Thursday, 23^rd September, 2021

 

The House met at 1430 hours

 

[MADAM SPEAKER in the Chair]

 

NATIONAL ANTHEM

 

PRAYER

 

_______

 

MOTION

 

MOTION OF THANKS

 

Mr Nyambose (Chasefu): Madam Speaker, when business was interrupted yesterday, I was talking about the agricultural sector and had particularly referred to page 15 of His Excellency the President’s Speech, where the President say that the Government will implement a comprehensive agricultural transformation programme.

 

Madam Speaker, I indicated that the people of Chasefu are predominantly in agriculture, but I want to indicate that the agricultural programmes, especially the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP), were poorly managed by the previous regime.

 

Mr Sampa: Question!

 

Mr Nyambose: Madam Speaker, everyone might wish to note that under FISP, every member was required to pay a membership fee to a co-operative, buy shares in the co-operative and they pay K400 for the inputs. However, what was actually happening is that instead of getting a full pack of fertiliser, which is six bags, they were getting one bag each.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Shame!

 

Mr Nyambose: That has continued, and the people of Chasefu are worried. However, I am very confident that our hon. Colleagues in the ‘New Dawn’ Government, as they espouse their policies, will continue with FISP, but they should review it. I was comforted when I heard one of the media houses report that the hon. Minister of Agriculture would institute investigations into how FISP was handled. I am ready to work with the hon. Minister of Agriculture to review this programme.

 

Madam Speaker, when I hear the former hon. Minister sound as though he was not aware of what was happening in the programme, I get worried. It is said that it is what you inspect that gets done, not what you expect. Maybe, there was a lack of supervision and inspection. The people of Chasefu crave for better management of our agriculture system.

 

Madam Speaker, talking about corruption, I support the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Speech. As a leader who has been brought up in the labour movement and local authorities, my heart bleeds when it is said and seen that there is rampant corruption in our nation. Where is the leadership? Who is going to save this country? The people of Zambia crave for better leadership. When you steal public resources –

 

Madam Speaker: Order!

 

The hon. Member’s time expired.

 

Mr Simumba (Nakonde): Madam Speaker, thank you for giving me this time to make my maiden speech.

 

Madam Speaker, I stand here greatly humbled and honoured by the faith shown in me by the people of Nakonde, who have sent me with the blessings of Her Royal Highness, Chieftainess Waitwika, to represent their interest in this House. I thank God for giving me enough grace. Without Him, this would have not been possible.

 

Madam Speaker, allow me to appreciate the Sixth President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, for showing leadership in handing over power peacefully and ensuring a smooth transition. I say ‘thank you’ to the Patriotic Front (PF) leadership and its members in the various structures for adopting many young people like me, which should be a beacon of hope of a bright future for the young people out there.

 

Madam Speaker, my gratitude also goes to my campaign team, members of my family, leaders and members of the Church, the Pastors’ Fellowship, marketeers, drivers, business associates and all those who stood with me throughout this journey. They are too many to name. However, special thanks go to my lovely wife, Janet Simumba Nakaonga; my children, who are my inspiration and strength; my campaign manager, Mr Sikalangwe Edwin; and my brothers and associates, Alex Simbeya and Aaron Kambikambi, whose support cannot go unnoticed. I also thank all the people of Nakonde, who have put their faith in me to represent their best interests.

 

Madam Speaker, I pay tribute to my predecessor, Hon. Izukanji Siwanzi, and all the past Parliamentarians who have represented the people of Nakonde and contributed to making Nakonde what it is today.

 

Madam Speaker, credit also goes to the administration of my party, the PF, for having undertaken a number of developmental projects in Nakonde, among which the notable ones are the following:

 

1. rehabilitation of the Great North Road, which connects Zambia to Tanzania;
2. rehabilitation of Kanyala Road, which connects Nakonde to Malawi;
3. building of secondary and primary schools;
4. upgrading of some primary schools; and
5. construction of Nakonde Hospital and health centres.

 

Madam Speaker, it is my hope that the ‘New Dawn’ Administration, the United Party for National Development (UPND) will leverage these projects and ensure that those needing completion, like the Great North Road, which is remaining with only about 70 km to reach Nakonde, Kanyala Road as well as township roads are quickly attended to.

 

Madam Speaker, Nakonde Border is one of the largest contributors to the Treasury, contributing an average of K6 million per day. The cry of the people is that despite contributing significantly to revenue collection, there has been no tangible trickle-down effect on the welfare of the people of Nakonde. We are happy that when he appeared on Radio Chete FM on one of his campaign trails in April, 2020, His Excellency Mr Hakainde Hichilema made a promise to the people of Nakonde that he would see to it that 5 per cent of the revenue collected at the border town is ploughed back into the development of the town and that he would also make sure that Nakonde becomes a tax-free zone. These promises linger on the minds of the people of Nakonde, and the people are hopeful that the promises will be fulfilled.

 

Madam Speaker, I am open to working with anyone with progressive ideas on how we can improve the lives of the people, and that includes supporting the President and his Government in delivering on the promises he has made to the people to serve them diligently, because mine is a call to service.

 

Madam Speaker, I survived an assassination attempt on the day I was declared winner of the election. My vehicle was ambushed by suspected UPND cadres armed with stones and guns, and one of my men was hit by a bullet meant for me. Our camp house and vehicles were torched by the cadres and about ten houses belonging to our supporters were badly damaged. We are still trying to see how we can help the victims of these barbaric acts, which should be strongly condemned. Despite all that, we hold no grudges against our brothers in the UPND. Instead, we shall provide a unique and distinguished type of opposition to the UPND Administration, far from what we have experienced. We shall hold it accountable, but work with it to better the lives of the people and, by this, I mean we shall embrace and support tit, remain sober, and provide fair and constructive criticism where necessary.

 

Madam Speaker, you may be aware that the biggest industry in Nakonde is that of clearing. That has been the major source of livelihoods for the youths in the constituency. The industry works in conjunction with two associations, namely the Nakonde and Muchinga Drivers associations. However, the industry has lately encountered the following challenges, among others:

 

1. non-inclusion and involvement of the actual clearing agents in policy formulation pertaining to tax regimes; and
2. unprofessional tendencies by the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) of inconveniencing agents and clients in the conduct of business through duplication of enforcement activities. We appreciate that patrols are necessary in enforcing compliance, but the current practices are not welcome.

 

Madam Speaker, in mitigating the major cries of the clearing agents, I propose that the ZRA starts looking at clearing agents as allies in cross-border trade compliance and involving them in the formulation of policies that have an impact on them in the tax regime. Furthermore, the unnecessary interception of legally-cleared consignments ought to be stopped. Instead, inspection must only be allowed at the specified destination of inspection, which is the Kapiri Mposhi ZRA Port Office. That is the point that should be utilised for full monitoring, checking and verification of suspected consignment, rather than the usual unnecessary patrols.

 

Madam Speaker, our drivers have been deprived of their livelihoods by the unfair trade arrangements between Tanzania and us. It is painful that our drivers are no longer allowed to go to Tanzania and pick up imported vehicles; Zambian drivers are now only allowed to pick up vehicles from Nakonde while their counterparts have the liberty to cross over and drive all the way to Livingstone or Kasumbalesa. My proposal is that we only allow our colleagues from Tanzania to drive the in-transit vehicles from Dar-es-Salaam and then hand over the vehicles to Zambian drivers –

 

Madam Speaker: Order!

 

The time for the hon. Member’s maiden speech expired.

 

Mr Simumba: Madam Speaker, thank you for giving me this chance to debate on the –

 

Interruptions

 

Madam Speaker: Order!

 

Hon. Members, as I earlier guided, running commentaries are not allowed. Let us observe the decorum of this honourable House. If you have to consult, please, do that quietly. You have to learn the art of whispering even when you are wearing your masks. Let us allow the hon. Members who are debating time to debate. After all, they are speaking on behalf of their respective constituencies, and that is what all of you hon. Members are doing. So, let us not interrupt hon. Members or make running commentaries when the debate is ongoing. Please, let us be guided accordingly.

 

Hon. Member, you may continue.

 

Mr Simumba: Madam Speaker, at this juncture, I wish to talk about the fundamental or key matter of a campaign promise. What I understand is that when you promise, it is more or less like a contract. It is an assurance that you are going to do what you have promised.

 

Madam Speaker, when I look at this speech, to me, it is half-baked. It is a half-baked speech in the sense that it does not allude to or make any indication of how our hon. Colleagues are going to fulfil the promises they have made. You might be aware that we have been promised heaven on earth; that free education is coming, but when you go to page 35 of the speech, it states the following:

 

“Our administration will provide quality and equitable access to education for all.”

 

Where is free education there? The people out there are waiting to have access to free education.

 

Madam Speaker, for the sake of reminding the UPND Administration, I will go through the things that it promised so that the hon. Minister of Finance, who is going to present the National Budget, takes note of them.

 

Madam Speaker, the first thing the UPND promised was to make the Kwacha trade against the United States (US) Dollar between zero and K9. That is the single-digit rate the UPND was talking about. The other thing it promised was to employ 30,000 doctors. It also promised to make sure that the Presidential Jet is sold. The President talked about the US$330 million jet and stated that if sworn in in the morning, by afternoon, he would have sold the jet. I heard somebody say that the Presidential Jet belongs to the Zambia Air Force (ZAF). I do not know when ZAF facilitated the change of ownership of the jet.

 

Madam Speaker, we demand that the free education policy be implemented, especially for the benefit of the people of Nakonde, because this is what has been lacking in the constituency. Many people there lack access to education because they do not have money to pay school fees. So, they have vowed that come 2022, no one is going to pay school fees in Nakonde.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

 

Madam Speaker gave the Floor to Mr Samakayi, but he was unavailable.

 

Mr Anakoka (Luena): Madam Speaker, I thank you most sincerely for affording me this opportunity to deliver this maiden speech on behalf of the people of Luena and, indeed, on my own behalf. Let me take this opportunity to congratulate you on your election as the first female Speaker of this august House. The people of Luena, some of whom were here to witness your taking the Oath of Office, wish you and your two Deputies God’s providence as you execute your duties.

 

Madam Speaker, let me take this opportunity to congratulate His Excellency the Republican President and Her Honour the Vice-President on their victory in the 12^th August, 2021 General Election. It is a victory that is made even sweeter by the fact that it came out of an election in which the Opposition was never allowed to canvass for votes by the former ruling party. It is no secret that campaigning under the Patriotic Front (PF) regime was akin to going to war. It is, therefore, shocking that our colleagues on your left are now bemoaning the high instances of violence, of which they were the architects. It is surprising that, today, our colleagues want to pretend that the violence the nation witnessed was being perpetrated by the United Party for National Development (UPND) when everybody knows that the PF and violence have been working hand in glove and, therefore, there is no dispute as to who actually generated violence in this country. The nation has not forgotten the deaths of Mapenzi Chibulo, Vesper Shimuzhila and Banda in Kaoma during a by-election, the death of Nsama Nsama and many more innocent lives that were lost under what some have described as the blood-thirsty regime of the PF.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Anakoka: Madam Speaker, if the UPND Government needs any lecture on violence and its negative impact on society, we will not get the lecture from the morally bankrupt PF. Oh, no, we will not! As we speak, we are aware that some of the gangs that were created by the PF are now wearing UPND regalia and taking videos of themselves committing heinous crimes. We wish for the police to quickly get to the bottom of this scheme and bring all the culprits to book. We have not forgotten even the despicable assassination attempt on our President during the elections in Chingola. We have also not forgotten the many tramped-up charges that were slapped on him without an iota of shame. The President of the PF was still vowing that he was going to arrest the UPND candidate once he won the elections. What kind of leadership was that? Indeed, the nation is happy to see the back of the PF.

 

Madam Speaker, I am greatly honoured and humbled by the opportunity bestowed on me by the people of Luena, and I thank the team that toiled alongside me to secure this historic victory. The team included the District Chairman, Mr Muyatwa Inyemba; Mr Nalishebo Muyongo, also known as Mukuwa; and the Constituency Chairperson, Mr Sile Mubukwanu, who also doubled up as my campaign manager. I also thank Ms Lungowe Munalula, also known as Ma Chanda, but better known as Ndimbandimba ya Luena, and not forgetting Mwata Bob Kabanda and my two drivers, Mubita Matomola and Donald Mayumbelo, who toiled day and night to make sure that we executed our campaigns with sufficient logistical support.

 

Madam Speaker, big thanks to Mama Soldier Soldier, Ma Chipango, and her team; Boma Sikambi; Bo Meyana Mwandi; Boma Akalemwa; Bo Muyunda, who is my Constituency Secretary; the Constituency Chairlady, Bo Tebuho; Mubita Sibale; Muwana Muwana; and Bo Jane Akalalambili and her team. They are too many to mention in this short speech, but I am very grateful for their support. I also thank all the ward chairpersons, and the constituency and district executives.

 

Madam Speaker, I also take my hat off to the Western Province Chairman and the Chairlady for their support. I will fail in my duties if I do not mention my security team led by Mubita Mukumbuta, my Youth Chairperson; Kusiyo Saasa; Muyambango; and Monde, who did a sterling job at marshalling the youths to vote for Team Bally in 2021.

 

Madam Speaker, one special person I will forever be indebted to in my political career is Hon. Charles Milupi, who saw potential in me and has held my hand since I started my political journey. I thank him. I further acknowledge the catering team that took care of us, Bo Sharon, Bomahe Mooka, Bo Mercy and all those who endured long hours to ensure that the team was taken care of when it came back from their forays in the field. I also recognise the Council Chairperson, Mr Joel Namakando Masiye, and all the Councillors for their support.

 

Madam Speaker, I acknowledge my family, namely my parents, Mr and Mrs Anakoka Mufungulwa; boma, Boma Mwangala; the entire household; and my sister and family mobiliser, Ms Mwangala Mufungulwa. I also acknowledge the support of the entire Luyanga Mufungulwa Clan and the Kaundula Clan for their unwavering support. Further, I acknowledge my children, Lungowe, Eva, Fungu and Chiku for enduring months on end without my presence, as they have surrendered me to work for their motherland as the chief servant of Luena Constituency.

 

Madam Speaker, I started my journey to this august House with the full support and blessing of my dear late wife, Virginia Hapeza Anakoka. The burning desire to serve our people at this level is one that we passionately shared and sacrificed for together. I will forever be grateful to God for the life we shared. May she continue resting in eternal peace. I am humbled, therefore, to deliver our maiden speech to this august House.

 

Madam Speaker, let me now move on to debate the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Speech delivered to this august House on 10^th September, 2021.

 

Madam Speaker, this speech has been described by many experts with many superlatives. However, the people of Luena have christened it as a ‘business unusual’ speech because it breaks away from what had become the trend over the past ten years, where rhetoric was commonplace and a lack of capacity to deliver on commitments was the norm.

 

Madam Speaker, the ‘New Dawn’ Government has, indeed, brought help and hope to the nation. The President addressed four thematic areas, namely economic transformation and job creation, human and social development, environmental sustainability and good governance environment. I will just focus on some of the issues, given the time limitation.

 

Madam Speaker, on job creation, the people, especially the youths of Luena, are waiting for job opportunities. The President stated that the ‘New Dawn’ Government will accelerate the creation of jobs across the various sectors, such as mining, agriculture and construction, and the youths are eager to take up those job opportunities. The youths in Luena Constituency are aware that the only way they can benefit from the job opportunities is if they have access to skills development. In this regard, the people of Luena are aware that around 2016, the Skills Development Levy Act was passed and the Skills Development Levy scheme was introduced in 2017. Since then, money has been collected, but the youths of Luena Constituency and Limulunga District have not seen any benefits. There is not a single skills development centre in Luena, and they are hopeful that under this Government, some of that money is going to find its way into the development of a skills development centre in Luena. Moreover, we already have a place where we think such a centre can be constructed.

 

Madam Speaker, having said that, we are aware that the monies that have been collected for the purpose of developing skills in the country has not been utilised in the manner it should have been used. I personally inquired at Technical, Education, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training Authority (TEVETA) because according to the law, that fund is supposed to be managed by TEVETA. However, I discovered that the money was actually being managed by the Ministry of Higher Education, which is contrary to the provisions of the law. My attempt to find out which institutions have been constructed and how the money has been used did not yield any positive results. I, therefore, appeal to the Minister responsible, I think it is the hon. Minister of Technology and Science, to ensure that the Skills Development Levy Fund is not just audited, but forensically audited, to ensure that the people who have looted it are held to account. We are all aware that the PF looting did not spare any institution in this country, and I am sure the Skills Development Levy Fund was one cookie jar that was not avoided. So, I look forward to a forensic audit being done in that area and some people being held accountable.

 

Madam Speaker, Luena Constituency in Limulunga District has a shortage of schools. We do not have a single boarding school; all we have are just day schools, and this means access to education, especially for the girl child, is really very low. Most of our children do not go to institutions of higher learning because the quality of learning is very poor at the moment. So, the people of Luena and Limulunga look forward to many developmental projects, which include roads. They expect the Mongu/Limulunga Road, which is also known as the treason road, to be constructed. I hope the road from Limulunga to Kate, where the new district offices are being constructed, can be tarred. The road passes through Matapaela area, which has a mystical lake that has a lot of tourism potential. The people of Limulunga also expect that, at the minimum, the roads from Nangula to Kate and from Ndanda to Sikusi via Simaa will be worked on in the next five years.

 

Madam Speaker, the dredging of canals has not been done in Limulunga for years, and at the moment, we have a hunger crisis looming. So, the people of Luena are appealing that as an urgent measure, the ministry responsible should see to it that Litolomani, Kabombo and Namboma canals are cleared as soon as possible before the farming season sets in. There is also potential for agriculture in Luena, but Government support has been non-existent. Now, people are looking forward to cheap farming inputs and chemicals being made available near to them so that they can be assisted in increasing their output.

 

Madam Speaker, Luena is a rural constituency, as I have said, and that means that it really needs to be planned for from scratch. At the moment, the District Office Project is ongoing, although it has been ongoing for years due to the incompetence and looting culture of the PF. The people of Luena hope that the structure is going to be completed in the shortest possible time so that development can be taken closer to the people.

 

Madam Speaker, the people of Luena wish President Hakainde and Her Honour the Vice-President, Madam Mutale Nalumango, all the best as they endeavour to take development to the four corners of this country.

 

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

 

Ms Chisenga (Mambilima) Madam Speaker, before I proceed, allow me to congratulate Hon. Brian Mundubile and Hon. Kampyongo on being elected Whip and Deputy Whip, respectively, for the Opposition.

 

Madam Speaker, it is my honour and rare privilege to be in this august House to present my maiden speech following my election on 12^th August, 2021.

 

Madam Speaker, the House may wish to note that Mambilima is a rural based constituency.

 

Madam, I take this opportunity to thank all individuals and companies alike, who helped me in various ways in the gruelling campaigns. I also thank my mother and father, Mr and Mrs Chisenga. The support they rendered is appreciated. Let me also thank my siblings; my son, Ryan; my friend, Mwenya; my campaign manager, Daniel Matanda; Chiefs Kashiba, Katuta and Mulundu, and all the headmen and headwomen; and the Church, not forgetting to mention my media team, which was led by Anastasia Banda and Ben. Simply put, let me thank everyone who was involved in my campaign team.

 

Madam Speaker, I will be failing in my duties if I do not heartily thank the electorates for a clear mandate of over 80 per cent of valid votes. This shows the confidence they have in me, and make an undertaking to not fail them. I am also grateful to the Sixth Republican President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, for allowing me to kick-start my political career as a Member of Parliament. I also thank him for the good run because the people have seen for themselves the great works he did and the robust developmental projects, which now remind the people of Zambia of how focused he was and how much love he had for them.

 

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

 

Madam, please, allow me to proceed by thanking my predecessor, Hon. Dennis Wanchinga, the former Minister of General Education, for laying a strong foundation on which I should build. He represented the constituency well, and I strongly urge him to provide the counsel I will need to enable me to carry on the crusade. In a similar manner, I appeal to our new Government to swiftly run from where our party, the mighty PF left off so as to pursue what is good for the people in general.

 

Hon. PF Members: Hammer, hammer!

 

Ms Chisenga: Madam Speaker, I believe that what was achieved by the Patriotic Front (PF) was not in vain but, admittedly, in a robust country like ours, much more needs to be done as we cross the political terrains. The torch has merely changed hands, but will, in years to come, depending on how the United Party for National Development (UPND) Government will deliver on its election campaign promises, which the Zambian people remember very well –

 

Madam Speaker, the tragedy in our country is the tendency to reject views expressed by different parties, whether in the Government or in the Opposition. This is incorrect, as it retards development. Wisdom is not a preserve of one party; shared opinions and views result in the best mix. Therefore, as the PF, we shall endeavour to support progressive laws that will benefit the people of Zambia and Mambilima, in particular. I want to believe that this is the essence of democracy, which entails provision of checks and balances in order to avoid excesses.

 

Madam Speaker, the olive branch offered by the PF, under the able leadership of Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, of not petitioning the Presidential election should seriously be considered. It should not be taken as a sign of weakness, but rather as a tool for strengthening the fragile unity of our land. It goes without saying that ample evidence is readily available and that it can easily be adduced for purposes of petitioning the results. So, the principle of give and take should be seen to be at play among the warring parties. Currently, it appears that any good idea originating from the Opposition is unlikely to be supported by the other side simply because of the seemingly acrimonious relationship which currently exists. Time has come to make amends. We should move on in the interest of our country.

 

Madam Speaker, I hail from a rural constituency, as many of my colleagues do. Let me, therefore, mention a few aspects that may require being addressed as soon as possible.

 

Madam Speaker, as a rural constituency, agriculture has been our mainstay. Some mechanisms need to be infused in the programme in order to produce the required results and enhance food production. Existing irrigation programmes must be fully promoted, as water is abundant in my area.

 

Madam Speaker, the voting pattern of the 2021 General Elections revealed to us that the youth had a serious message to deliver, which needs to be addressed. Being a youth, I am fully committed to the advancement of the youth, who are the leaders of tomorrow. We cannot ignore the sector, as the number in this age group is increasing. To this effect, the people of Mambilima need more schools, a skills training centre and youth empowerment.

 

Madam Speaker, with the abundance of water volumes in the province, I urge the Government to exploit the potential in the energy sector through the use of water in our province. It is a sure way of enhancing foreign exchange from the surplus that would ensue.

 

Madam Speaker, following the Luapula Province Exposition in 2020, as a constituency, we are of the view that it is time to follow through on developmental initiatives under the exposition. I urge the Government to activate such programmes with the direct participation of our citizens. The application and emphasis of local economic development initiatives assures success. Through the public-private partnership (PPP) mode, we expect the commissioning and ground-breaking of the Kasomeno Mwenda Project. The project has since stalled. I, therefore, urge the Government to immediately implement it, as it will connect Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and enhance trade. It will also create jobs for our people.

 

Madam Speaker, child marriages are a great challenge in our constituency, and a serious violation of human rights. I speak for the girl child and hope this vice will come to an end in our area.

 

Madam Speaker, as I conclude, I thank the House for giving me this opportunity to make my maiden speech. As we strive to work together in ensuring that our economy grows, we hope that the people on your right side will be able to walk with us in order to develop Mother Zambia.

 

Hon. PF Members: Ema youth aba!

 

Mr Jamba: Kuwayawayafye!

 

Mr Lusambo: Aah, jealousy!

 

Ms Chisenga: Madam Speaker, let me now proceed to comment on the President’s Speech.

 

From the outset, I would like to mention that the President’s Speech was neither enlightening nor inspiring, especially to me as a youth.

 

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

 

Ms Chisenga: Allow me to highlight a few points from the speech.

 

Madam, on page 7 of the speech, the President recognises that the youths turned out in numbers to vote for him, yet he does not have a conclusive programme for them. The youths turned out because they had belief in the President; a belief that he would give them jobs. Students had the belief that he would give them their meal allowances. The youths also had the belief that they would have the free education that even the people of Mambilima and the entire Zambia is waiting for.

 

Madam Speaker, let me consider page 9 of the speech, where the President actually says that the people of Zambia shall have equal opportunities. If you look at the Coat of Arms, there is a man and a woman. That entails that in Zambia, even women are entitled to enjoying the benefits that come with being Zambian. However, I can see that we only have a few women Cabinet Ministers.

 

Mr Sing’ombe: Join the UPND!

 

Ms Chisenga: In that regard, we are not impressed. At this moment, I speak as a youth and as a woman. The Cabinet should have accommodated both women and men fairly.

 

Madam Speaker, the aquaculture programme, which was introduced by His Excellency the President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, ...

 

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

 

Ms Chisenga: … has been highlighted on page 18 of the speech.

 

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Member for Mambilima!

 

There is a point here that there can only be one President. So, when you refer to the Sixth President, please refer to him as ‘former President’.

 

Ms Chisenga: Madam Speaker, I am obliged, and thank you for the guidance. I will proceed.

 

Madam Speaker, I was talking about the aquaculture programme that was started by Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, the Sixth President of the Republic of Zambia.

 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

 

Ms Chisenga: May this programme be clearly looked at so that the new Government carries it on. I speak for the people of Mambilima, where there is a lot of water, and I am looking forward to seeing the project grow in accordance with the President’s speech.

 

Madam Speaker, let me talk about agriculture, which is what we rely on as the people of Mambilima; most of our people there are farmers. Simply put, we wait for the promise made to the people of Zambia that they will buy fertiliser at the lower cost of K250.

 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hammer, hammer!

 

Ms Chisenga: Madam Speaker, I inform the people on the right that if all these things I have talked about are not fulfilled, the people of Zambia are watching and waiting, and they know what we say on every fateful day. We shall continue to provide checks and balances, and remind the people on the right of their duty.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Madam Speaker gave the Floor to Mr Samakayi, but he was not available.

 

Mr Malambo (Magoye): Madam Speaker, I am grateful to you this wonderful afternoon for the opportunity given to me to present my maiden speech in this House. I feel duty-bound to acknowledge the fact that I stand before you, our mother, the Honourable Speaker, and I congratulate you on your election as the first female Speaker in the history of Zambia. I also congratulate the First Deputy Speaker, who is also a lady, on her election.

 

Madam Speaker, I make special acknowledgment of our great Cabinet, which was constituted by our President. I also recognise my fellow hon. Parliamentarians from the Ruling Party, the United Party for National Development (UPND), and the Opposition.

 

Interruptions

 

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Members!

 

Earlier, I advised you to learn the art of whispering. I can hear all your discussions from here. Therefore, you are disturbing the hon. Member who is on the Floor trying to debate. Let us listen to him, just as others listened to other hon. Members when they debated. Please, let us consult quietly.

 

Hon. Member for Magoye, continue.

 

Mr Malambo: Madam Speaker, my heartfelt gratitude goes to the great people who played a leading role to see me stand and speak to this august House. These include the President of the Republic of Zambia and President of the UPND, Mr Hakainde Hichilema; the Southern Province UPND Management Committee, led by Mr Billiard Makwembo; the Mazabuka District Management Committee led by Mr Oliver Chibulo Mulomba; the Magoye Constituency leadership; and the ward leaderships. Special thanks go to Mr Chiinzila, Mr Chilinga, Mr Choongo and Hon. Mulomba, in particular, who was our campaign manager.

 

Madam Speaker, behind me are my family and friends. Without them, my dream to represent the people of Magoye would not have come true. My thanks become even more profound and get married with indebtedness to the electorates of Magoye Constituency, who did not only vote us into this office, but also braved the night for fear of the Patriotic Front (PF) rigging the elections.

 

Madam Speaker, allow me to recognise my predecessors, Hon. Ben Mweemba, Hon. Mulomba and Hon. Emmerson Machila, who contributed to the development of our constituency. They did their part amidst difficulties, and I promise to carry on from where they left off and endeavour to do even better and more. Magoye needs agent development because it has lagged behind in many aspects. I firmly believe that this time around, we are equal to the task and that we will finally put that long-awaited smile on the beautiful people of the constituency.

 

Madam Speaker, we are coming from a leadership that did not take its mandate to govern this country seriously; went against the supreme law of this land with impunity; and stood firm and resolute in promoting more of what divides us than what brings us together as a country, among them tribalism, nepotism and ethnicity. I stand to substantiate my take on the party previously in power. It is under its watch that the following corrupt tendencies were considered normal:

 

1. exorbitant expenditure in the procurement of ambulances. This is still on the minds of the people;
2. unreasonable expenditure on the construction of tollgates, as you may have been aware through social media;
3. colossal expenditure on construction of sub-standard roads;
4. procurement of expensive, but expired drugs; and
5. procurement and disappearance of speed cameras.

 

Madam Speaker, talking about the Government of the PF without bringing out its violence and impunity would surely be failing the people of Magoye. It is under the PF’s watch that I remember very well our member and dear young lady, Mapenzi Chibulo, being teargassed and her family in Namwala mourning when she was being buried. Further, the life of Vesper Shimuzhila, a student at the University of Zambia (UNZA), who was doing very well and whose family had dedicated itself to her education so that she could look after her parents later on in life, was unfortunately and unceremoniously cut short by the brutal PF regime. Additionally, Mr Nsama Nsama Chipyoka, a man who stood close to me at the Police Service Headquarters when we escorted the UPND President, now the President of this country, died; his life was cut short and his family is still mourning. My younger man, Joseph Kaunda, also died in similar circumstances. All this happened through the political brutality of the vicious, harsh and fierce Government of the PF. 

 

Madam Speaker, allow me to remind the hon. Members on your left that we have not forgotten that they put President Hakainde Hichilema in prison for 127 days without any case. They also perpetrated violence at Sun FM Radio, forcing President Hakainde Hichilema to leave the station through the roof. The PF also made the President of the UPND and Zambia, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, go into hiding in the bush in Sesheke for eight hours. These and many more other incidences of violence characterised the leadership of the PF, which was such a brutal and arrogant leadership.

 

Madam Speaker, I thank most sincerely our God almighty for keeping us safe all these years in the Opposition under very difficult circumstances, and for blessing the people of Zambia so as to live to the expectations of the larger majority, as exhibited in the unprecedented way of voting in the just-ended historical election. We, as a party and individuals, are not taking people’s victory for granted.

 

Madam Speaker, I represent Magoye Constituency, which is rural and needs good feeder roads. The Magoye/Chivuna Road needs quick attention because I do not know how people are going to move from Chivuma into Mazabuka Town if the road is not worked on in time. The Itebe, Mununga, Simulwa and Mbiya roads equally need attention as quickly as we are able to afford it. The roads a have huge economic impact potential, as they lie on the maize belt and the beef producing areas. The same roads lead to our secondary schools, rural health centres and markets where small-scale farmers in the region sale their agricultural produce.

 

Madam Speaker, with description I made earlier of my constituency, in particular the economic potential, my people and I feel that the declaration Magoye as a district is long overdue.

 

Madam, it saddens me to let you know that I have areas in my constituency where people are meant to share drinking water with animals, but I am confident that through the leadership of the President of the UPND and this country, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, sinking boreholes will be one of the earliest things that we are likely to undertake to ensure that people have safe water, and good dams and dip-tanks so that their animals are dipped regularly to contain diseases.

 

I end my maiden speech on this note.

 

Madam Speaker, allow me to now give my take on the speech that was made by His Excellency the President to Parliament on 10^th September, 2021.

 

Without any doubt, I am in absolute support of the roadmap on the governance of this nation that His Excellency the President gave. In supporting the speech, I draw the attention of the House to the part on the promotion of agriculture, and quote:

 

“The agricultural sector is critical in driving growth.”

 

Madam Speaker, as you are aware, the majority of Zambians in this country are purely dependant on the agricultural sector. According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), 80 per cent of Zambians are farmers. It is from this sector, I believe, that many draw their income to enable them to send their children to school. I would also like to believe that the majority of the people here, in this House as hon. Members of Parliament, came from parents who were toiling in agriculture to ensure that they were educated. In Zambia, we are all dependent on agriculture for survival. The rural communities like Magoye Constituency, which I represent, depend on agriculture as a source of employment, income and food. Therefore, the promise made by the President to transform the sector by redesigning the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) is long overdue.

 

Madam Speaker, the running of FISP and many other factors have destroyed the agricultural sector because the distribution of farming inputs to farmers is delayed and that, alone, results in poor yields. If only the fertilisers could be distributed in time, farmers would be able to get good yields at the right time. Under the able leadership of President Hakainde Hichilema, whose background I know very well, this industry is going to be the number one priority to ensure that many of our people in the country have quality yields.

 

Madam Speaker, health is the biggest equaliser, and a healthy nation is a wealthy nation. We have a good number of rural health centres in Magoye, but I ask this able Government under the leadership of President Hakainde Hichilema to upgrade Magoye Rural Health Centre into a hospital to enable our people to access the much-needed health care.

 

Madam Speaker, the Government will accelerate the construction of dams for people to have access to clean drinking water. This is a very beautiful and welcome idea that was ably presented by the President. The promise entails reduced distances for women and girls in my constituency when fetching water. It also entails that farmers can engage in irrigation farming as opposed to the traditional dependence on rain-fed farming. If only we can have farmers who are going to manage to have a year-round irrigation systems, we are going to have enough food for this country. I, therefore, seek the intervention of our able Government in sinking more boreholes in my constituency to help mitigate the water shortages that are currently prevailing.

 

Madam Speaker, generally, the President’s Speech has motivated us, since it is anchored on development, unity and prosperity.

 

Madam Speaker, allow me to send a word to the naysayers in the Opposition; those who are still in denial over the very safe hands that this country is now in. Right now, people the world over are ululating following the speech that was made by the President at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). That shows the quality of the President.

 

Madam Speaker, in conclusion, I say that as I speak, I am aware that the people who brutalised others or pilfered money from the national coffers are here. The majority of them are seated listening to me and pretending to be innocent. The long hand of the law is going to reach out to them, and we will not relent in clean up this country because we know for sure that the country was abused to an extent that this country ended up looking like a dead country.

 

Madam Speaker, as I rest my case, I thank you most sincerely for this beautiful opportunity to make my maiden speech.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Ema speech, aya!

 

Mrs Mazoka (Nominated): Madam Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity accorded to me.

 

Madam, let me start by congratulating you on your historical election as the first female Speaker of the National Assembly in the history of Zambia. Your ascendance to the converted position is evidence of the enormous trust, confidence and respect that the hon. Members of this august House and Zambians, generally, have in your leadership qualities, and your exemplary character. I have no doubt that you will guide this House with the requisite impartiality and judgement. In the same vein, I congratulate the First Deputy Speaker, Hon. Malungo Chisangano, and the Second Deputy Speaker, Hon. Moses Moyo, on their election to their respective offices. I am equally confident that they will deliver a leadership that will inspire trust and uphold the esteem of this important House.

 

Madam Speaker, allow me to congratulate President Hakainde Hichilema on his emphatic victory as Zambia’s Seventh Elected Leader, having obtained 59 per cent of the total votes cast at the Presidential level. From the 12^th August, 2021, General Election, President Hakainde Hichilema, together with his running mate, Mrs Mutale Nalumango, emerged with the most popular electoral mandate since 1996. His clear victory is a testament to the support and confidence that Zambians have in his leadership and vision, and the capacity of the United Party for National Development (UPND) to meet their basic needs and aspirations.

 

Madam Speaker, had my late husband, Anderson Kambela Mazoka, been alive today, he would have been very proud to see the political party he helped to create form Government.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mrs Mazoka: This victory would have meant two things to my visionary husband. Firstly, it would have confirmed his long-held belief that we live forever when we allow others to complete our work. When he helped found the UPND in 1998, he told us, as a family, that his desire was that the party would outlive him. Andy would have been proud to see the party win power and form Government. However, he would have been prouder of his successor, President Hakainde Hichilema, who helped to finance and hold the party together, provided effective leadership, and upheld its character as a platform for national unity and development. Mr Hichilema made enormous personal sacrifices in the interest of the party and the good of the wider public.

 

Madam Speaker, the UPND’s victory would have also affirmed my late husband’s faith in the capacity of the Zambian people to rise above narrow or sectional interests in the furtherance of the ‘One Zambia One Nation’ motto. Ahead of the election, some political players tried to paint the UPND as a regional outfit. The emphatic nature of the victory, the fact that President Hichilema won in seven of Zambia’s ten provinces; the Northern, Lusaka, Copperbelt, Southern, Western, Central and North-Western provinces, and the party secured parliamentary seats in all provinces except Luapula and Muchinga shows that the UPND is truly a national party. Zambians have embraced the UPND as their party. This would have pleased my late husband the same way he would have been very proud to see the large numbers of people, especially the youths, who turned out, many for the first time, to exercise their right to vote and chart a new direction for their country.

 

Madam Speaker, I must place on record my gratitude to the President for nominating me to this esteemed House as a Member of Parliament. As the oldest Member of Parliament in the House, I stand ready to offer counsel, and share the wisdom and guidance that I have accumulated over the years to the younger Parliamentarians who may need advice or support.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mrs Mazoka: Madam Speaker, as President Hichilema and the Executive branch of Government assume governing responsibilities, I wish them all the best as they seek to rebuild the faltering economy; create jobs; tackle inequality; fight corruption; strengthen our institutions of democracy and our democratic values to restore our well-known culture of respect for human rights; support media freedom and access to information; provide food security; promote national unity, good governance and gender equity; and enhance the participation of ordinary people and youths in the process of governance.

 

Madam Speaker, allow me to now debate the President’s Speech.

 

I must state from the outset that I do support the President’s Speech because it brings hope to the hopeless. The speech brought out so many issues that it is impossible for me to debate on all the issue raised. So, I will just comment on agriculture and corruption.

 

Madam Speaker, agriculture is a sector that has been grossly mishandled in the past. The Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) was not readily accessible for other people; it was skewed to one side. I will give the example of my former constituency, Pemba, where two bags were given to each farmer, but the two bags were not even guaranteed for one recipient, as he/she might be required to share them with eight other farmers. In the region I come from, two bags of fertiliser is like an insult because we are serious farmers.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mrs Mazoka: Two bags of fertiliser are for gardening or giving to a teenage who is still learning how to farm. For example, when a young man is growing up, he is first tested on a small field and, if he manages the field, then, the people will know that he will be able to manage his life and family, and he can then be given two bags of fertiliser because he is still a small boy. A grown-up man with a huge family cannot be given two bags. As Africans, our families are inherently large. So, when you give us two bags, they mean absolutely nothing to us.

 

Madam Speaker, some people were receiving eight bags. What criteria that was used in deciding the number of bags given to each farmer? We asked that question in this House, but it was not adequately answered. So, I hope this time around, the ‘New Dawn’ Government will be serious about agriculture. People paid money for the Electronic Voucher (e-Voucher) System, but the system did not work for them. Some have still not got fertiliser they paid for in 2016, but the Government kept announcing that farmers had to pay.

 

Mr Muchima: Shame!

 

Mrs Mazoka: It is not fair, if I may use that word. We are all Zambians and we all need to eat. Further, we all have families.

 

Mr Mufalali: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Muchima: Yes!

 

Mrs Mazoka: So, when inputs are available, they should be shared equitably, not in a one-side manner. You know, unfortunately, I am sure some of those who were receiving eight bags of fertiliser did not even use that fertiliser. Maybe, they even sold it. When you give us eight bags in the Southern Province, we use all of it and even look for more.

 

Mr Sing’ombe: Even stolen ones, we use.

 

Laughter

 

Mrs Mazoka: So, on agriculture, the former Government, I am afraid, failed lamentably. However, the ‘New Dawn’ Government says it will do better, and we are looking forward to that.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mufalali: It means well!

 

Mrs Mazoka: Madam Speaker, corruption is a curse to any nation that practices it. Unfortunately, we fell into that trap, and we have all seen what has happened to the country. It is all about greed. People are feeling like they are entitled when they are not. The national cake should be shared equitably. However, some people, out of greed, accumulate so much to themselves and leave the rest with nothing. I was watching television last night and saw a woman narrate that her husband ran away from her and that she had many children she had no means of feeding. If all the money that was taken away from the Treasury was put together and used for the right purpose, we would not see that woman cry for help and handouts on television. It is shameful that in a country of plenty, some are made to suffer while others have so much money that they even fail to put it in the bank, preferring to keep it in the houses. It is not fair.

 

Madam Speaker, there are shortages of drugs in hospitals or the drugs made available are expired; no desks and other requisites in schools; a poor road network, where it exists; and no safe drinking water for our people because money was diverted into individual pockets.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mrs Mazoka: It is not fair. So, we need to know where the money went, because the owners of the money want it. We want that money back because it belongs to everybody.

 

Madam Speaker: Order!

 

The hon. Member’s time expired.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear! Ema mothers aba!

 

Mr Kapyanga (Mpika): Madam Speaker, thank you for giving me this opportunity to deliver my maiden speech.

 

First and foremost, I express my utmost gratitude to God Almighty for his sufficient grace that has seen me through since the very day I started serving the people of Zambia in the political realm.

 

Madam Speaker, allow me to thank Their Royal Highnesses Chiefs Chikwanda, Mukungule and Nabwalya, for their love and support. I also thank my campaign team led by Member of the Central Committee (MCC) Catherine Chama Chileshe and Hon. Shinga Kapolyo Kampyongo, which spent nights and days sharing my message with the people of Mpika so that they could believe in me in the unwavering manner they did.

 

Madam Speaker, I thank the church leaders and the members of the church for their unrivalled support through this itinerary. Most importantly, I give my many thanks to His Excellency the Former President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, and the MCCs of the Patriotic Front (PF) for according me the privilege to run this race beside them. I congratulate Mr Lungu on creating a path for a peaceful transition of power. He is the typical resemblance of a true democratic and statesman. For the country and the world at large, he is a hero and a living legend.

 

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kapyanga: Madam Speaker, I also thank my wife, Faneli Ngoma Kapyanga, as well as my family members and friends for their never-ending support.

 

I stand before you, Madam Speaker, to also recognise the contributions of my predecessors, Hon. Sylvia Bambala Chalikosa, and Hon. Mwimba Malama. Allow me to also take this moment to pay my tribute to Mr Jackson Kungo, the late member of the PF Central Committee who was killed by his political opponents. May his soul rest in peace. His death can never be justified and it should never have happened. To the rest of the PF members in Muchinga, the Northern, Copperbelt, Luapula, Lusaka, Eastern and other provinces, allow me to take this moment to assure you that our party is not out of the pitch, this is but a holiday to freshen up after ten years of building Zambia. We will come back stronger than we were in 2011.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Question!

 

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kapyanga: Madam Speaker, my election to this House is an answer to the call of the people of Mpika for a youthful representative in the National Assembly; a youth who is awake to their needs and capable of being their voice in a time such as this. I am humbled by the work before us and grateful to the trust the people of Mpika have bestowed upon me through 28,175 votes.

 

Madam Speaker, I remain committed to addressing the plight of the mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters who have been employed by Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) in Mpika, which is the regional headquarters. Those people go for several months without salaries. Further, TAZARA retirees have not received their terminal benefits and title deeds for the houses that they procured from the company. They need a voice, and that is me.

 

Madam Speaker, it is my desire to see the many young people in Mpika who are blessed with astonishing talents in the entertainment industry get access to modern facilities. We will put up a state-of-the-art audio and visual recording studio to be run by a youth co-operative. This will contribute to the growth of the entertainment industry, not just locally, but nationally as well. I have a vision for the youths and women of Mpika, which is to ensure that they are empowered to contribute to the prosperity of our district and the province at large. I will also ensure that there is enhanced access to electricity in rural areas around Mpika, including places that have for long been denied the privilege of urbanisation, such as Dick, Mutengo, Katongo Kapala and Chipushi. Further, I will spearhead the fight against child marriages, which have deprived many adolescent girls of their reproductive health rights and a chance to get educated. It is sad that in Zambia today, about two in every five girls are forced into child marriages, and Mpika has had a fair share of this undesirable cancer. In my approach, I will ensure that the victims are withdrawn from their marriages and taken back to school with our support for fees and uniforms through our already implemented education programme.

 

Madam, I will lobby for the completion of the Mpika/Nabwalya and Katibunga/Mukunule roads, which will not only spur economic growth, but also enhance tourism in the two chiefdoms, which are home to national parks. We will also combat animal-human conflict. It is true that around Mpika, especially in Mukungule and Nabwalya, animal-human conflicts are so rife that, at least, thirty people are killed by animals annually. Mpika is also home to some of the vulnerable wildlife, including the black rhino, and I must sincerely commend the Frankfurt Zoological Society for its tremendous work of conserving our ecosystem. For this reason, I stress the importance of operationalising the proposed National Community-Based Natural Resources Management Policy, which will provide for the retention of funds made from natural resources in the areas where they are made.

 

Madam Speaker, what I have mentioned above are some of, not the only, things we will achieve in the next five years of our tour of duty. I, therefore, take this opportunity to call upon the people who voted for me, those who support my party and those who did not vote for me to get united and work together in the best interests of our people. We have a lot of work to do.

 

Madam Speaker, allow me to take this opportunity to remind the people of Mpika and many other Zambians that we are the host of the legacy left by the founding father of our party, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata. What he would have wanted us to do is keep true to his courage to speak for the poor when the Government casts a blind eye and do the right thing even when it is the harder thing to do. I also say that we will not lose focus. Our drive is in the promise of citizenship and patriotism, the creed of the PF. Let us mark this day with remembrance of who we are. We are the children of Michael Chilufya Sata, a patriot, a hero and son of the soil who loved his country and its people more than he loved himself.

 

May God bless the Republic of Zambia, at large, and Mpika, in particular. May God bless this glamorous nation.

 

Madam Speaker, let me take this opportunity to give my opinion on the President’s Speech, and place it on record that we will be here to support what is right for the Zambian people and oppose what is wrong for them. We will do that without fear or favour.

 

Madam, on page 10 of his speech, the President talked about economic transformation. I suppose that formed part of theme for his speech. Further, a few days ago, Her Honour the Vice-President mentioned on the Floor of the House that her Government was in the process of contracting an International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout package for Zambia. Please, remember that in 1999 and 2001, the Government of the Republic Zambia then received an IMF bailout package of about US$349 million, which was only approved after we met the conditions of the IMF, among them the sale of our state-owned companies. The Government sold our companies. Not only that, but also the Civil Service was cut, probably, by about 50 per cent. Further, before the enhanced structure adjustment facility of the IMF was issued, the electricity tariffs of our country were also raised. That is the situation we have found ourselves in again. When our colleagues talk about the IMF bailout package, remember that the IMF has not changed its demands for giving bailout packages. Now, it still wants the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) and the Social Cash Transfer (SCT) scheme to be abolished, and the electricity tariffs to be raised by the Government before we can be given the package.

 

Madam Speaker, raising electricity tariffs will bring about negative economic impacts on our people because the price of goods and essential commodities will be increased, and that will not be a good journey to undertake.

 

Madam Speaker, when the Zambian youths voted in large numbers, it was not because they wanted is being called the realignment of our values in order to sneak in gay rights. They voted for jobs and for the implementation of –

 

Mr Mutinta: On a point of order, Madam.

 

Madam Speaker: A point of order is raised.

 

Mr Mutinta: Madam Speaker, I rise on a very serious point of order based on Standing Order 65, which says that we need to debate based on factual and verifiable information.

 

Is the hon. Member of Parliament who is on the Floor in order to bring out issues of certain conditionalities? I just want him to quote where he is getting those conditionalities which he says the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is giving Zambia.

 

I need you serious ruling, Madam Speaker.

 

Madam Speaker: The hon. Member who is debating, you must stick to facts as you debate. Let us not bring in assumptions or conclusions that are not supported.

 

Please, continue as you observe the requirements of Standing Order 65.

 

Mr Kapyanga: I obliged, Madam Speaker. The information is in the public domain.

 

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Member!

 

I have made a ruling, and you know the rules. You are not supposed to debate or even try to contest a ruling once it has been made. Will you withdraw what you just said?

 

Mr Kapyanga: Madam Speaker, I withdraw, and I thank you for the wise guidance.

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kapyanga: Madam Speaker, the youths voted for the immediate implementation of free education, provision of meal allowances for university students and selling the Presidential Jet  upon the formation of the current Government, and that is what they are waiting for. Our colleagues cannot come here and tell us that they have just taken over the Government because when they were campaigning, they told the people that immediately they formed Government, they would honour their promises. ‘Immediately’ is the word.

 

Madam Speaker, the youths are also waiting for the jobs that were promised to them. They were promised that those who reached Grades 9 to 12, and college and university levels would get jobs in the Government. Hence, their turning out in large numbers to vote. So, our colleagues should, please, give the youths the jobs and free education, as the money to be used is not our colleagues’, but the Government’. The youths are supposed to be in schools right now. So, our colleagues should give them free education.

 

Madam Speaker, the youths also voted for the recovery of student loans to stop, and I thank the United States of America (USA) President, Mr Joe Biden, for recognising the fact that youths turned out in large numbers to vote. There was a reason they voted like that; they did not just wake up to go and vote for air. They voted for a Government that would satisfy their desires.

 

Madam Speaker, the civil servants also voted for the increment of their salaries by K1,500. The civil servants from Mpika are just from texting me that they want me to speak for them because they cannot breathe. Therefore, I am here to speak for them and say that they want to have a salary increment of K1,500.

 

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Member!

 

As you debate with such passion, please, avoiding holding the microphone because it can be broken.

 

Laughter

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!  

 

Mr Kapyanga: Madam Speaker, I am under pressure because of the people of Mpika, especially the civil servants, because they were promised, too.

 

Hon. Opposition: Hammer, hammer! 

 

Mr Kapyanga: The farmers called me and told me that they were promised that a bag of fertiliser would sell at K250, and that is why they voted. However, to date, they have not received any fertiliser. These are the things that should have been clearly stated in the President’s Speech.

 

Madam Speaker, The President speaks a lot of sense when he is out there. However, it makes most of us wonder if at all he has a team that is capable of implementing what he talks about. For example, he talks about the rule of law, and I am a victim of political violence, as my house in Mpika was damaged. Further, most of our members are in hiding, as a number of them are being harassed each day, yet nothing is being done because they are PF members. I do not know what has happened to freedom of association, because those people have the right to associate with the PF. I do not know if belonging to the PF should earn them deaths or attacks. Should they stop associating with any political party because the UPND is in power?

 

Madam Speaker, when the President talks about the rule of law, all the people of this country, or should I say all the Zambians –

 

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Member!

 

Put your microphone properly.

 

Mr Kapyanga: Madam Speaker, I am putting it properly so that it can capture my voice.

 

Madam Speaker, the President also talked about investment in the railway sector. I come from Mpika, where TAZARA is, and this Government promised the people in TAZARA that when it formed Government, they would start getting salaries on time. However, they have not got their salaries for the past three months. What happened to that promise? Next week, I want them to tell me that they are paid their salaries and terminal benefits. That is what they voted for. They also voted for the United Party for National Development (UPND), and that is why it formed Government. So, they want their desires to be met by this Government. Our colleagues cannot say ‘give us time’. Which time? They promised the people that immediately they formed Government –

 

Madam Speaker: Order!

 

The hon. Member’s time expired.

 

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear.

 

Mr Kambita (Zambezi East): Madam Speaker, thank you very much for allowing me to render my maiden speech in accordance with the rules of this august House, which require me to do so before I can actively participate in any debate, going forward.

 

Madam Speaker, with your indulgence, I will begin by congratulating you on your election to the prestigious position of topmost Presiding Officer of the National Assembly of Zambia. In the same vein, I congratulate your two Deputies on their positions. What makes it peculiar and admirable is the fact that the Thirteenth National Assembly, of course, in the ‘New Dawn’ Administration, has made it possible for us to have a female Speaker for the first time in the life of this august House. For this, I am delighted.

 

Madam Speaker, for purposes of logical and precise submission, my maiden speech to this august House will be anchored on general thanksgiving to individuals and institutions that made possible my election, an overview of the run up to the 12^th August 2021, Elections, expectations of our people of the ‘New Dawn’ Administration and then, a conclusion. Then I will make a few remarks.

 

Madam Speaker, I thank the almighty God for the outcome of the August, 2021 elections. Let me also take this opportunity to convey my sincere thanks to various categories of stakeholders who, in diverse, but complementary ways, made it possible for me to be re-elected to my second term as Member of Parliament for Zambezi East Constituency.

 

Madam Speaker, I thank the United Party for National Development (UPND) National Management Committee (NMC) headed by our current Republican President, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, for adopting me to contest my constituency on the party ticket. I also thank Their Royal Highnesses, Senior Chief Ishindi, Chieftainess Nyakuleng’a, Chief Ishima, Chief Mpidi, and Sub-Chiefs Chizozu, Chisamba and Nyambaza. Our campaigns would not have been smooth without their collective blessings and moral support to the cause.

 

Madam Speaker, I would not do justice if I forgot to thank my family, that is, my wife, Jessie, my children, and my brothers and sisters for their hands-on support, including by ensuring that I was kept in good health during that stressful period of campaigns. I also thank my friends and collaborators, who stretched out their personal finances to help me meet the costly logistical demands that are synonymous with political campaigns. My campaign team headed by Rev. Benson Mahafu, whose members are too numerous to mention one-by-one here, cannot go without mention in my thanksgiving. I am really indebted to them for their unwavering commitment to my cause.

 

Madam Speaker, having thanked the various stakeholders whose efforts I hold in high esteem and deem to be the factor that led to our successful campaigns for both my President and I, allow me to briefly comment on selected events in the run up to the election date of 12^th August, 2021.

 

Madam Speaker, I am not surprised that the Zambian people spoke in a loud voice that appears to be projected in the approximately 1 million votes difference between the two relevant participants, the UPND and Patriotic Front (PF), at the Presidential level. Just like many right-thinking Zambians, I believe our freedoms were limited and several attempts to dwarf our democracy were made, including a limitation of the Zambian political space. In its usual abuse and wanton evoking the Public Order Act, the PF regime attempted in all sorts of manner and means possible to silence the will of the people. Thanks to the almighty God’s abounding grace, we now have a new dawn in which freedoms and the rule of law are guaranteed. Precisely speaking, we now have a decent Government in place, and I think I must emphasise that point to this august House and the nation at large. We now have a decent Government in place. I bet, we now all agree, even in our unrevealed minds, both on your right and your left, that we have a decent Government in place. On that backdrop, the people of Zambezi East are very expectant. In our attempt to itemise our expectations, allow me to give a summarised catalogue of our significant challenges in the constituency.

 

Madam Speaker, our current district hospital is an old building built in 1966. We need a whole new district hospital on a site that has already been identified to enhance the provision of health services to our people in the district.

 

Madam, our network of feeder roads remains unattended to from several years back. Sadly, the PF regime never paid any attention to our consistent calls for feeder roads rehabilitation. To this effect, we are very expectant that the ‘New Dawn’ Administration will rise to the occasion. We expect the Zambezi/Nyakuleng’a/Katezhi Road to be rehabilitated. If not upgraded, we expect the road to Kakeki via Kadihombu to be constructed as well. The Government has had a plan of upgrading township roads to bituminous standards, but Zambezi township roads are still dilapidated and in their gravel standard. In some areas, they are just mud. However, we are optimistic that the UPND Government led by His Excellency President Hakainde Hichilema will meet our expectations.

 

Madam Speaker, the Rural Electrification Programme (REP) has been limited to the Dipalata Area on the northern side and Chitokoloki area on the southern side. We hereby lobby for the project to be extended to Nyakuleng’a and Mpidi areas.

 

Madam, the provision of social services in the constituency is being affected negatively by inadequate infrastructure and human resource. We are optimistic that the ‘New Dawn’ Administration will pay particular attention to building infrastructure for the education and health sectors in rural communities, as per the pronouncements of the Central Government. currently, we hope to achieve most of this through consistent disbursement of the Constituency Development Fund (CDF). However, we implore the Executive to come up with deliberate policies that will speed up the provision of the most required infrastructure, including human resources and supplies, in our rural areas.

 

Madam Speaker, in concluding my maiden speech submission, I would like to catch the attention of the House and the nation at large by asking this important question: Is this the Zambia we want? When the PF ruled this country for the last ten years, more so, during the last seven years, many right-thinking citizens, individually and severally, asked that question. The answer is in the numbers that came out of the last general election at Presidential level.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kambita: This remains a useful yardstick and valuable empirical evidence for past, present and future leaders who may get the chance to govern this nation and its people. People should never be taken for granted.

 

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Member!

 

As you proceed, please, make sure you mask up properly.

 

Mr Kambita: Madam Speaker, it is very difficult to speak in a mask, but I will try.

 

Madam Speaker, once again, I thank you for giving me the opportunity to make comments on, or contribute to, the Motion on the Floor of the House; a Motion to thank the President for that powerful speech.

 

From the outset, I support the Motion and, indeed, the speech that came with so much clarity, and which was straight to the point. The speech gave us the starting point of how we expect the ‘New Dawn’ Government to govern us. I will simply pick salient features of that speech that could be relevant to this august House and the nation at large.

 

Madam Speaker, on page 8 of the speech, I took note that the President talked about turning around the economic fortunes of our country. He emphasised this in the theme of the speech, which is on page 10, and I quote:

 

“Creating a United, Prosperous and Equitable Zambia: Restoring Economic Growth and Safe-Guarding Livelihoods.”

 

The President went on to elaborate that the targets could be achieved through uniting the country regardless of political affiliation, ethnicity, religious affiliation and gender. Throughout the speech, the President went on to elaborate on how this would be achieved. In short, that speech shows how organised that kind of leadership is going to be.

 

Madam Speaker, I am glad that most of my colleagues on your left have picked some points and they are debating them, although they have gone in a mode of trying to emphasise some organised noise, which is derailing people from what we want to actively pursue in an organised manner.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kambita: Madam Speaker, any right-thinking person would actually pick not just how organised the speech is, but also how it sets the tone of how organised the UPND Government is going to be. I will pick one item. The President envisages a situation in which there will be an economic turnaround. Therefore, , for instance, he started by reorganising the Cabinet for how the country should be governed. He reorganised the ministries and abolished or fused those that seemed to have had duplicated functions. To downsize the Government is a big achievement, and we are going to achieve cost-saving through that. Not only did he downsize the Government, he also created new ministries, with one being responsible for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). He gave that responsibility to a full ministry, emphasising that the sector will help to push the clove wheels that will make this economy grow in consistency with the theme of the speech.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kambita: Madam Speaker, how do you grow when there is no entrepreneurship? To the contrary, when our colleagues on your left were governing, it was free for all insofar as corruption is concerned. No wonder, the President is also consistent with that by announcing that we shall follow up corruption that happened in the past, present and future, and that fast-track courts will be put in place. The fast-track courts are not meant for people who are upright like me, who do not do anything wrong; ...

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Kambita: … they are targeted at some of the people you can hear making noise on the Floor of this House.

 

Madam Speaker, as far as the President is concerned, we need to move with the current times. The world has now gone digital and many systems are digitalised. In order to improve financial participation, you have seen the proliferation of money transactions in which you do not have to actually stock out cash. You can transact and make payments even when you are in the village using electronic means. For this reason, the Ministry of Technology and Science has been formed, which is very consistent with what we want to achieve.

 

Madam Speaker, I was watching a documentary on how Israel is trying to enhance its agricultural production and how technology is used to check a very big farm. People simply send drones to check whatever went wrong in areas where human intervention would be difficult. All that is because of technology and science, and that is what we envisage having. So, when we see the Ministry of Technology and Science formed, we should not marvel. Actually, I expected the hon. Members on your left to applaud this kind of decision-making because we are moving with the world, and I have given some examples. What I am trying to demonstrate here, is an organised way of doing things. That is why in my maiden speech, I emphasised the point that we now have a decent Government in place. There was a lot of disorganisation among the people on your left. If you listened to their debates when they were on the right, you would have heard that they were all about threats, such as how they could arrest somebody even when they were seemingly the perpetrators of the violence. Today, they come here as the chief mourners of the violence that they perpetrated every day.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kambita: How can Zambians ever believe in this group to come back to power again now we have a decent Government?

 

I thank you, madam.

 

Ms Mwamba (Kasama Central): Madam Speaker, I thank you for according me this opportunity to deliver my maiden speech to this august House.

 

Let me, first and foremost, thank God Almighty for the honour he has given me to serve as the first female Member of Parliament for Kasama Central Constituency, which is unprecedented in the post-Independence history of the constituency. It is an undeniable fact that women do not share the same space and confidence as men in the current political space. I stand as a beacon of hope and inspiration to women in politics and governance. When they see me and my fellow women rising to challenge the status quo, may they believe in us. It is my prayer that, together, we can build capacity in young women and girls, champion the fight for equal opportunities at all levels as well as support and encourage more women to participate in politics and governance. 

 

Madam Speaker, to my family, my support system, my mother, my father, Chilekwa, Thandiwe, Musama, Muma, my nieces, nephews and in-laws, I say ‘thank you’ for the love and support that you have shown and have continued to give me. I love you all.

 

To my children, Ishmael, Ethan, Ayanda, Unathi and my adopted son Felix, you are the best. Thank you for parenting yourselves when I was not able to.

 

To my extended family, my friends, the clergy and everyone who stood beside me, I say ‘thank you’.

 

To my great grandfather, Paramount Chief Chitimukulu; my grandfathers, Senior Chief Mwamba and Senior Chief Munkonge; and to all the headmen, natotela kanabesa. I thank you, Your Royal Highnesses.

 

Madam Speaker, most prominently, I thank the Sixth Republican President, His Excellency Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, for demonstrating before us that Zambia is not a political party, but a nation for all of us. He is a torch-bearer of peace and a champion of democracy, as that has been demonstrated through the peaceful transition and willing transfer of power to his successor. Let God be the judge of his leadership and service to the people of Zambia.

 

Madam Speaker, congratulations are in order to my colleagues from the north, the east, the west and the south, and I hope that we will serve our people and the nation in unity.

 

Madam Speaker, I will be failing in my duties if I fail to thank the Members of the Central Committee (MCCs) of the Patriotic Front (PF), and the provincial, district, constituency and ward leaderships for giving me the opportunity to be the voice of Kasama Central Constituency on the PF ticket. To my campaign team, which was led by Thandizani Mbewe and Abraham Mulenga, I simply have no words that can express my gratitude.

 

Madam Speaker, most importantly, I thank the general populous and the electorate who sent me here to represent them. Let me also thank my fellow contenders for keeping me company till the finishing line.

 

Madam Speaker, may I also take this opportunity to congratulate the nine Councillors of Kasama Central Constituency. I stand before you today as a representative of the wonderful people of Kasama Central Constituency who belong to different parties. As such, let not the political party I chose to use as a ticket disadvantage my people because it did not form the Government. The people of Kasama Central declared me fit and equal to the task by according me the chance to be their representative in this Parliament. I am here to save the people who believed in my being their servant and representative in legislating laws that meet the desires and aspirations of Zambia, in general, and Kasama Central, in particular.

 

We pray, Madam Speaker, that you grant us a platform to speak the heart of Kasama Central Constituency as well as offer checks and balances in this Parliament. It is, and will remain, our prayer in Kasama Central Constituency that our expectations and aspirations are met during my term of service in this Parliament.

 

Madam Speaker, Kasama Central Constituency is located in the heart of the Northern Province. Apart from vast resources, which include land and water, the constituency has a lot of tourism and agricultural potential. The Chishimba Falls, which lie in the heart of Kasama, are the only waterfalls that are made up of a combination of three successive waterfalls. It has great potential to attract tourists if more facilities were to be built in the area. Once the Kasama Airport is completed, it will be a linkway to the Northern Circuit. It, therefore, makes economic sense to diversify from the traditional mineral export to promoting agriculture and tourism as priorities for our economic diversification. Agriculture and industrialisation are interlinked, as industrialisation is an offshoot of agriculture.

 

Madam Speaker, the constituency’s challenges are not limited to agricultural diversification and development, but also include infrastructure development, improved roads, job opportunities, empowerment, electrification of rural areas, education, inclusion of differently-abled persons, improved health care as well as water and sanitation.

 

Madam Speaker, the youths of Kasama pray for skills development centres, recreation facilities and, most importantly, equal opportunities. The challenge is that even if youths have potentially sound business ideas, they usually have to develop them in isolation or abandon them altogether because they do not have the means of making them a reality or are over-dependent on the Government and other stakeholders. This has hampered the participation of most of them in business development.

 

Madam Speaker, the problem of youth unemployment and unemployment of men and women in general, and poor educational, health and road infrastructure needs the attention of the Government, civil society organisations (CSOs) and the community. I intend to do my best to lobby various line ministries so that we receive our share of the national cake. It is my prayer to have a constituency of men, women, youths and children who are educated, healthy, empowered with entrepreneurial and agricultural skills, running viable businesses, and contributing to the socio-economic development and food security of the constituency and the nation at large.

 

Madam Speaker, they say history repeats itself. Where I stand, he stood. I stand today, and may I echo the words of my father in his maiden speech in 2009:

 

“As a family, the interests and rich tradition of the people of Kasama has been our primary concern so that we may preserve the rich cultural heritage of the Bemba Royal Establishment (BRE).”

 

I hope and passionately pray that the good Lord, in His infinite mercy and compassion, will give me the wisdom to put the plight and interests of the people before mine.

 

Madam Speaker, may God Almighty grant us the grace and wisdom to govern this great nation as we save the people of Zambia better and deliberate over the present and the future of our country

 

Madam Speaker, let me now make a few comments on the President’s speech –

 

PF Hon. Members: Hear, hear! Abesu!

 

Madam Speaker: Order!

 

Business was suspended from 1640 hours until 1700 hours.

 

[MADAM SPEAKER in the Chair]

 

Ms Mwamba: Madam Speaker, when business was suspended, I had started debating the President’s Speech. Thank you for allowing me to continue.

 

Madam Speaker, the President’s Speech, according to me, was a copy-and-paste of the PF manifesto. For those that have had the opportunity to look at what it holds and entails, I say, once again, that we may all differ and come from different political parties but, at the end of the day, a job well done is a job well done.

 

Madam Speaker, looking at what most of the deliberations were about, it is obvious that they are just a continuity of what the PF Government left in place. I must also say that I was also quite disappointed. Our President, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, is an economist, yet the speech was open-ended. We cannot have a speech that has no time frames, durations and unity. At any given point, we need to know. When you tell us there will be free education, we need to know when the free education is coming. Remember, we all have a term. Just like we, hon. Members of Parliament have a five-year mandate, so does the President. So, the President needed to give us more projections and statistics as to when things will happen and how they will happen. Let me give another example. When will the price of mealie-meal be reduced? We need to know the time frame. Also, when will the 30,000 jobs be created? The doctors, nurses as well as the teachers are all looking out for the time frame. As regards job opportunities for the youths, the youths are also waiting to know how many jobs the ‘New Dawn’ Government has prepared for them and in what sectors it is going to provide employment to the various youths who have asked.

 

Madam Speaker, remember, the speech is about direction and national policy. Campaigning is over. Now is time to govern the people of Zambia. Not everybody was a voter but, at the end of the day, we are part of the 18 million Zambians, and are looking forward to what our President has deliberated. What is the policy direction? That is what we looked for in that speech.

 

Madam Speaker, I looked at the speech on pages 24 and 25, and heard the President say that load-shedding would come to an end. Let us give credit where it is due. When the PF Government came into power, only 1,600 MW of electricity was being generated and we were importing quite a lot of power. However, by the time its term ended, we were generating 2,800 MW of electricity. Hon. Members of Parliament, can we not attest to the fact that load-shedding is no more? We do experience faults, but they do not mean load-shedding.

 

Madam Speaker, once again, look at the developmental structures and programmes that the PF left in place. We were looking at time frames. When it comes to job opportunities, people should know how many are on the line. When it comes to mealie-meal prices, we all should know when the reduction is coming. Further, when is the reduction in the price of fertiliser coming? We are all Zambians. I repeat, the 18 million of us are all looking to our President and his deliberations to give us direction, policy and a time frame.

 

Madam Speaker, an economist works with figures, projections and statistics. That is what we want to hear. We want to hear more of time frames. You say that you will end load-shedding, but it has currently ended, and 2000 MW of electricity is generated in Zambia. So, to what level are you going to move the current generation capacity? Further, when I hear you tell us that you are about to get into the export of electricity to other countries, I must state that the PF Government already was in talks with other countries to have interconnectors in place. There was a projection, and most of those started in 2020 to 2024. Development goals have time; they are not open ended.

 

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

 

Mr Kangombe (Sesheke): Madam Speaker, firstly, allow me to congratulate you and your fellow Presiding Officers on the well-deserved victory.

 

Madam Speaker, let me thank the President of the United Party for National Development (UPND) and the Republic of Zambia, His Excellency Mr Hakainde Hichilema. Let me also thank the entire UPND family, the National Management Committee (NMC), and the provincial, district, constituency and branch leaderships. Let me also congratulate my colleagues, all the hon. Members of Parliament who are here, and thank my mother, my wife and my beautiful girls.

 

Madam Speaker, my journey to Parliament has been indescribable; it is one that came with many obstacles but, through Gods divine providence, I am here today for the second time. The first time I stepped foot in this august House, I saw the two wild animals in front of me, and they reminded me that here, it is each one for himself and God for us all. 

 

Madam Speaker, the many challenges and obstacles that I faced from the first day I came into this august House, including being taken to court by the Patriotic Front (PF) regime and spending 364 days in the courts, did not break me down, but strengthened me. It did not end there, as I was among the many politically persecuted people, to the extent of stepping foot in prison for crimes that I did not commit. However, I told myself that it was part of the script that I had to fulfil for as long as I remained resolute and steadfast to the cause. To me, it was a privilege and opportunity to appreciate how people in other part of this country, those in prison, live. It was also an opportunity to appreciate how governance should be defined, that is, not by hatred, but political contestations and ideas.

 

Madam Speaker, today, once again, out of the 18 million plus Zambian citizens, we are, but just 1 per cent of the privileged individuals who are so lucky as to preside over the resources of this country and to offer leadership to the many expectant Zambian citizens out there. We are so lucky to have a President who has been through it all; who has been called different names and politically persecuted but, today, through his perseverance, is Head of State. Some of us learn from him that, truly, leadership comes from God. What God has ordained, no man can take away. We heard those who are well-placed on the left side of this House saying, “Takapite”, meaning ‘He will never win”. Today, through God’s divine providence, because it is only He who knows the journey of life for each and every one of us, he is Head of State, a situation that has not just shocked our hon. Colleagues, but also left them in a serious nightmare and a deep sleep. We want to remind them that time has come, once again, to have a unifier; a leader who is going to unify this country once again, and one who is not going to look at which party you belong to or tribe you come from; for as long as you are a Zambian citizen, you deserve equal opportunities and rights. You deserve the same development that the people of Shangombo, Mbala, and Sesheke expect.

 

Madam Speaker, you may wish to note that since no Member of Parliament for Sesheke Central Constituency has ever retained the seat. So, I count myself very lucky, and I am thankful to the people of Sesheke. Amidst all the challenges, they saw it fit to send me to this august House once again to come and represent them. I do not take this opportunity for granted; I take it as, once again, an opportunity to do more of what the people of Sesheke expect me to do.

 

Madam Speaker, as a humble servant and proud villager, I will endeavour, during this term, to ensure that the many challenges that have befallen the people of Sesheke for a very long time are addressed, and I am lucky that we have a listening Government and a Government that cares for our people. I am pretty sure that, as we journey through this term to 2026, the people of Sesheke will, once again, receive its fair share of the national cake.

 

Madam Speaker, Sesheke sits on an area of 29,772 km², which is quite vast, but it is seriously under-developed. The Sesheke/Kazungula Road remains one of the problems. Even in the previous Meeting, I, on many occasions, stood on the Floor of this House to lobby for the road to be repaired. However, the then Government had its own way of doing things. It was not just its way of responding, but it became a habit for it to say, “When funds will be made available”, even when the Government knew that the road is an economic one and a corridor that connects Zambia to Europe via Namibia. I am pretty sure that in this new Government, the ‘New Dawn’ Administration, those challenges will be a thing of the past.

 

Madam Speaker, you may wish to note that the previous regime, through its scheming manoeuvres to ensure that UPND strongholds did not have bigger numbers of votes, ensured that certain segments, if not all, of my constituents did not get National Registration Cards (NRCs). To be very specific, not even a single card was issued when the privilege was supposed to encompass all Zambian citizens. It is my hope that the new regime will quickly act because for the people to access Sesheke, they have to go through Namibia, which they are unable to do because they do not have NRCs. I am pretty sure the new regime will expedite the process and ensure that all parts of the country receive all these necessities.

 

Madam Speaker, let me now come to the President’s Address.

 

Madam Speaker, President Hakainde Hichilema, whom some of us call Chiminya, which, in English, means ‘undisputed’, has, once again, shamed those who were going round peddling political rhetoric because even in their region where they were busy telling their people to not vote for him because he is Tonga, he received votes that shocked them. For example, although he did not set foot in Chasefu because he was blocked, he got 15,000 plus votes.

 

Government Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kangombe: That is an indication that the people of Zambia do not feed on tribalism, that they want development and farming inputs, and that they are fed up with leaders who want to perpetuate their stay in power at the expense of the people’s suffering.

 

Madam Speaker, President Hakainde Hichilema was arrested sixteen times. No President in Zambia has ever gone through what he has experienced. He was arrested for 127 days for a crime he has never committed.

 

Madam Speaker, President Hakainde Hichilema was being insulted day and night but, today, he is the Head of State, and I want to give sincere advice to my hon. Colleagues, especially those who are newcomers, that they will have only themselves to blame if there is no development in their constituencies. There can be only one Government and President. Some of their colleagues who are seated with them have already enjoyed their stay in Parliament and may not come back. They have already acquired what they wanted. As for the newcomers, they must realise that they may not even have the financial muscle to support themselves in their constituencies. So, they need the same Government that they are busy ridiculing now because of those who have already benefited and wanted to perpetuate their stay in power. They should take this sincere advice.

 

Madam Speaker, by the way, the Fast-Track Court is coming for those who have benefited from illicit financial flows, those who have robbed the people of Zambia of the development they so much wished to have, those who gassed our people and those who benefited from the mukula tree at the expense of the many suffering Zambian citizens. As a Government, we are going to recover that money so that the free education that our colleagues are crying for in these eight weeks we have been in power can be actualised. I want to say to my hon. Colleagues that the Government of the UPND is here to stay until 2042, and it is high time they realised that. If they think they are regrouping – It is for that reason that even when they were given an opportunity to float a Speaker and Deputy Speaker, they failed. They do not have the numbers.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hammer, hammer!

 

Mr Kangombe: The reason they refrained from floating a candidate is because they were running away from shame. Had we gone ahead and voted, they would not have had the numbers.

 

Mr E. Tembo: On a point of order, Madam.

 

Madam Speaker: A point of order is raised.

 

Mr E. Tembo: Madam Speaker, is the hon. Member debating, really,  in order to start blackmailing those of us on the left? He is actually irrelevant, and I say so pursuant to Standing Order 65(1)(a), which says, “A member who is debating shall confine his or her debate to the subject under discussion”.

 

I want to believe that the subject under discussion is the President’s Speech.

 

Mr Kangombe: Yes, that is what I am talking about.

 

Hon. UPND Members: That is the subject.

 

Madam Speaker: The hon. Member is right. The subject under discussion now is the President’s Speech, in which the issue of free education was discussed. So, he is on the right track.

 

May the hon. Member debating continue, please.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kangombe: Madam Speaker, thank you so much.

 

Madam Speaker, I extend my advice to all the new hon. Members of Parliament; it is not a threat. You can only get development from the Government of the day. You do not have the capacity to bring development in your constituencies.

 

Madam Speaker, President Hakainde Hichilema has already scored –

 

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

 

Madam Speaker: A point of order is raised.

 

Mr Fube: Madam Speaker, is the hon. Member of Parliament in order to use discriminatory language, where the sharing of national resources is concerned? I am backing my point of order with Article 8(d) of the National Constitution, which talks about, among other things –

 

Mr Chaatila: Use the Standing Orders!

 

Mr Fube: A point of order is not only about Standing Orders.

 

Interruptions

 

Madam Speaker: Order!

 

Let him finish.

 

Mr Fube: Madam Speaker, Article 8(d), among other things, talks about human dignity, equity, social justice, equality and non-discrimination.

 

Mr Chaatila: There is nothing discriminatory.

 

Mr Fube: I have seen that the Member of Parliament, through and through, has been warning the people on the left that, “You will not receive any development in your constituencies based on the fact that you were discriminating the –”

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Fube: Hello, can I finish. I am building up.

 

Madam Speaker: Order!

 

Let him finish then I will make the ruling.

 

Mr Fube: Madam Speaker, he is basing that on the fact that we belong to the left and we are criticising the Government. When we look at that issue, I want to find out, because the Member of Parliament, even in his allegiance, has sworn to protect the Constitution. Is he in order to debate in that manner?

 

Interruptions

 

Madam Speaker: Order!

 

Of course, debating on lines which border on discrimination is not allowed. I have been listening to the hon. Member who is debating and I did not hear him mention that development will be given based on discrimination.

 

Mr Kangombe: No!

 

Madam Speaker: I did not hear that.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Madam Speaker: I just want to give guidance to the hon. Member on the Floor that as you debate, please, do so without showing any form of discrimination or threatening hon. Members that if they do not co-operate, they will not receive development.

 

You may continue.

 

Mr Kangombe: Madam Speaker, the Constitution is very categorical.

 

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Member!

 

Just proceed with your debate. Do not debate the point of order.

 

Mr Kangombe: Madam Speaker, thank you for your guidance.

 

Madam Speaker, we are here to talk about national governance and how resources are being shared. There can only one single file on how resources are being shared, and that is from the Government. All of us expect the Government to move in and bring development to our constituencies regardless of where we are coming from. It is on this premise that I was giving the counsel that we need to realise that development comes from the Government which, today, is the Government of the UPND.

 

Madam Speaker, President HH (Mr Hakainde Hichilema) has already scored. Had the PF won this election, some of us would not have been here; we would have been thrown in jail or killed.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Hon. PF Members: Question!

 

Mr Kangombe: Madam Speaker, when our colleagues they say the President has not scored, I tend to wonder because he has scored freedom. Today, you can move in Intercity Bus Terminus, and no one is going to beat you up. You can also say whatever you want within the confines of the law, and no one is going to arrest you, or retire you in the national interest or public interest.

 

Hon. PF Members: Question!

 

Mr Kangombe: Madam, we have seen that in the past regime, in which those who had political views different from those of those in power were thrown in prisons. Also, those who put on UPND regalia were being hacked with machetes and gassed. It is also in the public domain that the law enforcers had no power, for they could be clobbered by PF cadres. Even some Ministers received very important person (VIP) slaps from their fellow cadres.

 

Hon. PF Members: Question!

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kangombe: Now, they are free; they can do and say whatever they want because there is freedom.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kangombe: So, when they say President HH has not scored, I tend to wonder because they have so much freedom now that they can even speak in the manner they want to speak.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Mr Chonde (Milenge): Madam Speaker, thank you for this opportunity.

 

Firstly, allow me to congratulate you on your appointment to the honourable seat. Allow me to also congratulate the two Deputy Speakers on their appointments.

 

Madam Speaker, I would be failing in my duties if I failed to acknowledge the former President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, for the smooth transition of power. I also congratulate the current President, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, on his election to the Presidency.

 

Madam Speaker, I take this opportunity to thank you for the great honour and privilege to stand before you and be afforded the chance to debate in this House as an Independent Member of Parliament for the beautiful and proud people of Milenge Constituency in Milenge District of Luapula Province in the Republic of Zambia.

 

Interruptions

 

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Members!

 

If you have a caucus, you can go outside and discuss further. For the time being, we are listening to the hon. Member for Milenge.

 

Mr Chonde: Madam Speaker, allow me to take this opportunity to thank the almighty God for granting me life and the opportunity to represent the people of Milenge Constituency. I also thank my beautiful wife, Chishiba Saka; my children, Chilufya, Chonde, Joshua, Chola, and Bupe; and the entire Saka family for endlessly supporting my aspirations through very trying moments.

 

Madam Speaker, I also thank the traditional leadership, the Church and my campaign managers for doing such a good job. May I also reiterate the principal stakeholders, the beautiful and proud people of Milenge, for entrusting me with such great responsibility. We share a common belief and vision, and their social aspirations may finally be met through me, as their representative.

 

Madam Speaker, permit me to give you a brief background of the beautiful District of Milenge.

 

As you may be already aware, Milenge District is the southernmost commune of Luapula Province. It was separated from Mansa District during the 2000 Census. The district is a vast rural community. Sadly, it is an under-developed region with dilapidated pre-Independence infrastructure that gives one the impression that the people of Milenge exist on the fringes or periphery of the country. Notable and outstanding among the socio-economic needs of Milenge is an apparent lack of a defined road network connecting the people of the district to the rest of the province and Zambia.

 

 Madam Speaker, Milenge district sits on vast land, most of which is a forest, and has not been alienated for occupation or exploitation for business opportunities by the people of the area, which is sad given the rapidly rising population in the district. The district is also home to two chiefdoms, namely Senior Chief Milambo of the Baushi people and Chief Sokontwe, and a beautiful falls situated 44 km from the Boma at the confluence of Mumbotuta Stream and Luapula River.

 

Madam Speaker, the area is a monument and it is rich in deposits of minerals like manganese are minerals, which could take mining to that area if it is connected to the national grid, thereby, providing employment and, subsequently, contributing to the country’s economy. The area also has great tourism potential which, sadly, is thwarted by the lack of a defined road network and appalling infrastructure that cannot attract investment and clients to the falls and peripheral tourist attractions.

 

Madam Speaker, I am a humble servant of the people, and I have always believed that leadership comes from God and those charged with this duty must diligently serve the people they have selected to represent. It is in this vein that I have always believed in a system of politics that empowers even the ordinary people to come together in shaping our country and building a better life for themselves and those around them. It is also for this reason that I stand here to represent the people of Milenge Constituency using an action-oriented approach as opposed to mere rhetoric.

 

Madam, the people of Milenge are tired of empty promises and desire equal opportunities. In fact, they are hopeful of this, given the many pronouncements that the Head of State, His Excellency the President, made during the campaigns, his Inaugural Speech and, most recently, the speech he made on the Floor of the House during the Official Opening of the Thirteenth National Assembly.

 

Madam, the people of Milenge are reasonably hopeful, as a slogan goes, that ‘Bally will fix it’. It is the failure to deliver on the said promises that will spell the loss of confidence not only in our colleagues, but also in the entire political spectrum. Already, the citizens of Zambia have begun to lose confidence in the political party system, and the testimony to that is in the fact that the number of Independent Members of Parliament like me is ever increasing in this august House. In short, political parties risk losing relevance if they do not deliver on their promises.

 

Madam Speaker, prominently featuring on the expectation list in Milenge is free education from primary to secondary school level. If I may share, I am here with a bill for K63,000 from one of the secondary schools in Milenge, as people there were expectant. This is as a result of the expectation from one of the schools in Milenge. They are very expectant. This is not a joking matter, and it is because of the foregoing that I reiterate the pleas of the people of Milenge for infrastructure to be developed, the tourism potential of the Mumbotuta Monument exploited, the forest reserves alienate to the people and develop a well-defined road network provided in Milenge through the ministries charged with such responsibilities and functions.

 

Madam Speaker, poor roads have somehow delinked Milenge form the rest of Zambia, and it is my plea that they be attended to urgently. Key among them is the Kapala/Ndola Road. The people of Milenge have been crying for the resumption of works on that road because of its economic importance. The Kasanka/Milenge Road is the only road which leads to the Boma, and it also needs to be upgraded to bituminous standard. In a short while, I will refer to His Excellency the President’s Speech.

 

Madam, Mansa/Milambo Road is where we host Senior Chief Milambo of the Ba Ushi people. However, in the Rainy Season, it is almost impassible from January to May. It is for the foregoing reasons that the hearts of the people of Milenge District saw it fit to place such a huge responsibility in an independent candidate like me to represent them in Parliament so that I can implore the current Government to not let their prayers and aspirations fall on deaf ears like they have previously done. They pray that the change that they have so far desired will be actualised, that their lives will improved and that their Christian way of life and traditional values will be sustained. I reiterate that the people of Milenge are very expectant of the foregoing due to the various promises that were made by His Excellency the President during the campaigns and the Official Opening of the Thirteenth National Assembly.

 

Madam Speaker, let me now turn to the President’s Speech, which I describe as a mixed grill because in some instances, it gives hope to the people of Zambia, especially those in Milenge. On some page, I think it is on page 26 or there about, the President gives hope to farmers. As I stand here, in this House, I do not have a concrete answer to take to Milenge as I travel there at the weekend because on the same Floor and same score, the hon. Minister was here assuring us that the Government is buying maize, but there is a concoction of challenges in this section. The hon. Minister assured us, and the speech is quite encouraging, but what I am getting on the Floor is a serious disconnect with reality. What I am getting on the ground in Milenge is that grain bags have not been delivered and that the maize that has been delivered has not been attended to. The payments – There is a concoction of challenges here.

 

Madam, I am going to Milenge with an empty message despite receiving what people are describing as a sweet speech. That is why I am saying it is a mixed grill. On this score alone, I have no information to take to Milenge vis-à-vis the maize marketing programme because it is in a mess. The President announced that his Government inherited an empty Treasury. If that is the case, we have a remedy for our colleagues; let them open up the borders for trade so that exports supplement the Government’s efforts in marketing products because we do not have time.

 

Madam Speaker, in the next one month or two, it will be Rainy Season in Milenge, and a poor farmer there has only 200 bags with no hope. There is an hon. Minister who gave a very good statement, but the statement did not speak to the situation on the ground. Just two days ago, as a community, we were mobilising transport to transport grain bags because the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) does not have transport to take the bags to the designated depots. My advice to my hon. Colleagues on the right is that they stop referring to the Patriotic Front (PF). For goodness’ sake, you are in charge. In Bemba, we say, “Mpyanango apyana namabala”. You are providing hope to the people of Zambia.

 

Madam Speaker, I now turn to education.

 

In Milenge, Madam Speaker, we have about eight secondary schools, but six or four of those are non-functional due to understaffing and a lack of infrastructure, including laboratories. So, we have cried and are still crying to have our fair share of the much-talked about national cake. I do not know, to this extent, what the people of Milenge would agree, but we can only rest it by putting it in a speech that looks like it is providing hope in terms of infrastructure development. Before I move away from schools, I just want to say that the schools in Milenge did not give us hope until the President said education shall be free. So, we have a checklist. We have been promised free education and improved infrastructure in schools, and we welcome both pronouncements. We will support the proposal once it comes here. Suffice it for me to say that the people of Milenge are very good at keeping checklists, and that is why I am here; I am a product of the people’s frustration. They protested and they felt that they could have a voice in an Independent hon. Member of Parliament.

 

Madam Speaker, I am still on infrastructure development.

 

Madam Speaker, Milenge consists of an eastern and western part. The eastern side is accessed through Mansa. To access both the western and the eastern sides, it is almost impossible as we get into the Rainy Season because it rains heavily in the district, and the bridges will be washed away. It is for this reason that we should be considered for improved infrastructure. One or two of our roads should be upgraded to bituminous standards. We are mindful of how vast Zambia is but, surely, having a portion of that cake would not be very bad for the people of Milenge.

 

Madam Speaker, with those few observations on the speech, I thank you.

 

Mr Mandandi (Sioma): Madam Speaker, I thank you for giving me the opportunity to deliver may maiden speech.

 

Madam Speaker, let me begin by thanking God Almighty for His love, blessings and grace that made it possible for me to emerge victorious in the 12^th August, 2021, General Elections and be able to stand before you today.

 

Madam Speaker, indeed, God Merciful, and we give Him praise, honour and glory for everything He has done for us, especially for liberating us from the corrupt and cruellest Patriotic Front (PF) regime, which had brought misery and suffering to the people of Zambia. One really wonders what life could have become like had the PF, God forbid, retained power.

 

Madam Speaker, let me now whole-heartedly and sincerely congratulate His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, together with Her Honour the Vice-President of the Republic of Zambia, Mrs Mutale Nalumango, on their resounding victory in the 12^th August, 2021, election.

 

Madam Speaker, further, allow me to congratulate you on your election as the first female Speaker in this country. In the same breath , I congratulate your Deputies. The news of your nomination for election as Speaker came as bombshell to the PF, which could not find anyone within its corrupt family circles capable of challenging you. You are truly a blessing and treasure to this House.

 

To returning hon. Members of Parliament, the nominated ones and new entrants like me, I say, ‘congratulations’.

 

Madam Speaker, special appreciation goes to the President of the Republic of Zambia, His Excellency Mr Hakainde Hichilema, who superintends on the affairs of the national executive committee and the National Management Committee (NMC) of our party, the United Party for National Development (UPND), for the trust and confidence bestowed in me by adopting me to stand on our party ticket in Sioma Constituency. I shall forever remain indebted and, at all times, be loyal to the party and its leadership. The efforts put in by the party structures, from the branch, constituency, district and provincial executive committees to secure my victory is well appreciated. To my campaign manager, Mr Moses Chimbinde, also known as Big Moze, and his team; our ground forces led by Justine Tapelo Mwauluka; the vote production unit led by Barbra Mandandi and Rachael Mtonga; the gallant youths of Sioma Boma led by Brian Mangambwa; and many units throughout the constituency, I say, ‘Thank you’ a million times.

 

To my beloved and dearest wife, Patricia Mandandi Kunyanda, thank you for being an all-weather friend, a pillar on which I could lean for comfort and strength throughout my political journey. It is by your support and encouragement that I got energised to carry on with my political career. You are truly a darling.

 

Madam Speaker, I commend my beloved children for their love, encouragement, sacrifice, and monetary and material support. Further, the support rendered to my campaign by family members and close friends in all its forms is well appreciated. Allow me also to extend my commendation to the civil servants in Sioma who, amidst threats of transfers to remote areas and dismissals, still refused to subvert the will of the people by being part in the PF’s rigging machinery. You are great, and I salute you. I also commend the traditional leadership, the Barotse Royal Establishment (BRE), Kaunga Mashi Palace; the church leadership; the business community; and other stake holders for the various roles they played during the elections.

 

Madam speaker, I will be falling in my duties if I do not thank the good people of Sioma Constituency for the confidence and responsibility they have reposed in me to represent them in this House. It is a rare privilege and honour that I do not take for granted. I assure them that I will not let them down. I promise to be their strong voice, ably represent them without fear or favour, and embrace everyone, including those who did not vote for me. My speech will be incomplete if I fail to also commend the people of Sioma Constituency who, by voting for the UPND, have demonstrated that vote-buying and police brutality against innocent and unarmed citizens is an archaic strategy of winning elections. Let me assure the great people of Sioma that I will not rest until justice prevails; the people who unleashed police officers to invade the whole of Sioma, beating and brutalising innocent people, and destroying and damaging vehicles and other valuable properties will be visited by the long arm of the law. I got fed up to the back teeth with the inequality and injustices that were systematically promoted by the PF Government and paid for by the taxpayer.

 

Madam Speaker, we do not want a society in Zambia in which one group enjoys one set of privileges and another group enjoys another set of privileges, a policy that was espoused and promulgated by the PF. I am proud to be associated with the UPND Government, whose vision is of a single and united society in which tribal, racial and regional emphases are totally rejected.

 

Madam Speaker, Sioma Constituency is a district on its own, created and declared as such in 2013 by then Republican President, the late Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, may his soul rest in peace. However, there is nothing in it in terms of infrastructure development to match its status as a district. The PF has lamentably failed to deliver any tangible development to Sioma. The constituency is faced with serious developmental challenges, including high poverty levels, inadequate health and educational facilities, youth unemployment, a lack of safe and clean drinking water, and a lack of transport facilities in most Government institutions, especially in the police. The only thing that I see parked at Nangweshi Police Station is a tractor which, perhaps, is the one police officers use for their operations.

 

Madam Speaker, the PF regime has failed to connect institutions and business entities between Sioma and Shangombo to the national grid, thereby slowing economic growth in the area. It has also failed to provide mortuary services to Sioma District, thereby stressing the mourners, who are forced to either bury their beloved ones on the same day they depart or to shuttle from Sioma to Senanga for mortuary services and back to Sioma for burials over a total distance of over 250km.

 

Madam Speaker, you may wish to note that the only mini-hospital at Nangweshi has no ambulance and is very under-staffed, making it almost non-functional. This is totally unacceptable. Further, all the construction projects for offices and housing units have since stalled without any proper explanation. Projects like the construction of the district administration block, the civic centre, police station, post office, twenty low-cost houses, ten medium-cost houses, Senior Chief Lukama’s Palace and three-tier Livestock Training Centres at Kanja are among those abandoned, which is shameful.

 

Madam Speaker, the suffering and poverty among the people of Sioma was deliberately induced by the PF regime to weaken the people’s spirits and turn them into perpetual beggars who were to live on handouts that would come through evil conditions of either supporting the Government and surviving or rejecting its policies and starving. Thank God, the people of Sioma got whatever handouts went their way, but still rejected the PF at the polls.

 

Madam Speaker, my heart bleeds to hear of the unprecedented road infrastructure development in some constituencies, where roads of bituminous standard have been constructed even in areas with less economic activities, covering distances of 200 km and beyond, yet the upgrading and construction of the economic road that links Sioma to Shangombo, with potential to enhance trade between Zambia and Angola, has stalled for almost eight years now, with only a stretch of 6 km constructed out of the 190 km.

 

Madam Speaker, human-animal-conflict related deaths among people are on the rise, and that has been exacerbated by the PF regime’s failure to adequately fund the Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) for it to intensify patrols and scare away the elephants, which freely roam around the villages on a daily basis. Crops in the gardens have been destroyed and preparation of fields in readiness for the planting season has become a challenge, as people cannot go to their fields for fear of being killed by elephants.

 

Madam Speaker, as I conclude my speech, let me highlight a few projects that need urgent attention. They are:

 

1. completion of His Royal Highness Senior Chief Lukama’s Palace;
2. construction of a mortuary at Sioma Rural Health Centre;
3. completion of buildings meant for the district administration and civic centre;
4. completion of the upgrading of the Sioma/Shangombo Road from gravel to bituminous standard;
5. completion of the construction of the three tier livestock centre at Kanja;
6. completion of the construction of the Nangweshi/Sinjembela Gravel Road;
7. upgrading of Mutomena and Sinjembela rural health centres to mini-hospitals;
8. construction of 2x3 classroom blocks and six teachers’ houses at Kalongola Secondary School;
9. construction of a police post at Mutomena and procurement of a motor vehicle for the police;
10. construction and erection of a mobile phone network tower at Maziba area near Ngonye Falls to boost phone network connectivity and enhance tourism;
11. drilling of boreholes; and
12. construction of seven health posts at Mbopuma, Mbume, Ng’ombe, Kalongola, Kataba, Matebele and Likushitu, to mention but a few.

 

Madam Speaker, may God bless the ‘New Dawn’ or UPND Government, Zambia and the people of Sioma, in particular.

 

Hon. Government Members:  Hear, hear!

 

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

 

Madam Speaker, from the outset, let me place it on record that the people of Sioma, through their humble servant, wholly and fully support the President’s Speech. Through this speech, the President has demonstrated a great zeal to improve the living standards of the people. Through it, the people of Sioma see hope and life after all the suffering they were subjected to under the PF Government.

 

Madam Speaker, let me draw your attention to page 30 of the President’s Speech, where the Government talks of maintaining, rehabilitating and upgrading roads. This has brought relief, hope and joy to the people of Sioma, who now feel that out of these pronouncements, the road that has been abandoned for almost ten years, which links Sioma to Shangombo, shall be worked on by this caring Government. The speech has brought hope to the people of Sioma that out of these pronouncements, the road that links Nangweshi to Sinjembela will be gravelled, and the people will be at peace, as they will find it easy to transport their agricultural commodities to the market places.

 

Madam Speaker, the other point is on page 38 of the speech, where the President talks about enhancing health care financing and improving quality health service delivery. In view of this pronouncement, the people of Sioma are elated because they are now assured that their health facilities will be stocked with drugs. The situation currently prevailing in most of our health centres is very bad in the sense that the patients just get prescriptions from those health centres. Now, where does a peasant farmer, a poor man or woman, get the money to buy drugs in Sinjembela? Even if the money was there, are there pharmacies or drug stores in Sinjembela and Lipaneno? The answer is ‘No’. So, people are suffering and just living by the grace of the Lord. So, in view of this pronouncement, we see hope, life and improved living standards for the people.

 

Madam Speaker, may I conclude by commenting on the issue of the fast-track courts. This is a very serious pronouncement. We are where we are because of some people who felt it could just be business-as-usual for them to lay their hands on Government coffers. The President has made it clear on many occasions that we have inherited empty coffers. That means that at some point, this country had money but, due to the mismanagement of the economy by the previous regime, there is currently no money. So, it will really be interesting to get to know who was at the centre of emptying the country’s coffers. This is only possible if we support the establishment of the fast-track courts. Thieves are thieves. Even if we took a crocodile from the Zambezi River to Kafue River, it does not change its identity; it remains a crocodile. So, even in this situation, points of order can be raised to curtail views or cover those who do not want to hear the word ‘thief’, but they will remain thieves because they stole from the Zambian people. So, they have to be followed to the letter.

 

Madam Speaker: Order!

 

Withdraw the word ‘thief’.

 

Mr Mandandi: Madam Speaker, I oblige and withdraw the word ‘thief’ and replace it with the word ‘masholi’, meaning ‘dishonest people’.

 

Madam Speaker, with those few remarks, the people of Sioma, through their humble servant, support the President’s Speech.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Brig-Gen. Sitwala (Kaoma Central): Madam Speaker, I sincerely thank you for according me the opportunity to deliver my second maiden speech on the Floor of this august House. I take this opportunity to congratulate you on your election as the first female Speaker of the National Assembly of Zambia. Indeed, we appreciate, and the people of Kaoma Central are solidly behind you in this august House. Allow me to also extend my congratulations to Hon. Attractor Chisangano and Hon. Frank Moyo on their election as First Deputy Speaker and Second Deputy Speaker of this House, respectively.

 

Madam Speaker, allow me to thank my party, the United Party for National Development (UPND) and the leadership of His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, and Her Honour Mrs Mutale Nalumango, the Vice-President of the Republic of Zambia, for re-adopting me to stand as Member of Parliament for Kaoma Central Constituency. I whole-heartedly congratulate them for steering the party to victory in the just-ended general elections.

 

Madam Speaker, I will be failing in my duties if I fail to thank, especially, my dear wife, Silvia; all the children; and the entire Sitwala family for their unconditional support and spiritual strength before, during and after the elections. I also thank the wonderful people of Kaoma Central Constituency for the trust and confidence they have shown in me by electing me for the second term. In addition, I convey my gratitude to the Chiefs, Silalo Indunas, village headmen and various churches based in Kaoma for their support. I assure them that I will not let them down and that I will serve them even better than I did in the last term, especially now that the UPND, a party that they have supported over the years, has formed Government. I am sure everyone is expectant of development.

 

Madam Speaker, I thank the campaign team, in general, and in particular, Mr Kakungo Mukenge, who was my campaign manager for the second time, Mr Edgar Manjolo, Mr Kakumbi,  Mrs Nawa, Mrs Ndala, Mrs Liwakala, Mrs Chitenge and Mrs Njapau. Indeed, there are too many people to itemise. However, allow me to generally thank the district, constituency and ward officials, and not forgetting the provincial officials, for the support that I received during the just-ended election. I will be failing in my duties if I do not recognise the youth team in Kaoma, which was led by Mr Chola. This victory was for the youths in Kaoma. Indeed, teamwork proved to be the core of our success. So, I will not forget the youths, and we shall continue moving on.

 

Madam Speaker, at this juncture, allow me to highlight some of the challenges that Kaoma Constituency is facing.

 

Madam Speaker, my constituency is facing serious water and sanitation challenges. In this regard, I implore the UPND Government, through the Ministry of Water Development and Sanitation, to provide my constituency with clean and safe drinking water sources, such as by sinking of boreholes in the various wards that constituent Kaoma Central Consistency.

 

Madam Speaker, as we all know, communication is the cornerstone of any form of development in the 21^st Century. Therefore, I appeal to the ministry responsible to prioritise the installation of communication towers in Kashamu and Lunyati wards, as they are the only wards that are not connected to the communication grid.

 

Madam Speaker, Kaoma has enormous agricultural potential. However, the potential is under-utilised. For instance, the Kalumwange Farming Block, which was established during the United National Independence Party (UNIP) era, remains under-developed to date. The farming block requires public infrastructure, such as roads, electricity and irrigation facilities. The installation of such facilities, coupled with good soils and climatic conditions, will enable Kaoma to significantly contribute to the national food basket, thereby alleviating food and nutrition challenges in the whole country. I must say here that Kaoma is already the food basket of the Western Province. All we need is the Government to support the farmers there.

 

Madam Speaker, I appeal to the Government and, in particular, the hon. Minister of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development, to commence the construction of the Kasempa/Kaoma/Luampa/Mulobezi Road and the reconstruction of the Nkeyema/Kaoma Road. The importance of these roads cannot be over-emphasised, as they will go a long way in decongesting the Great North Road and reduce high instances of road carnage. I think one might wonder how we would decongest the Great North Road, which is far away from Kaoma. The answer is that the road in Kaoma is being used by many companies to transport copper from our new Copperbelt in Solwezi to Walvis Bay in Namibia.

 

Madam Speaker, I will be failing in my duties if I do not touch on the construction of township roads, which is another concern in Kaoma. We had a situation in which the previous Government contracted a company that bought quite a number of equipment. That equipment has been lying idly in Kaoma for a long time now. So, I urge the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development to investigate why that equipment has been lying there for the past six years without being used while the road infrastructure in the townships is very deplorable.

 

Madam Speaker, Kaoma Central Constituency was left out of the 650 Health Post Construction Project under the Indian Line of Credit by the previous Government. The need for health care cannot be over-emphasised, given the growing population as a result of the migration of people from other districts in search of arable land in Kaoma Central Constituency. Even our colleagues from the Southern Province, whom we very much welcome, are coming to Kaoma in numbers because of the good land that is available there.

 

Madam Speaker, Kaoma is in urgent need of, at least, two secondary schools so as to mitigate over-enrolment at the only secondary school available, which was built under the UNIP regime. Furthermore, the Government needs to construct more primary schools in all the wards. That can be realised by converting the many community schools into proper learning institutions so that we can have proper education facilities. There is also a big challenge of accommodation for teachers in the whole constituency.

 

Madam Speaker, I appeal to the Government to consider constructing a modern police station and staff houses in Kaoma because we did not benefit from the programme that we saw in other constituencies and districts.

 

Madam Speaker, in conclusion, I submit that Kaoma is endowed with natural resources, such as timber which, if well managed and channelled in the right hands, can create employment opportunities for the youths and bring about sustainable development in the constituency and the country as a whole.

 

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Member!

 

The time for the hon. Member’s maiden speech expired.

 

Brig-Gen. Sitwala: Madam Speaker, I wish the people of Kaoma God’s guidance.

 

Madam Speaker, allow me, at this juncture, to touch on the President’s Speech, which was delivered to this august House.

 

Generally, the speech was very good and inspiring. So, I am surprised that our colleagues on the left are complaining, and I advise them to be patient. As everyone knows, we are currently using a Budget left by the Patriotic Front (PF) Government. Our Budget will soon be presented in this august House, and I am sure that most of the concerns they are raising will be addressed.

 

Madam Speaker, our colleagues should not forget that they lost the elections, among other things, because of corruption, unemployment, discrimination and cadreism.

 

Madam Speaker, I commend this speech and thank the President because, among other issues, it addresses the issue of unity in the country, whose importance cannot be over-emphasised. This country requires unity because we were almost getting to the crossroads, whereby we did not understand why certain things were happening. In a family, unity is important; without it, one cannot progress. I am saying this because the President touched on it in his speech. You can even see from how he has set up his Cabinet this is a President who means well for this country. He cannot satisfy the entire country, but you can see that, at least, the country is well represented for the first time in a long time. One can only remember and relate this, maybe, to the days of Dr Kaunda. When you look back at the last Cabinet of our hon. Colleagues on your left, you will start wondering because the members all came from one place. The situation was the same with all the top Government officials, including ambassadors representing this country.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Brig-Gen. Sitwala: I think, when the President talks about unity, he means well for this country, and I expect my colleagues to appreciate.

 

Madam Speaker, the President talked about the rebuilding of the economy, and the economy is the cornerstone of job creation. Once the economy is ticking, it will mean better livelihoods for everyone in the country. It also means that even general development will take place and even the education sector, which our colleagues are complaining about, will be enhanced. Without a proper economy, it is not possible to have free education. We are now seeing or taking over an economy that was ravaged. The United States Dollar was just going haywire, and you could see that the so-called ‘money in people’s pockets’ that was promised was just seen in a few people. It is surprising to see that people today are running away from money because they cannot believe that they can hold such amounts of money. If that money was equally distributed, everyone would have been happy, I am sure.

 

Madam Speaker, further, the speech talks about development without discrimination. We have heard our colleagues, especially those who were hon. Ministers, without shame, tell us how they managed to build many hospitals and secondary schools in the past five years, yet we, who were on your left that time, had nothing. For example, in my Constituency, Kaoma Central, I just mentioned that out of the 650 hospitals built using a loan from the Indian Government, not even one was built in Kaoma. Now, here is a former Minister who was responsible for ensuring that development was taken to all corners of the country standing here today and boasting of many infrastructure like roads. Where was the seriousness of the Government, if I may ask? This was very painful, and I am happy that the President, today, is talking about development without discriminating anyone, and that will be done. It is the only way our country will be united.

 

Madam Speaker, further, the President touched on the agricultural sector and promised cheap farming inputs for all, which I have heard my colleagues complain about. I think they should just be patient because this promise will definitely be fulfilled. Still on agriculture, I am happy that the President talked about improved extension services, especially in rural areas. This is very important, especially for those who keep cattle. We used to see extension officers sit at home simply because there was no transport for them. They could not do their work, including those who were supposed to enhance agriculture in the villages by just advising villagers on how to plant their crops so that they could get better yields. All these were failing. Again, this is a plus for me, which I expect our hon. Colleagues to appreciate.

 

Madam Speaker, the President touched on the very important aspect of Zambian-owned businesses, and I am happy because, at the moment, it is difficult to get a loan from our banks because of the prohibitive interest rates that are prevailing. However, the President has promised that there will be affordable credit and finance facilities for everyone. This will enable everyone, including the youth, to borrow and engage in various businesses, thereby making their lives much better.

 

Madam Speaker, finally, the issue of security was worrying because it was in wrong hands under the previous regime. We saw our colleagues use the police to harass ordinary citizens and the Opposition. Further, I am a witness to how Lawrence Banda was killed in Kaoma, sometime in the first week of October, 2019. Our colleagues could afford to organise a church service in Kaoma while sending cadres to go and kill Lawrence Banda in broad daylight. This is a case that I request the hon. Minister of Home Affairs to follow up because police dockets were opened and are still there. It is very annoying. Not only that but, during the last elections, our colleagues where using the police.

 

Madam Speaker: Order!

 

The hon. Member’s time expired.

 

Ms Lungu (Chawama): Madam Speaker, I thank you for according me this moment to deliver my maiden speech.

 

Madam Speaker, before I get into the speech, I would like to acknowledge the lives that were lost during the elections, namely Danny Kasongo, a young man who was beaten to death while campaigning in Kanyama, and the funeral was held in Nkoloma Ward 1 of Chawama Constituency; Zebedia Simukoko, a youth who died after being stabbed with a screwdriver in Lilayi Ward 4 of Chawama Constituency; and many others. Let us, please, observe a moment of silence.

 

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Member!

 

Just proceed. There is no moment of silence.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Ms Lungu: May their souls rest in eternal peace.

 

Madam Speaker: Order!

 

We are not going to observe a minute of silence because that is putting –

 

Ms Lungu: Thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

May their souls rest in eternal peace.

 

Madam Speaker: Hon. Member just hold on. I am still talking.

 

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

 

Madam Speaker: Order!

 

Your call for a minute of silence puts the Chair in an embarrassing position. So, I advise hon. Members to desist from calling for a minute of silence.

 

Ms Lungu: Madam Speaker, I thank you. I have been guided.

 

May their souls rest in eternal peace.

 

Madam Speaker, I thank the almighty God for making it possible for me to stand before this august House today. I also thank my campaign manager, my biggest supporter, my best friend and husband, Patrick; my family; and all my campaign teams. Last, but not the least, I thank the people of Chawama for voting for me. They have continued to support me from the time that I was Councillor of Nkoloma Ward 1. I am truly humbled to have been chosen to represent them.

 

Madam Speaker, I take this opportunity to thank the Patriotic Front (PF) for adopting me as its candidate. Special thanks go out to the Sixth Republican President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, for the sacrifices and selfless service that he has rendered to this country over the past six years.

 

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

 

Ms Lungu: His leadership weathered all kinds of storms and his legacy is that of infrastructure development and agricultural support. The infrastructure development includes the Chawama First-Level Hospital, the Kazungula Bridge and the new Kenneth Kaunda International Airport (KKIA), which even President Hichilema used on his way to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). Infrastructure development is the key ingredient of national development.

 

Madam Speaker, let me also take this opportunity to thank the youths and women of Chawama for their support during the campaigns. The victory is for them. As one who easily relates to their challenges, I will be sure to support them.

 

Madam Speaker, let me also take this rare opportunity to address the young people of Chawama as well as the rest of the young people in this country. If we are to have sanity in this country, and in the spirit of our traditions, we need to respect our elders.

 

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

 

Ms Lungu: Most of this country’s population is youthful. Hence, the need to have more young people in leadership positions. I am, indeed, honoured to stand before you today in this regard.

 

Madam Speaker, modern society has come with many wonderful inventions, such as the Internet and social media. The problem comes in when such platforms are misused. We have seen many young people on social media insult elders and one another, and spread falsehoods. There is a need for introspection by all of us, as Zambians and as Africans. The act of disrespecting our elders, and speaking ill of one another and of our own country, in itself, has many consequences. The obvious consequence is that it decreases investor confidence in our economies, as it shows the world that we have no confidence in our own systems. Social media are platforms that we can use to communicate positive messages about ourselves and our country to the world. Why would others want to believe in us if we cannot believe in ourselves? It is important that we continue to uphold our national values and our heritage.

 

Madam Speaker, when I was growing up as a girl in the United States of America (USA), I was bullied and disrespected by fellow classmates simply because I was African. My classmates were brainwashed by the mainstream American media to view Africans as docile. The responsibility to promote our culture and build our economies is ours. As one of my role models always says, “We are who we have been waiting for. No one is coming to save us”.

 

 Madam Speaker, most of my American friends, including those who look like me, at some point, believed that we, Africans, were superior to them. The sooner we Africans start creating and celebrating successes, the better off we will be.

 

Mr Sampa: Tell them.

 

 Ms Lungu: The other day, I read about a certain company that had 90 per cent shareholding by foreign nationals and only 10 per cent by Zambians coming to invest in the mining sector in two districts on the outskirts of Lusaka. We have seen cases in which investors came into the country with nothing; their only capital was their skin colour, and they walk away with wealth at the expense of our citizens. A certain mining firm that was recording loses month ago has, all of a sudden, started recording profits. The company is now being operated by Zambians.

 

 Madam Speaker, let me take this opportunity to express my disappointment over the high levels of violence taking place. In the history of our country, we have never before experienced a time in which an election victory celebration was characterised by violence in an unbelievable manner, to the extent of people being beaten up, and shopping malls and markets looted.

 

Hon. Member: Question!

 

 Ms Lungu: Surely, can we call that a celebration? Following the announcement of election results, citizens were attacked and most of them have been displaced from their homes as well as business places. For example, Vina Musongole, a resident of Chawama, sells salaula at the Town Centre. The other day, her stand was broken down and merchandise looted simply because she was affiliated to a certain political party. A young woman by the name of Alice Mwansa Bwalya, also a salaula trader, was displaced from her trading place in Chawama simply because it was rumoured that her husband was a member of a certain political party. We cannot continue to be divided on political lines. That is happening.

 

 Madam Speaker, what has happened to the ‘One Zambia One Nation’ motto? I will leave it to each one of us in this House to introspect.

 

Interruptions

 

Madam Speaker: Order!

 

Ms Lungu: I am sure that most of us have seen the disturbing video clip of a young man being undressed and beaten in a humiliating scene at a bus station. The President has denounced cadreism and promoted law and order. However, the opposite is taking place; people are being brutalised at bus stations every day.

 

Madam Speaker, I have heard hon. Members in this House argue that the Government needs to be given time to settle down. That is simply unacceptable. The Zambian people need leadership, not lip service. The Government has been honeymooning for the past one month, and enough is enough. How much more time do we need to give it while we see more people beaten up and killed? What value have we put on human life? In the last twenty-four hours, a picture of a law enforcement officer in uniform who was hacked, covered in blood and brought down to his knees, has been circulating on social media. This, again, comes back to a lack of national values and respect for authority. The nation needs to know that the President means what he says.

 

Madam Speaker, another issue of national importance that I will tackle is that of street vendors. We have seen images of street vendors whose Mobile Money booths were removed from the streets. We need to tread carefully in this territory, or else we will end up with more law breakers. Since those people have not been offered an alternative source of income and were abruptly displaced from their trading places, crimes like petty theft and house break-ins will increase, and that will overwhelm the law enforcement officers.

 

I will debate the Motion on the Floor at a later time.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

 Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Lumayi (Chavuma): Madam Speaker, I thank you for allowing the voice of Chavuma to be heard on the Floor of this House. I stand here to make a maiden speech for the second time.

 

Madam Speaker, my standing here is with the blessings of the people of Chavuma and the United Party for National Development (UPND). Allow me to thank all the structures in Chavuma Constituency, the branches, and all the way up to the provincial level. I also thank the National Management Committee (NMC) of the UPND and, more especially, His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, and the Vice-President, Mrs Mutale Nalumango, for showing their confidence in me by adopting me for the second time.

 

 Madam Speaker, I would be failing in my duties if I did not congratulate you and your two Deputies on your election as Speaker, First Deputy Speaker and Second Deputy Speaker, respectively. I am confident that you are going to perform to the level of your best capability to bring the decorum of this House to the highest levels.

 

 Madam Speaker, the people of Chavuma gave me the vote because of the following things I have done in my last five years:

 

1. constructed a health centre in Mbalango;
2. connected electricity from Chibombo to Mbalango;
3. constructed a market and a 1x3 classroom block at Kalombo;
4. completed a classroom block at Kamisamba;
5. completed a health centre in Chikongolo;
6. constructed a 1x2 classroom block in Kakoma;
7. connected water from Chiyeke to Kakoma;
8. I am the first Member of Parliament to erect eight communication towers, having found only one in the whole constituency of Chavuma;
9. constructed two laboratories at Lukolwe Health Centre in Lingundu;
10. constructed a 1x2 classroom block in Kainda; and
11. constructed laboratories at Nguvu, Nyatanda and other areas.

 

Madam Speaker, as a Member of Parliament, I am very proud that it was very important for the people of Chavuma to give me another chance to preside over their affairs. I am the first Member of Parliament in the history of the Republic of Zambia to help the people of Chavuma fight for the traditional leadership to be represented in Chavuma District Council.

Madam Speaker, I am confident that in the next five years, I am going to perform to the best level of my knowledge to ensure that I make the civil servants, who joined the band wagon to give me support, happy.

 

Madam Speaker, let me talk about some of the projects I intend to implement in the next five years.

 

Madam Speaker, Working with the able and hardworking Government of President Hakainde Hichilema, it is my wish and that of the people of Chavuma that they have a new district on the West Bank of Chavuma. It is also the wish of the people of Chavuma that the Rainbow Road is constructed to connect Chavuma West Bank and Zambezi West Bank. Further, it is my duty to ensure that a radio station is operationalised before the end of my five years in Chavuma Constituency.

 

Madam Speaker, the Patriotic Front (PF) Government could not complete a police station that was left under construction by the Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) Government and only required K1 million to be operationalised.

 

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

 

Madam Speaker: This is a maiden speech. I will not allow points of order.

 

Mr Lumayi: Under the UNPD Government, we are going to complete the police station. Further, within my five-year term, the UPND Government is going to operationalise the magistrates court in Chavuma. It is also may wish, and that of the UPND Government, that in the next five years, we are going to construct a resource centre; upgrade the Chiyeke/Chingi, Chavuma Centre/Sewe/Chingi, and the Chavuma Centre/Kakanga roads to gravel standard. We are also going to work on the Kalombo/Kamisamba/Chikogolo/ Sakawawa/Mbalango/Chibombo Road.

 

Madam Speaker, the working UPND Government, working together with me, the Member of Parliament for the people of Chavuma, will improve the agricultural system for the people, especially by promoting rice farming in the constituency.

 

Madam Speaker, I will be failing in my duties if I do not thank my dear wife and my children, whom I am not with most of the times, but they allow me to perform national duties.

 

Madam Speaker, the people of the North-Western Province are a good people, and I request them, through the people of Chavuma, to continue giving me the support they have been giving me because they have seen the kind of leadership that is in me. I will continue to respect and work for them because it is my mandate to deliver what is needed for the people of Chavuma.

 

Madam Speaker, I have been a Youth Chairperson from 1998, when I was Youth Chairperson for Tuvwanganayi Ward, I have risen through the ranks up to Provincial Youth Chairperson. It is, therefore, my duty to help His Excellency President Hakainde Hichilema to fulfil all the promises he made on the Floor of this House to the Republic of Zambia.

 

To the dear citizens of Chavuma, I am your son. I may do some things that are not be in accordance with your wish, but there must always be room to sit together and reconcile.

 

Madam Speaker, allow me, at this juncture, to promise the people of Chavuma that, now that we are in Government, they should expect the best out of this man standing here; I assure them that we are going to work according to our promises under the able leadership of President Hakainde Hichilema because we want him to win again with more than 1 million votes in 2026.

 

Madam Speaker, allow me to now debate the President’s Speech.

 

Madam, I totally support the President’s Speech, which was delivered to this House.

 

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

 

Madam Speaker: A point of order is raised.

 

Mr Sampa: Madam Speaker, Standing Order 203, “Conduct of Members”, states that:

 

“A member shall at all times conduct himself or herself in a manner that upholds the dignity, integrity and decorum of the House.”

 

Madam Speaker, is the hon. Member in order to continue debating in this House while holding the microphone as if he is Dandy Crazy or …

 

Laughter

 

Mr Sampa: ... that group that sang ‘Gentrimen’? Is he in order to continue debating while grabbing the microphone like this (demonstrated)?

 

I seek your serious ruling, Madam Speaker.

 

Mr Sing’ombe: But you are also holding the microphone!

 

Mr Sampa: I was expressing the gesture.

 

Madam Speaker: The point of order is noted. Hon. Members should avoid holding the microphones while debating because they are fragile and can break.

 

The hon. Member may continue.

 

Mr Lumayi: Madam Speaker, the citizens of the Republic of Zambia and I fully support the President’s Speech.

 

Madam Speaker, it is worth noting that the young girls of the Republic of Zambia are still moving with pain following the brutal killing of one of them. That anger united them in a desire to ensure that President Hakainde Hichilema could come and sit in this House and deliver the President’s Address.

 

Madam Speaker, I fully support the merging of ministries. Previously, the portfolio of Chiefs and Traditional Affairs used to be under the Ministry of Local Government. What we saw with the ministry under the PF Government was a total abuse of our traditional leadership. The chiefs were turned into political cadres while those who maintained their dignity as Their Royal Highnesses are supposed to be, were never the darlings to the PF party in Government. Further, despite the ministry working to ensure that traditional ceremonies took place and chiefs got their salaries, I saw it very right that the UPND Government has decided to take back the portfolio to the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, where it will be under a department.

 

Madam Speaker, with regards to the Ministry of Religious Affairs, it was unprecedented that there was a pastor who was hiding in the name of the Church. Here, at Parliament Buildings, we had to chase that pastor when he was insulting the hon. Member for Kafue. So, this Government (pointing at PF hon. Members) had turned the Church, pastors, in particular, into political party cadres. So, under the UPND Government, we, the supporters of the UPND and the President, are going to ensure that the Church maintains its mandate of providing spiritual leadership to the Republic of Zambia.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Fube: On a point of order, Madam Speaker

 

Madam Speaker: A order is raised.

 

Mr Fube: One of the rules –

 

Madam Speaker: Order!

 

(Debate Adjourned)

 

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The House adjourned at 1840 hours until 0900 hours on Friday, 24^th September, 2021.

 

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