmost to ensure that Zambians everywhere get the best of my time in this House as I play a role in holding the new administration, the UPND administration, accountable to its promises to the people of Zambia. I shall offer constructive criticism on one hand and, on the other, I will be magnanimous enough to give credit where it is due.

 

Madam Speaker, the people of Zambia went to vote with expectations against the backdrop of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and its ramifications on the Zambian and global economy. The majority of the Zambian youths voted for jobs and economic opportunities because they felt dissatisfied with the pace at which my party delivered these jobs. The youths have made an emphatic statement that they want jobs to materialise now, not in the immaterial rhetoric of jobs in the future. Where I come from, we say, ifumo ilyansala talyakwata amatwe, meaning an empty stomach has no ears. The youths of Kanchibiya expect that the new administration will fix it by providing quality jobs. Therefore, we are asking for a clear and detailed plan from the new –

 

Madam Speaker: Order!

 

(Debate adjourned)

 

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The House adjourned at 1840 hours until 0900 hours on Friday, 17^th September, 2021.

 

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