Tuesday, 2^nd November, 2021

 

The House met at 1430 hours

 

[MADAM SPEAKER in the Chair]

 

NATIONAL ANTHEM

 

PRAYER

 

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ANNOUNCEMENT BY MADAM SPEAKER

 

ACTING LEADER OF GOVERNMENT BUSINESS IN THE HOUSE

 

Madam Speaker: Hon. Members, I have received communication to the effect that in the absence of Her Honour the Vice-President, who is attending to other Government business, the Chief Whip, Hon. Stafford Mulusa, has been appointed Acting Leader of Government Business in the House today, Tuesday, 2^nd November, 2021, until further notice.

 

Thank you.

 

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MINISTERIAL STATEMENTS

 

SUSPENSION OF DISTRIBUTION OF SUPPLEMENTARY FISP PACKS 

 

The Minister of Agriculture (Mr M. Phiri): Madam Speaker, as you guided on 21^st October, 2021, I will now render a ministerial statement on the suspension of the provision of supplementary packs under the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP). This statement is in response to the point of order raised on Thursday, 21^st October, 2021, by Hon. Emmanuel Musonda, who is the Member of Parliament for Lupososhi Constituency.

 

Madam Speaker, as you may recall, on 19^th October, 2021, I issued a ministerial statement indicating some adjustments to the implementation of FISP in the 2021/2022 Agricultural Season. In my statement, the hon. Members of the House may recall that I announced the suspension of the distribution of supplementary for the current season.

 

Madam Speaker, this year, the inputs that each farmer will receive under FISP one 10 kg bag of maize seed, three bags of Compound-D fertiliser and three bags of Urea fertiliser. Further, previously, under the Direct Input Supply (DIS) system, each farmer was also entitled to choose one of the following packs:

 

1. a sorghum pack that consisted of 2 x 50 kg Compound-D fertiliser, a 1 x 50 kg bag of Urea fertiliser and 1 x 5 kg bag of sorghum seed;
2. a groundnut pack that consisted of a 1 x 50 kg bag of Compound-D fertiliser and a 1 x 20 kg bag of groundnut seed; or
3. a soya bean pack that contained 2 x 50 kg bags of Compound-D fertiliser and a 1 x 50 kg bag of soya bean seed.

 

Madam Speaker, as the Government, we have made the decision to suspend the issuance of supplementary packs due to the following reasons:

 

1. since all the farmers in all the districts of the country are now to receive an equal quantity of inputs, the available seed for groundnuts, sorghum and soya beans is not sufficient to cater for all the beneficiaries on the programme. It did not even in the past, anyway; and
2. we have received numerous reports of malpractice and wastage in the distribution of seed under the supplementary pack.

 

Madam Speaker, in addition to the suspension of the provision of supplementary packs, as you may be aware, the Government will not engage local transporters in the districts during the 2021/2022 Agricultural Season. This measure has been taken to ensure equity and rationalise expenditure across all aspects of the programme. Since the Government owes transporters huge arrears, our immediate focus is on dismantling the debt before accumulating more arrears.

 

Madam Speaker, as I conclude, let me state that this season’s adjustments to FISP were made to ensure that the programme is equitable, transparent and cost-effective. In this regard, let me assure the House that next season, the implementation of FISP will be comprehensively reviewed to incorporate the views of various stakeholders.

 

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

 

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

 

Mr Chisopa (Mkushi South): Madam Speaker, I want to find out something about the extra packs –

 

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Member!

 

Have you made your maiden speech?

 

Mr Chisopa: Madam Speaker, not yet.

 

Madam Speaker: Then, you cannot speak.

 

Laughter

 

Mr Kamboni (Kalomo Central): Madam Speaker, the hon. Minister has said that the Ministry of Agriculture owes many transporters and that the Government is trying to rationalise the whole system. When will the Government pay the farmers who sold maize to it as late as August, 2021?

 

Mr M. Phiri: Madam Speaker, –

 

Madam Speaker: I do not know what happened to your mask.

 

Mr M. Phiri: Madam Speaker, I am very sorry.

 

Mr M. Phiri wore his mask.

 

Mr M. Phiri: Madam Speaker, thank you for that reminder. I thought my Whip here would be in trouble the way Hon. Mundubile is over my hon. Colleague there (laughed).

 

Madam Speaker, I want to repeat that all the farmers who sols maize that constituted the 500,000 metric tonnes that the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) had initially planned to purchase have been paid. on the other hand, all the farmers who delivered maize after the procurement of the first 500,000 metric tonnes will have to bear with the agency and wait for it to secure some funds, either through some collateral management arrangements it is making or selling the maize. We are very busy trying to make source some funds so that we pay the farmers.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Mr Emmanuel Musonda (Lupososhi): Madam Speaker, the hon. Minister of Agriculture has stated that top-up packs will not be distributed to farmers. However, those packs have already been delivered to the collection points in various depots throughout the country. Is the hon. Minister considering keeping them until the next season? If not, to whom are they going to be given?

 

Mr M. Phiri: Madam Speaker, to some extent, the hon. Member is right in stating that the top-up packs have already been distributed. However, I would like to correct him by stating that even in the previous seasons, the packs were not given to all the FISP beneficiaries. It was a segregated activity, and we will not continue with any programme that is segregative.

 

Hon. PF Members: Question!

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr M. Phiri: In all provinces across the country, some people received the packs while others did not. Therefore, we cannot allow a distribution of a product that is without a system and one that leaves it to someone to decide who is given today and who is given tomorrow.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Mr Mutale (Chitambo): Madam Speaker, I am grateful for the statement.

 

Madam Speaker, on the issue of transporters, the hon. Minister has told the House that the Government will deliver inputs directly to the districts and that the farmers will collect them from there. I put it to him that, in some instances, the points to which the inputs are delivered are very far from where some farmers are. In Chitambo, for instance, some farmers have to cover about 150 km just to go collect the inputs. Further, the hon. Minister has removed the agro dealers, who could have been the agents of the ministry in delivering farming inputs closer to the farmers. Can the hon. Minister not come up with any plan to cushion this huge expense on farmers of transporting farming inputs from depots where the Government is depositing them? Can the Government not deliver the inputs closer to the farmers?

 

Mr M. Phiri: Madam Speaker, just like it was with the supplementary pack, not all FISP beneficiaries enjoyed the transport facility the hon. member has alluded to, and I am not talking only about farmers in the Southern and Western provinces or parts of Lusaka Province; I am also talking about those in areas like provinces like the Eastern, Northern and Central, and hon. Members will agree with me that any system that is like that is bad and we should change it. We want uniformity and equality, and we want people to appreciate that is the way things will be.

 

Madam Speaker, as regards agro dealers, I would like to correct the hon. Member for Chitambo by saying that we have not done away with them. The correct position is that the DIS system that we are now implementing across the country does not accommodate involve agro dealers in the context in which the hon. Member has alluded to. Instead, it involves the major suppliers of fertiliser and a few seed distributors. Yes, agro dealers were affected in the Southern Province, but that is a different story altogether.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Mr Kafwaya (Lunte): Madam Speaker, the hon. Minister has said that the Government will not engage local transporters because it is prioritising the dismantling of arrears, which is good. However, in the 2022 Budget Address, the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning has provided a very minute amount of K3.1 billion for the dismantling of arrears amounting to K46.9 billion. How much is the hon. Minister going to dismantle –

 

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

 

Madam Speaker: A point of order is raised.

 

Mr Mutale: Madam Speaker, thank you very much for giving me this opportunity to rise on a point of order following the answer that I have got from the hon. Minister of Agriculture.

 

Madam Speaker, the hon. Minister came to this House and told the nation very clearly that this year, the Government would do away with agro dealers. He went further to say that the Government would deliver the goods directly to farmers. Is he in order to change his statement by telling us that the Government has not done away with agro dealers?

 

Madam Speaker, I need your serious ruling.

 

Hon. PF. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Madam Speaker: The hon. Member for Chitambo has not cited any order, rule or procedure that has been contravened or breached by the hon. Minister. So, the point of order is disregarded.

 

Hon. Members, as we proceed, let us remember that the core business of the House during this period is to debate the Budget Address. So, as we ask our questions, let us not debate them. Just ask the questions so that I can allow as many hon. Members as possible to participate. I say this because I will be curtailing debate at a certain point. So, let us bear that in mind so that we can get to the core business of the House.

 

The hon. Member for Lunte may proceed.

 

Mr Kafwaya: Madam Speaker, before I was interrupted by my colleague, the hon. Member of Parliament for Chitambo, I had just stated that the amount the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning has provided in the 2022 Budget is K3.1 billion while the arears are worth K46.9 billion. My question was: How much of does the hon. Minister of Agriculture plan to dismantle, in terms of arrears to local transporters, in 2022, and how much is in his budget?

 

Mr M. Phiri: Madam Speaker, how the debt will be decomposed is way beyond my portfolio. I think that is for the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning to guide. All I can do is mention the amount we owe the transporters.

 

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

 

Mr Kapyanga (Mpika Central): Madam Speaker, the farmers who supplied maize to the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) across the country have not been paid. At least for Mpika, I know that the last time a farmer was paid was during the previous regime. How will our small-scale farmers manage to transport framing inputs to their areas when they have not been paid?

 

Mr M. Phiri: Madam Speaker, all I can say is that we will not provide transport because the activity was not equitable, and we can only ask the farmers to look for some money to transport their inputs.

 

Hon. PF Members: Ah!

 

Mr M. Phiri: Madam Speaker, this is as far as I can go in answering the question, and my answer will not change.

 

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

 

Mr Munsanje (Mbabala): Madam Speaker, could the hon. Minister be very clear to the people of Mbabala Constituency concerning our depots in Kabanze, Kadombo and many other areas. Will our people collect their inputs from depots or will the inputs end up in Choma Town?

 

Mr M. Phiri: Madam Speaker, I hope I got the question right.

 

Madam Speaker, the Electronic Voucher (e-Voucher) system will not be used anywhere. Under the DIS system that is being implemented countrywide, the farmers go to their designated depot where the fertiliser is, and every farmer knows which depot to go to; present papers that have been prepared by the District Agricultural Co-ordinator’s (DACO’s) office; and they are given six bags of fertiliser and a 10 kg bag of seed. In the case of Mbabala, I am not very familiar with the geography but, maybe, Choma is too far away. There should be a nearer depot where farmers can collect the inputs from.

 

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

 

Mr Nyambose (Chasefu): Madam Speaker, whilst I agree with the hon. Minister on the need for a comprehensive review of the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP), which he has proposed for next year, right now, the supplementary packs, as explained, are already in Chasefu, and the ones for Chasefu used to … (Inaudible) on the number of packs that farmers were getting. I also agree with him when he says that each farmer will get six packs. However, currently, in Chasefu, the packs that have been allocated are far fewer than the number of farmers who have paid for the inputs. Since the review will start next year, could the hon. Minister not consider releasing the supplementary packs so that they add to the number of farmers who will benefit from FISP? Currently, farmers are getting one or two bags of inputs each, which is not very good for them. So, I ask the hon. Minister to consider implementing his decision next year. For now, we only need to improve the monitoring of the distribution.

 

Mr M. Phiri: Madam Speaker, let me start by acknowledging that very important contribution from the hon. Member of Parliament for Chasefu..

 

Madam Speaker, I plead that all the hon. Members of this House take time to see what happens when the fertiliser is being distributed because our farmers are being abused, and we should help them. The hon. Member is talking about farmers sharing bags of fertiliser, but the situation is worse than that. As he has said, the whole system needs a very serious review, and that is what we are doing, and we ask for contributions from hon. Members.

 

Madam Speaker, to answer his question, I indicated that at this point in time, the beneficiaries across the country have already paid money for what they are going to collect, and they already know what they will collect. Further, the few supplementary packs that are there are not even enough for the farmers in Chasefu. So, we will get them back, and we know what to do with them; they will not be wasted. They will be used, but not by FISP beneficiaries.

 

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

 

Mr Kolala (Lufubu): Madam Speaker, with the irregularities that have been seen in the Ministry of Agriculture, in terms of the distribution of inputs not being done properly, what is the ministry’s position on its officers in the districts who were responsible for these wrongs? I ask this question because we need to clean the system.

 

Mr M. Phiri: Madam Speaker, again, I appeal to all the hon. Members here, including our Professional Assistants (PA) in the constituencies, to follow up on what is happening in the distribution of the fertiliser because there is a lot of abuse.

 

Madam Speaker, wherever we have identified officers who misconducted themselves, we have taken down their names, and we will take very stern disciplinary action against them. I have said it before here that if we catch up with erring officers and we have all the proof, as it happened in some district yesterday, where an official dumped fertiliser and ran away, we are going to dismiss them, and that will be non-negotiable; they will lose their jobs because we cannot continue like this. The fertiliser costs us more than US$350 million. So, we will not allow such wastage. If there are DACOs, other officers or political leaders listening who are involved in malpractices, they should take this as a very serious warning. Otherwise, they will be in problems. The politicians will even be kicked out of their parties, whatever their parties may be, be they the United Party for National Development (UPND), Patriotic Front (PF), National Democratic Congress (NDC) or Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD). I know that they will be fired because I do not think Hon. Lusambo will allow his officials to be distorting the fertiliser programme.

 

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

 

Mr Fube (Chilubi): Madam Speaker, if shake as I ask the question, it is because the hon. Minister’s answers have given me goose bumps.

 

Madam Speaker, what I believe –

 

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Member for Chilubi!

 

Just ask your question.

 

Mr Fube: Yes, I am asking a question relating to what he is said.

 

Madam Speaker: Yes, but ask a direct question.

 

Mr Fube: Madam Speaker, the relationship between the Government and the citizens is that of a duty bearer and a right holder. From the hon. Ministers answers, especially on the seeds and inputs that will be spoiled by rats and many other factors, I sense that the hon. Minister does not care. He has a care-free attitude towards the wastage that is likely to come happen, yet his is a Government that came to power with the promise of frugality and financial prudence. Is it not wastage that the seeds that are already there – We all know that rats attack seeds because we have stayed in our villages. The seeds will do not last until the next season. So, what is the hon. Minister thinking about the wastage that will occur?

 

Mr M. Phiri: Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Member very for his very well constructed question. I appreciate that and the supplementary issue I heard him raise, which is that I do not care.

 

Madam speaker, what you see here is a caring Government.

 

Government Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr M. Phiri: No one in this country, not even the previous Government, would have allowed the maize seed to be eaten by rats. As I always say, we should take agriculture very seriously.

 

Madam Speaker, it is an assumption that rats will eat the seed. Is the hon. Member sure that the Government will allow the seed to go to waste? No. We are going to get that seed and give it to a responsible institution that will plant it, and I will stand here next year to tell him about the FRA getting the crop that we will produce from the seed.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Madam Speaker: Time management is also of the essence. So, we will end on that issue of rats.

 

NON-PARTICIPATION OF ZAMBIANS IN FUEL TRANSPORTATION

 

The Minister of Energy (Mr Kapala): Madam Speaker, a point of order was raised by Hon. Menyani Zulu, Member of Parliament for Nyimba Constituency, on the non-participation of Zambians in the transportation of fuel in the country.

 

Madam Speaker, the Ministry of Energy is mandated to manage and develop the petroleum industry in order to ensure security of supply of petroleum products in the country. In its quest to ensure a robust petroleum sector, the Government promulgated Statutory Instrument (SI) No. 35 of 2021 on 4^th May, 2021. The SI stipulates that:

 

“A person who intends to import a commodity referred to in the Schedule, into the Republic, shall ensure that at least 50 percent of the product is transported by a local transporter.”

 

Madam Speaker, the promulgation of SI No. 35 was made upon the realisation that transportation of imported finished petroleum products and other commodities was dominated by foreign-owned companies, which implied that jobs and wealth were being exported to other countries. The objective of SI No. 35 of 2021 is to grow capacity and create jobs for Zambians.

 

Madam Speaker, my ministry, in conjunction with the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA), has put in place a monitoring mechanism that indicates whether a fuel tanker crossing the Zambian border is Zambian registered or not.

 

Madam Speaker, in order to ensure security of supply of petroleum products, my ministry has contracted seven companies to supply and deliver petrol and diesel. The companies are:

 

1. BB Energy;
2. Dalbit International Limited;
3. Delta Energy Zambia;
4. ER Industries;
5. Othniel Brooks;
6. Sahara Energy Resources; and
7. HASS Petroleum.

 

Further, a waiver on customs duty has been given to seventy oil marketing companies (OMCs) through the issuance of SI No. 43 of 2021, to facilitate the importation of 678,600 m³ of diesel, 304,000 m³ of petrol, 5,000 m³ of kerosene and 5,000 kg of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). This was done to supplement the imports from the Government-contracted suppliers. The SI is valid up to 31^st December, 2021, which is end of next month.

 

Madam Speaker, for the period June to August, 2021, 4,184 road tankers were used to import petrol and diesel, of which 1,692 were Zambian tankers, representing a compliance rate of 40 per cent. According to SI No. 35 economic on empowerment of citizens in the transportation of heavy and bulk commodities by road, import waiver conditions as well as conditions of contract for Government-contracted suppliers shall ensure that, at least, 50 per cent of the commodity is transported by local road transporters.

 

Madam Speaker, petroleum transporters are mainly represented by the Petroleum Transporters Association of Zambia (PTAZ), and the transport rates which the association agreed with Government-contracted suppliers from 2015 to date on key routes are as follows:

 

Route                                       2015 Rate                    Current Rate

 

Beira to Lusaka                       US$135/m³                  US$125/m³

 

Beira to Ndola                        US$145/m³                  US$135/m³

 

Beira to Solwezi                      US$160/m³                       US$150/m³

 

Madam, it has been brought to our attention that foreign transporters are charging in the range of US$105/m³ to US$115/m³ on the same routes. In this regard, the low compliance levels by Government-contracted suppliers and OMCs with regard to the use of local transporters might be attributable to the difference in rates between the local transporters and the foreign transporters. My ministry, working with relevant stakeholders in the sector, will take leadership and seriously interrogate this, as a cost-of-doing-business matter, so that the environment to conduct business is favourable for Zambians.

 

Madam Speaker, while transportation of 50 per cent of Government imported petroleum products has been reserved for the local transporters, it is evident that there have been lapses in adherence by OMCs and Government-contracted suppliers. Accordingly, the Government has put in place a technical secretariat comprising officers from the following institutions:

 

1. Tanzania-Zambia Mafuta (TAZAMA) Pipelines Limited;
2. Energy Regulation Board (ERB);
3. Zambia Chartered Institutes of Transport and Logistics;
4. INDENI Petroleum Refinery Limited;
5. PTAZ; 
6. Zambia Union of Tanker Drivers and Allied Workers;
7. Non-PTAZ members;
8. Ministry of Justice;
9. Ministry of Energy; and
10. Ministry of Transport and Logistics.

 

Madam Speaker, the secretariat was set up to adherence to SI No. 35 of 2021. Further, the transportation of 50 per cent of imported finished petroleum products in the country by our local transporters is enshrined in the contracts that the Government has signed with suppliers of finished petroleum products and is included in the waiver on customs duty granted to OMCs for the importation of petrol and diesel.

 

Madam Speaker, as a ministry, we are concerned about the challenges that local transporters experience with regard to the transportation of petroleum products, taking into account the fact that Zambia is a land-linked country. In this regard, some measures will be implemented in the short, medium and long terms. As a short term measure, my ministry has engaged Government-contracted suppliers to ensure that they adhere to the relevant clause in the signed contracts. The clause states that a minimum of 50 per cent of the trucks to be used must be Zambian-owned in accordance with SI No. 36 of 2011. Further, OMCs have been engaged to ensure adherence to waiver conditions, failure to which the waiver the waiver will be terminated by 15^th November, 2021.

 

Madam, as a medium-term measure, the Energy Regulation Board (ERB) plans to come up with a uniform rate for cross-border transportation of fuel. In addition, the ERB is expected to interrogate the aspect of the inland cost that is embedded in the cost build-up of fuel by suppliers for purposes of understanding the pricing structures with the view to addressing them. My ministry believes that uniform rates will result in more volumes being allocated to local transporters by Government-contracted suppliers, and OMCs. This measure will also reduce the turnaround time for Zambian drivers and increase the number of trips for local transporters per month.

 

Madam Speaker, as a long-term measure, my ministry will institute policy changes in the transportation of fuel by local transporters through the proposed Petroleum Development Management Bill.

 

Madam Speaker, as a listening Government, my ministry will continue working with all stakeholders to ensure that the commitments of the New Dawn Government to create employment for locals, especially the youth, are fulfilled.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Mr Lusambo (Kabushi): Madam Speaker, Kabushi Constituency has produced truck and tanker drivers for the Copperbelt Province and most parts of Zambia. In that regard, I am an interested party in the issue of transporters, whom we gave priority in the Government of His Excellency Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu.

 

Madam Speaker, we have seen other Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries like Tanzania, Mozambique and South Africa allow their truck drivers to cross and do business in our country while our tankers are being stopped from entering countries like Tanzania. I want to get clarification from the hon. Minister as to when he will give all contracts to Zambian transporters who we know have the capacity. In Kabushi Constituency, there are many garages and transporters who are capable of transporting fuel from anywhere in the world, but they are being denied business. Since the New Dawn is a caring Government, as the hon. Minister has said, when is the hon. Minister going to give total business of transporting fuel to Zambian transporters?

 

Madam Speaker: The hon. Member of Parliament for Kabushi will have to learn a lot from the hon. Member for Kasama in terms of the art of asking questions.

 

Laughter

 

Mr Kapala: Madam Speaker, I think I will start with the first question. Whether I got it right, I do not know, and I might just get further clarification from the hon. Member of Parliament for Kabushi.

 

Madam Speaker, I do not think it is true that Zambian tanker drivers or tankers are being stopped from entering Tanzania or Mozambique. This is news to me.

 

Madam Speaker, on the second question, in which the hon. Member talks about giving “total business”, I do not understand what he means by that because currently, the guidance from the Government is that 50 per cent be given. The transporters have to negotiate with the OMCs and Government-contracted oil suppliers. The impression that has been created is that Zambian tanker drivers are not loading, and that is partly due to what I explained on the rates. The second likely reason is that the Government owes the suppliers a colossal sum of money, which presently stands at US$524 million. As a result of the debt, the suppliers have slowed down in the importation of the commodity.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Mr Menyani Zulu (Nyimba): Madam Speaker, I give the hon. Minister 90 per cent for how he has answered the question. However, my concern is that as Zambians, we have been deprived of many things because in some cases we are considered to not have the capacity to deliver, especially in the energy business. You may wish to note that to keep a tanker on the road from Beira to Dar-es-Salaam can cost an individual like me K122, 000 per year. So, for me to recoup that money, just as the hon. Minister said, I need to make two trips to Beira per month.

 

Madam Speaker, I am happy that the hon. Minister has set up a committee to enforce Statutory Instrument (SI) 35. My worry is that he might give very brilliant answers to the country today but, two days down the line or two weeks from now, we will be back to square one. What assurance is he giving this country and this House that we will not go back to Tanzanians, Zimbabweans and Mozambicans – I understand the Mozambicans and Tanzanians being used because that is where we receive fuel. However, for Zimbabweans, I do not understand how they come into the picture. What assurances is the hon. Minister going to give Zambian drivers and workers that he is going to protect their jobs even two months from now? You and I know that a good number of transporters, even the ones in Zambia, sat in Dubai and set  up very big companies in Zambia. How is the hon. Minister going to protect a simple man like me who owns two or three trucks in the fuel business?

 

Mr Kapala: Madam Speaker, I think this issue is already being handled by the hon. Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry. There are talks being held, and we should be able to get adequate information very soon. However, if the hon. Member paid attention to my ministerial statement, he heard me say that we have given Government-contracted oil suppliers up to 15^th November, 2021, to fully comply. So, I will come back to the House after that date to indicate whether all the suppliers will be in compliance and, if not, what punitive measures the Government is going to take against them.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Mr Kampyongo (Shiwang’andu): Madam Speaker, this is a very sensitive sector that can affect the economy negatively if not managed properly. The Statutory Instrument (SI) the hon. Minister referred to was issued after protracted engagements with all stakeholders in the sector, such as the Petroleum Transporters Association of Zambia (PTAZ) and oil marketing companies (OMCs) and other sectors. Since the major importer of petroleum products is the Government, where has the challenge been in enforcing the SI, which is already in place?

 

Mr Kapala: Madam Speaker, I appreciate Hon. Kampyongo’s sentiments regarding the enforcement of the SI. As I stated already, we have set up a committee to ensure that the SI is adhered to, and I wish the hon. Member could realise that the New Dawn Government has just been in office for two months and that it is catching up with some of the lapses of the previous Government.

 

I thank you, Madam.

 

Government Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kolala (Lufubu): Madam Speaker, I am worried that the hon. Minister has only talked about local transporters like truckers and omitted the Zambia Railways (ZRL) and The Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA), which are also local transporters. Where is he placing them in the transportation of fuel in the country? I ask this question because the two companies employ more people than any other company he can talk about? May I get his position on that.

 

Mr Kapala: Madam Speaker, the point of order was on tanker drivers and fuel transporters who use road transportation. No issue has been raised regarding TAZARA and TAZAMA. I can issue another statement on that to the House once we gather information on the transportation of petroleum products by rail, which is by the Zambia Railways Limited (ZRL) and TAZARA.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Mr Mabeta (Kankoyo): Madam Speaker, when I was doing a project at Indeni Oil Refinery Limited on the cost of fuel and measures for reducing the price, I realised that fuel is expensive in Zambia because we buy it in its refined form, we comingle it, transport it through the Tanzania-Zambia Mafuta (TAZAMA) Pipeline and then refine it again into diesel, petrol, jet fuel and other petroleum products at Indeni. So, the fuel is double refined. Is the hon. Minister considering pumping the different products separately in future so that we reduce on the cost of transporting them?

 

Mr Kapala: Madam Speaker, the issue of Indeni Oil Refinery was addressed by the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning because this Government is looking at remodelling Indeni and TAZAMA with a view to reducing the cost of petroleum products.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Mr Munsanje (Mbabala): Madam Speaker, I am saddened by the US$524 million debt left by the previous regime, the Patriotic Front (PF). Are the farmers and transporters in Mbabala Constituency likely to get relief in the transportation costs based on the reduced price per cubic metre that the hon. Minister mentioned, which is around US$105, and the other ones that cost less? Are our farmers likely to get a relief on fuel prices?

 

Madam Speaker: What is the question, hon. Member for Mbabala? Your question was not clear.

 

Mr Munsanje: Madam Speaker, the question is on getting a fuel relief for our farmers in Mbabala and all over the country in terms of a price reduction based on the price per cubic metre, which the hon. Minister mentioned.

 

Madam Speaker: I am not sure if the issue arose in the ministerial statement or whether the hon. Minister is in a position to answer the question sufficiently. He can respond if he is in a position to do so.

 

Mr Kapala: Madam Speaker, the way I understand the hon. Member for Mbabala is that he wants Zambian transporters to charge the same rate as the foreign transporters. If he listened carefully to my ministerial statement, he heard me say that we have proposed that the ERB comes up with a uniform rate for both foreign and local transporters so that we can harmonise the pricing and more Zambians can take part in the transportation of petroleum products. That way, maybe, the price of fuel will be reduced and the farmers in his constituency can benefit.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Mr Mung’andu (Chama South): Madam Speaker, His Excellency President Hakainde Hichilema gave us a clear calculation on how he would prevent the fuel prices and electricity tariffs from increasing in this country. His calculations are here, and we will present them. So, we do not want to hear of any electricity or fuel price increases in this country.

 

Opposition Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Laughter

 

Mr Mung’andu: Coming to –

 

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Member!

 

Please, mask up as you ask your question.

 

Mr Mung’andu: Thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Mr Mung’andu masked up.

 

Mr Mung’andu: Madam Speaker, the hon. Minister said he has set up a technical committee. How soon will it finish its work so that Zambian transporters can be comforted that within a week or a month, they will be able to get a fair share of this business that is currently being monopolised by oil marketing companies (OMCs) and foreigners?

 

Mr Kapala: Madam Speaker, the committee that we have set up will not finish their work as long as we continue importing fuel. Their work is to monitor and ensure that there is compliance.

 

 I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Mr Kang’ombe (Kamfinsa): Madam Speaker, I was paying attention to the statement issued by the hon. Minister of Energy. One issue that caught my attention is the amount of money that is owed to suppliers. Further, the hon. Minister is giving us the impression that the money that we owe is somehow influencing the deliberations regarding the implementation of the Statutory Instrument (SI) relating to giving more business to local transporters. If that is the case and we, as a Government, are being blackmailed by suppliers, why can the Government not get money from the reserves that the previous Government left to clear the suppliers? Why not pay them so that they stop blackmailing the ministry, and we make progress over the SI?

 

Opposition Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kapala: Madam Speaker, that is a matter for the Ministry of Finance and National Planning to resolve.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Mr Katakwe (Solwezi East): Madam Speaker, now that the Dollar-Kwacha exchange rate has gone down a bit, does the Government intend to reduce the price of fuel, bearing in mind that the price has been quite high since the previous regime when the exchange rate was high? 

 

Mr Kapala: Madam Speaker, the idea that the Government will soon reduce the cost of petroleum products sounds very encouraging. However, I wish the hon. Member had been following the trends on the world oil supply market, where the value of oil has shot up to about US$84. We can only reduce the price when there is a reduction on the world market. We bought oil at a certain rate, and that has slowed down the coming in of oil because the profit margin for the business people we contracted to supply petroleum products has been reduced. So, we need to engage them and come up with an amicable solution.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

______

 

QUESTION FOR ORAL ANSWER

 

BLOWN OFF ROOFS IN KALOMO

 

66. Mr Kamboni (Kalomo Central) asked the Minister of Education:

 

1. whether the Government is aware that on Saturday, 16^th October, 2021, the roofs of the following schools in Kalomo Central Parliamentary Constituency were blown off:

 

1. Katundalu; and
2. Malala; and

 

1. if so, what urgent measures are being taken to ensure that the roofs are repaired before the onset of the rainy season.

 

The Minister of Education (Mr Syakalima): Madam Speaker, yes, the Government is aware that 1 x 3 classroom blocks at Malala and Katundalu schools in Kalomo Parliamentary Constituency had their roofs blown off on 7^th and 14^th October, 2021, respectively.

 

Madam Speaker, the Government, through the Ministry of Education, the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) and the local authorities, is co-ordinating efforts to mobilise resources and rehabilitate the two schools before the onset of the rainy season.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Mr J. Chibuye (Roan): Madam Speaker, why is it a trend for roofs of classrooms to be blown off every year, especially during the rainy season? What causes that? Is it because of poor architectural design, poor workmanship or has the ministry just cast a blind eye on something that it knows occurs nearly every rainy season? What is the ministry doing to stop this trend? I believe that at the end of the day, the problem ends up being too costly on the ministry.

 

Mr Syakalima: Madam Speaker, the answer could be a combination of all the mentioned factors. So, next time, whenever a structure is being put up, we will make sure that there is strict adherence to the engineering rules. Probably, the problem are the contractors we engage. However, I will be in charge in the next season.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Laughter

 

Mr Syakalima: So, all the contractors who did bad jobs under the previous Government must know that we are not going to tolerate shoddy works after contractors have got a lot of money.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Mr Kamboni: Madam Speaker, today, it rained heavily in most parts of Kalomo Central Constituency. Is there money to work on the roofs now or will it take longer to renovate the classrooms?

 

Mr Syakalima: Madam Speaker, I said that we are co-ordinating resource mobilisation efforts with the DMMU. I cannot tell, off-the-cuff, whether the money is already available, but we are taking this matter as an emergency.

 

Madam Speaker, my hon. Colleague said that the roofs of schools are usually blow off countrywide. However, when the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning presented the Budget Address, he said that smaller works like repairing of blown-off roofs would be done using the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) rather than the by Central Government resources. So, though repairing the roofs is an emergency, going forward, the work will be done using money from the constituencies and the wards involved.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Mr Simbao (Luanshya): Madam Speaker, it is encouraging to hear the hon. Minister say that the Government is looking for resources to repair the roofs of schools that were blown off. In Luanshya Constituency and, specifically, in Chifulube, the roof of a school was blown off and that was reported to both the Ministry of Education and the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU). Could the hon. Minister assure us that as the ministry repairs the roofs of the other schools that were reported, even one at the school in Chifulube will be replaced?

 

Mr Syakalima: Madam Speaker, many schools countrywide have had their roofs blown off, and we are treating the matter as an emergency.

 

Madam Speaker, the problem probably goes back to the way the contractors did the works. How is it that the roofs of more than 446 schools were blown off countrywide? Something went wrong somewhere, and repairing the schools will cost the Government about K70 million. That is why we should never again have a wasted and lost decade like the last one.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Anakoka (Luena): Madam Speaker, we had a similar disaster when the roof of a classroom at Ndiki Primary School in Nangula Ward was blown off and, in the past five days, the area Councillor, Mr Sichechani, has been running around trying to prepare the paper to submit to the Ministry of Education, the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) and other relevant offices for assistance. Is the ministry going to put in place measures that will enable it to respond very quickly to disasters of this nature? I ask this question because, currently, the paper work needed for reporting such situations to the DMMU seems to be onerous and, in rural areas, takes a lot of time and energy, leading to delayed responses.

 

Mr Syakalima: Madam Speaker, instead of me dealing with isolated cases, let me consolidate the information so that hon. Members know that we already know.

 

Madam Speaker, in Central Province, thirty-eight roofs were blown off; in the Northern Province, twenty-one were blown off; on the Copperbelt Province, forty-one were blown off; in the Eastern Province, forty-seven were blown off; in Luapula Province, fifty-two were blown off; in Lusaka Province, twenty-three were blown off; in Muchinga Province, fifty-four were blown off; in the North-Western Province, sixty were blown off; and in the Southern Province, seventy-three were blown off. So, I go back to what I said: We should never again tolerate poor workmanship because if there was proper workmanship, we could not have been looking for more than K70 million to repair the roofs. How many schools can be built with that amount? Somebody must be answerable somewhere.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Mr Mutale (Chitambo): Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Minister for the good answers.

 

Madam Speaker, since the hon. Minister has mentioned that he has noted that there was evidently poor workmanship in his ministry, could he kindly tell the nation and confirm to this House that he will dismiss some workers at the ministry, especially those responsible for inspecting schools and certifying works done by contractors?

 

Mr Syakalima: Madam Speaker, in fact, some of the schools whose roofs have been blown off are CDF projects. So, the ministry does not need to take the centre stage in dealing with the problem. However, whatever people do, they must do it with perfection regardless of whether they are at the headquarters, the province, the district, the constituency or a council that supervises the disbursement of the CDF.

 

Madam Speaker, since constituencies will have more money through the CDF, hon. Members should supervise projects and ensure that our buildings last. A building is supposed to last more than fifty years. Unfortunately, in our vocabulary, ‘maintenance’ is not there, and that is the problem. ‘Maintenance’ must be on our lips because over the years, we have built structures and left them to the winds. Going forward, we should maintain the structures, and everybody must see to it that public money is put to good use.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Mr Chewe (Lubansenshi): Madam Speaker, since we are in the rainy season, what immediate measures is the Government going to put in place to ensure that our children in Lubansenshi Constituency and across the nation are not soaked because of blown-off roofs? We need solutions, not theories.

 

Mr Syakalima: Madam Speaker, I think I answered that question when I said that the Government is co-ordinating efforts through the ministry, the DMMU and the local authorities to mobilise resources and rehabilitate the schools before the onset of the rainy season. I think this is a straightforward answer. Is it not?

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Mr Mutinta (Itezhi-Tezhi): Madam Speaker, I think my question has been overtaken by events.

 

Mr Malambo (Magoye): Madam Speaker, how quickly can the hon. Minister deploy inspectors to schools so that they can protect our children in those schools?

 

Mr Syakalima: Madam Speaker, I am not quite sure I understand the question. Is the hon. Member referring to protecting children from being soaked?

 

Madam Speaker: Hon. Member for Magoye, please, repeat your question.

 

Mr Malambo: Madam Speaker, we have just got into the rainy season and most schools are in a dilapidated condition. Is the ministry likely to send inspectors to schools, who will recommend some schools for rehabilitation and, probably, also consider closing some of them, such as Magoye Basic School?

 

Mr Syakalima: Madam Speaker, that is a general question, and the main question was about blown-off roofs. However, if some schools have cracks or need to be rehabilitated, the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning recently released K1.6 million for the CDF. So, we can quickly use that to take care of what the hon. Member for Magoye has talked about.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Mr Mapani (Namwala): Madam Speaker, will the ministry come up with a deliberate policy to ensure that those who were involved in roofing classrooms that were blown off are brought to book, looking at the amount of money that is required to repair the damage?

 

Madam Speaker: Hon. Minister of Education, did you get the question? Anyway, I think the question was answered earlier. So, let us make progress.

 

_______

 

MOTION

 

BUDGET 2022

 

(Debate resumed)

 

Mrs Sabao (Chikankata): Madam Speaker, I thank you most sincerely for giving me this rare opportunity to support the Motion of Supply on the Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for the year 1^st January to 31^st December, 2022, as ably moved by the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning, Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane, on Friday, 29^th October, 2021.

 

Madam Speaker, from the outset, allow me to state that I fully support this progressive and unprecedented Budget, which has proposed a number of measures that will not only foster economic growth, but also, and most importantly, better the lives of our people. The theme of the Budget is “Growth, Jobs and Taking Development Closer to the People.” Under the able leadership of Mr Hakainde Hichilema, President of the Republic of Zambia, I am very optimistic that our people, especially those in rural constituencies like Chikankata, will participate in national development and benefit from the same in a more significant way.

 

Madam Speaker, the hon. Minister proposes to spend K173 billion in 2022, an increase of 44.7 per cent from K119.6 billion in 2021. This is a clear statement of the Government’s commitment to rebounding economic growth, which has been sluggish in the last couple of years due to a number of factors, including the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

 

Government Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mrs Sabao: Madam Speaker, allow me, at this juncture, to highlight some of the interventions that have elated me.

 

Madam Speaker, the agricultural sector has, for a long time, been identified as a low-hanging fruit in our quest to stimulate economic growth, create employment and reduce poverty. Currently, the sector is the biggest employer in the informal sector, and it provides the highest potential for formal employment across all sectors. Its importance, therefore, cannot be overemphasised. In this regard, I am elated to note that the Government has proposed measures like the development of farming blocks and zero-rating of Value Added Tax (VAT) on selected agricultural equipment and accessories.

 

Government Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mrs Sabao: These measures will promote mechanisation in the sector, thereby improving productivity and, ultimately, economic growth. I am also pleased to note that the Government will implement the Comprehensive Agriculture Support Programme (CASP) instead of the problematic Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP). In the same vein, the Government will increase its contribution to the programme from K1,700 to K3,600 per farmer. This is good news for many small-scale farmers, who will be able to access more inputs.

 

Madam Speaker, the President has, on numerous occasions, spoken about his belief in education being the best equaliser. I agree with him because education not only empowers people, but also gives them the knowledge and skills required to broaden their economic and social opportunities. I am, therefore, happy that the hon. Minister has proposed to construct 120 secondary schools. It is my belief that the schools will be constructed in areas where they are most needed, like in Chikankata Constituency, which does not have a single Government school fifty-seven years after Independence.

 

Government Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mrs Sabao: In addition, I am very happy to note that the Government will abolish tuition, Parents Teachers Association (PTA) and examination fess in a bid to provide free education, as was promised in our campaigns. Further, it is gratifying to note that the Government will employ 30,000 teachers in 2022. That will improve the teacher-pupil ratio and pupils’ performance.

 

Madam Speaker, it is said that a healthy nation is a wealthy nation. Therefore, I am pleased to note that the Government has put in place measures to improve health care. Particularly, I am happy that the Government will continue to improve infrastructure in the health sector. I am also happy that the Government will employ 11,200 health care professionals to improve the quality of health care in our country.

 

Government Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mrs Sabao: Madam Speaker, as you are aware, this Government was overwhelmingly voted into power by the Zambian people, especially the youth. It is, therefore, gratifying to note that the Government has set aside funds to empower youths and women with skills and finances to undertake entrepreneurial activities, thereby creating more employment. I also appreciate the Government for increasing funding to the social sector, which will see the number of beneficiaries increase from 880,539 to 1 million, as well as an increased transfer value, from K150 per household to K200 per household, and from K300 to K400 for households with disabled members under the Social Cash Transfer (SCT) programme. Further, the Government should be commended for increasing the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) by over 1,500 per cent, from K1.6 million to K25.7 million. This is a very commendable intervention that will ensure that development at the constituency level is driven by the local people, not people from Lusaka.

 

Madam Speaker, as I conclude, I commend the Government for its commitment to improving the governance environment because it is only with a good governance environment that all these progressive measures will be implemented effectively.

 

Madam Speaker, with those few words, I support the Motion and encourage all hon. Members to do the same.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Government Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mwambazi (Bwana Mkubwa): Madam Speaker, I thank you for according the people of Bwana Mkubwa the rare honour of having their Member of Parliament be the second to debate the Motion moved by the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning.

 

Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning, and the New Dawn Government for proposing to build 120 schools, which will be constructed through a loan from the Word Bank. Bwana Mkubwa, being a constituency that does not have a Government secondary school since 1964, hopes to be one of the beneficiaries.

 

Madam Speaker, the Budget address proposes initiatives that promote decentralisation, with a significant increase in the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), from K1.6 million to K25.7 million per constituency. This is progressive, as it will help the nation to devolve functions with matching resources. This was the missing link in the decentralisation effort in the past, as one of the key barriers to actualising decentralisation has been the slacking capacity at the local level. However, with such a transformative change, it is very important that the Government puts up a very robust and effective mechanism that will guide the utilisation and control of the funds to monitor and insulate them from abuse.

 

Madam Speaker, the Budget proposes progressive policy measures in education and health aimed at improving service delivery. In the education sector, the recruitment of 30,000 teachers will assist in reducing the teacher-pupil ratio. The recruitment of human resources, coupled with the abolition of tuition, examination and Parent Teachers Association (PTA) fees at the secondary school level will increase access to higher education services which, in the long run, will ensure that all learners get appropriate and quality education. That notwithstanding, it is important to note that this effort speaks more to the demand side. Hence, the Government needs to be very clear on what the long-term plan for sustaining the supply side of the financial resources that will maintain this service is.

 

Madam Speaker, the Government has indicated its intention to devolve the function of identifying vulnerable pupils who qualify for sponsorship to the local people or institutions. This is progressive, as it is likely to benefit the children who really need assistance. However, the process should be backed by an aggressive and transparent process that will allow for triangulation of candidates to enable the right beneficiaries to be picked instead of associates of prominent people at the local level. Subjectivity must be kept at the minimal level in the selection of vulnerable persons who need Government support. Otherwise, it will be reform in futility.

 

Madam Speaker, in the recruitment of 11,200 health workers, those who have been volunteering in the sector should be recruited before the exercise is opened up to other people. In this regard, I submit that in Bwana Mkubwa, there are many health personnel in Mushili, Kantolomba and other places who have been volunteering for two to three years in clinics, helping the Government as the country has been going through the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. I am sure this goes for other constituencies that are going through this predicament. The placement of health workers should also use the equity approach to ensure that the neediest areas in health matters access the services. In this regard, the strengthening of primary health care should be a priority for this Government in line with the theme, “Growth, Jobs and Taking Development Closer to the People.”

 

Madam Speaker, I support the Motion before this House.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Mr Mundubile (Mporokoso): Madam Speaker, thank you for this opportunity to debate the 2022 Budget. I start by thanking the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning for the presentation.

 

Madam Speaker, I will raise only two issues on the 2022 Budget to allow my colleagues to also speak to the same, as we noted a number of issues.

 

Madam Speaker, at face value, the Budget is very good. However, when we sat and looked at it, we discovered discrepancies in figures, and it raised concern that after the amount of work that was put in, the figures in the Budget could not balance. I hope that the hon. Minister and the team at the Ministry of Finance and National Planning will take time to interrogate what could have caused that.

 

Madam Speaker, the Budget requires the confidence of the people who are going to use it. However, when basics like figures go wrong on the first day, it is worrisome. I am actually worried even as I debate because I do not know what figures I am debating. We may debate and be referring to figures that will later be withdrawn. What is comforting about the discrepancy is that the Budget, as we suspected, was overstated. When we remove the figures that we found, the Budget is around K130 billion, not K172 billion. Clearly, K172 billion looked like an overstatement and a big figure. We live in Zambia and nothing drastic happened to our revenue capacity to warrant that increase in revenue. So, when we found that error, we knew what had happened. That was the correct position.

 

Opposition Hon. Members: Hear, hear,

 

Mr Lusambo: Shame!

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Mundubile: Yes!

 

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Members!

 

Let the Leader of the Opposition debate. If you have any point, make a note, and you will be given an opportunity to debate. Do not debate while seated.

 

Mr Mundubile: Madam Speaker, on the debt and the Mineral Royalty Tax, to start with, if we go back over the past five years, when our colleagues now on the right were on the left, they debated passionately against debt contraction, a message that they carried consistently, and the people of Zambia believed them. The people believed that the Patriotic Front (PF) had overborrowed to the position where there was no more room to borrow. To quote the current President, “There is no more headroom”. The President also said there was a need for a paradigm shift and that the shift should speak to not borrowing, but finding other ways of raising revenue, and the people of Zambia were convinced.

 

Mr Kapyanga: Yes!

 

Mr Mundubile: We know that the people of Zambia were convinced because they voted out the PF based on that message. Even we got to the point where we almost believed the message, until 29^th October, 2021, came. It is said that when a lie is told often enough, people take it for the truth.

 

Madam Speaker, we are now wondering where the room for borrowing has been found when it had reached the ceiling, according to His Excellency the President, Mr Hakainde Hichilema. Maybe, due to the ingenuity of our friends, the roof has been removed.

 

Opposition Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mundubile: When the borrowing has reached the ceiling, the only room that can be created is when the roof is removed. So, as a country, we are now exposed because there is no roof to cover us.

 

Madam Speaker, the issue of debt is a very serious matter. The hon. Minister proposes to borrow billions of Dollars.

 

Mr Kapyanga: US$4.3 billion per year.

 

Mr Mundubile: Yes, to be specific.

 

Madam Speaker, the PF Government carried forward a US$1.9 billion debt from the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD) and, in the past ten years, borrowed US$11 billion to bring the total to US$12.9 billion. If we were to spread the amount evenly, it means we borrowed U$1 billion per year. Our colleague, on the other hand, have borrowed five times more within three months of coming into power.

 

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mundubile: We can only imagine what will happen in the next five years.

 

Madam Speaker, I have a lot of respect for Hon. Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane, and I am very serious about that. He is a very prudent gentleman in his provisions. I just do not know what has happened; I do not know who has convinced him to borrow to this extent because this is not the Hon. Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane I know.

 

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mundubile: Madam Speaker, Hon. Dr Musokotwane stood here and condemned debt contraction. How could he, within three months, borrow up to US$5 billion? This debt is unsustainable.

 

Madam Speaker, our colleagues promised that they were coming in to reform the economy. So, what we expected to see in this Budget, first of all, were proposals and provisions towards the growth sectors. However, this is a consumption Budget, yet the hon. Minister used to condemn borrowing for consumption, and he is on record. What has happened now? We are worried because all the hon. Minister has done in this Budget is borrow for consumption.

 

Madam Speaker, we have new ministries like the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises Development, which I thought was going to give hope to small and medium enterprises (SMEs), but the hon. Minister has given them K350 million only. What sort of growth can we expect to get out of that? Even as we intended to appease our supporters, there was a need to attend to fundamental areas like that ministry, which would have brought hope to this economy. So, we want the hon. Minister to look at this and reconsider his position on it.

 

Madam Speaker, President Hakainde Hichilema said:

 

“If anybody lends you money in the current state, it means they want to get the assets, and those assets include ZESCO, Indeni and ZAMTEL.”

 

Madam Speaker, the question: Is that the position? Is that where we are headed to?

 

Madam Speaker, I now proceed to look at the removal or introduction of deductibility of Mineral Royalty Tax.

 

Madam Speaker, we are at the stage where mineral prices are high, and this is the only time Zambians would have benefited from the mines.

 

Mr Hamwaata: On a point of order, Madam.

 

Madam Speaker: A point of order is raised.

 

Mr Hamwaata: Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order under Standing Order No. 65.

 

Madam Speaker, is the hon. Member of Parliament in order to address the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning as a gentleman?

 

Madam Speaker, I seek your serious ruling.

 

Interruptions

 

Madam Speaker: Order!

 

May the hon. Leader of the Opposition proceed.

 

Mr Mundubile: Madam Speaker, I guess the hon. Member for Pemba is enjoying the debate.

 

Madam Speaker, in the past twenty-five years, only two mines have been declaring profits. So, the benefit we had out of the non-deductibility of the Mineral Royalty Taxes was that we got the benefit from the Mineral Royalty Tax itself because a tax is not a fee. We also got the benefit from the profit. So, the moment one removes the non-deductibility, what will happen is that the mines that have consistently reported losses and said that they have merely been breaking even will now be posting losses all the time, and we will not get anything out of the mines.

 

Madam Speaker, we know that there was pressure from First Quantum Minerals (FQM) Limited, which promised to invest US$2 billion and start producing 2 billion metric tonnes of copper. However, we have been there before, and I speak as someone who served on the board of the Zambian Development Agency (ZDA) ten years ago. Hon. Mutati remembers that. Under the ZDA, we travelled on the path of those promises, but the actual investment was way below the promised levels. The investors would come in with huge figures and promise to put in US$3 billion. However, when one went on the ground, one found that they would overstate the values of the assets and that the investment did not translate into employment creation.

 

Madam Speaker, in the measures that the hon. Minister has proposed, what is there for Zambians? I ask this question because whatever measure the hon. Minister puts in place are supposed to be to the best benefit of Zambians. However, we believe that these measures will not benefit Zambians in any way; we are going to lose out at the only time we had the opportunity to benefit after so many years. So, I beg the hon. Minister to reconsider. He should have the interest of Zambians at heart. This is a call on him to realise that we cannot continue this way. He promised to introduce reforms in the mining sector. These are not the kind of reforms we need because they will only benefit the foreigners. Let us have reforms that will benefit Zambians.

 

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

 

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

 

Madam Speaker: Hon. Members who will debate while seated will not be recognised to debate.

 

Mr Kafwaya (Lunte): Madam Speaker, I thank you for giving me the opportunity to contribute to the debate on the Motion on the Floor.

 

Madam Speaker, I guess, today, I do not have to shout because I am very close to you.

 

Madam Speaker: Hon. Member, you are addressing the nation and other hon. Members. So, just make sure that you speak in the microphone so that you can be heard.

 

Mr Kafwaya: Madam Speaker, I am very well guided.

 

Madam Speaker, the Budget is a message from the President that Hon. Dr Musokotwane delivered on behalf of the President. It is for that reason Hon. Dr Musokotwane said the President urged favourable consideration of it. As matter of fact, the President, himself, asked this House to support this Budget. After listening to the hon. Leader of the Opposition and my own thoughts, which I am about to establish, we will determine whether this Budget is worth supporting.

 

Madam Speaker, the Budget Address contains clear falsehoods, and I will establish that. It also contains contradictions and miscalculations.

 

Madam Speaker, in paragraph 228, the hon. Minister proposes to increase the duration of the validity of the Public Service Vehicle (PSV) driver’s licence from one year to five years. That is categorically false because the Patriotic Front (PF) Government had already increased the validity period from one year to three years. Therefore, if the hon. Minister has any proposal to make, it has to be to increase from three years to five years.

 

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kafwaya: I am saying what I am saying because I am the one who signed the regulations. So, I am very clear on that.

 

Madam Speaker, in paragraph 226, the hon. Minister proposes to raise fees charged by the Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA), and he says the reason he wants to do that is to adjust for inflation. So, he wants the Road Tax and fitness test fees to go up to adjust for inflation. However, in paragraph 46, under his macroeconomic objectives, the same hon. Minister says he wants to reduce the rate of inflation to a single digit. So, what is the basis of the proposed increment? It is simply hatred for the people. Let me be very clear because I was Minister of Transport and Communications not long ago. This proposal to increase the Road Tax and fees charged for licences came to me, but I rejected it. I understood the heart of the PF and that of Former President Lungu. So, I could not even take the matter any further. I just said, “I am sorry, another person will come and do it.” The proposal has already come to squeeze Zambians.

 

Madam Speaker, the hon. Minister has said he wants to migrate electricity tariffs to cost-reflective levels and that we have to take electricity to the rural areas. The poor in this country are going to die under this Government because migrating to cost-reflective tariffs means increasing the cost of electricity; it means increasing the money that people pay to receive the service. Now, if one increases costs without increasing salaries in the Budget, and people are suffering, what are Zambians going to do? The poor will die. So, this capitalist Government must begin to think about the plight of the poor.

 

Madam Speaker, as if raising electricity tariffs was not bad enough, even for fuel, our colleagues are talking about cost-reflective tariffs. So, they will increase the Road Tax and raise the fuel and electricity tariffs, and they will kill people. The PF wanted to remove the Road Tax. You can read that in the manifesto. Before the United Party for National Development (UPND) got its current mandate, the PF was moving towards removing the Road Tax because there are already tollgates.

 

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

 

Madam Speaker: A point of order is raised.

 

Mr Haimbe: Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order pursuant to Standing Order No. 65(2)(a), which provides that an hon. Member who is debating shall not impute improper motives to the President, the Vice-President or any other hon. Member.

 

Madam Speaker, in his debate, the hon. Member on the Floor has repeatedly used very strong language in alleging that the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning hates the people of Zambia, wants to kill them and similar allegations.

 

Hon. PF Members: Yes!

 

Mr Haimbe: Quite clearly, that is taking the debate to extremes in terms of imputing ill motive on the part of the hon. Minister.

 

Interruptions

 

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Members!

 

Mr Haimbe: I know you are paying attention. Please, listen closely.

 

Madam Speaker, the hon. Member has gone to the extent of suggesting that the hon. Minister wants to kill citizens simply by introducing the Budget. I seek your guidance on this use of language by the hon. Member on the Floor. Is he in order?

 

Hon. PF Members: People will die!

 

Madam Speaker: Order!

 

Hon. Members, I have advised before that we should moderate the language we use in our debates. We should also be in compliance with the Standing Orders, and Standing Order No. 65(2)(a) clearly states that we should not impute any improper motives to the President, the Vice-President or any other hon. Member. So, as we debate, let us moderate our language. If an hon. Member says, “He wants to kill,” that is very strong language.

 

Hon. Members, let us use moderate language, which will not attract some response. The manner in which we are going to debate or the language in which we are going to debate will attract some response from the other side. So, let us maintain the honour and dignity of the House by using language that is acceptable and parliamentary, and which does not promote hatred between the two sides of the House. Here, you are hon. Members of Parliament speaking on behalf of the people of Zambia, and they are listening. So, if an hon. Member says that other hon. Members are trying to kill Zambians, that will promote disunity and hatred among members of the public. Let us use moderate our language as we debate. The beauty of language is that you can tell somebody, sorry for using the unparliamentary phrase, to go to hell in such a way that they look forward to doing it. So, let us acquire the art.

 

The hon. Member on the Floor, continue but, please, moderate your language.

 

Mr Kafwaya: Madam Speaker, the poor people of Zambia will die of anger, hunger rather, as a result of –

 

Mr Sampa: Or both.

 

Mr Kafwaya: Or both, as a result of the increase in the cost of living, as I have established.

 

Madam Speaker, if I did not say I have tremendous respect for Hon. Dr Musokotwane, I have to say it, and I say this not because he is an economist, but because he is a good and noble man. I know economists who cannot keep even one promise out of ten.

 

Ms Mulenga: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kafwaya: Madam Speaker, in paragraph 141, Hon. Dr Musokotwane says the external debt is unsustainable. Further, in paragraph 177, he says the Treasury is tight because of excessive borrowing. However, in the same proposed Budget, he wants to borrow K72.4 billion, which is 41.8 per cent of his proposed Budget. If that is not a contradiction, then, I do not know what is. As a matter of fact, when the hon. Leader of the Opposition was debating, he talked about a K37 billion disparity in the expenditure schedule. We all do not know where the K37 billion is going to be spent. With all these issues in the Budget and the issues that I have not touched on, on account of time, surely, do you want this Budget Address to be supported? Does anybody want this address to be supported?

 

Madam Speaker, I think that based on the issues that I have established, I will not support this Motion even though there are sweeteners in the proposed Budget. The increase in the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) is a sweetener, but it is complicated by new rules, which are not even supported by the Constituency Development Fund Act. Equally, I want the employment of teachers, but where is the money going to come from? There will be a depletion of the reverses that were built up by the hardworking PF Government.

 

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kafwaya: Madam Speaker, I end by saying that I do not support the issues I have established here.

 

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

 

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kafwaya left his microphone on.

 

Madam Speaker: Before the hon. Member for Kankoyo debates, there is a point of order from the hon. Member for Lunte.

 

Mr Kafwaya indicated dissent and switched off his microphone.

 

Madam Speaker: I was wondering.

 

Mr Mabeta (Kankoyo): Madam Speaker, I thought it was Hon. Kampyongo.

 

Laughter

 

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

 

Madam Speaker: I think it was on a lighter note.

 

Laughter

 

Mr Mabeta: Madam Speaker, on behalf of the people of Kankoyo, I say we have engaged the people of Zambia to find out their expectations and views on the 2022 Budget, and I think it has come at the right time; when most Zambians really needed hope. When I look at it, I see that it is one every Zambian, including the hon. Members of Parliament on the left, should support.

 

Government Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Lusambo: Are you sure?

 

Mr Mabeta: One of the reasons the people should support the Budget is that, yes, we know there might be some volume of borrowing but, as Member of Parliament, I do not have a problem with the Government borrowing money to give me K25 million.

 

Mr Mabeta choked.

 

Mr Mabeta: Madam Speaker, sorry, I still struggle to speak with a mask on.

 

Madam Speaker, I would rather the Government borrows money and gives me K25 million to spend in my constituency than for it to borrow US$14 billion to spend on roads that the people of Zambia cannot see.

 

Madam Speaker, as a Member of Parliament, I do not have any issue with the Government increasing user fees, the tax on –

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Mabeta: I am struggling to talk. You must excuse me.

 

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Members!

 

Mr Mabeta: Just be patient with me. I am still struggling to talk because I have a chest infection.

 

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Member of Parliament for Kankoyo!

 

Please, resume your seat.

 

Mr Mabeta: Thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Madam Speaker: Hon. Members, please, let us bear with the hon. Member for Kankoyo. He has some challenges speaking with a mask on because of medical reasons that I am aware of. So, let us bear with him and give him chance to express himself.

 

Mr Mabeta: Madam Speaker, thank you for that protection.

 

Gentlemen, let us be patient.

 

Madam Speaker, the people of Kankoyo and I do not have a problem with the Ministry of Finance and National Planning proposing to increase the Road Tax or fee for road fitness tests of motor vehicles as long as our brothers will be employed by the Government. The people of Kankoyo do not have a problem with the Government implementing fiscal discipline, as that has given us an opportunity to increase the borrowing window, which the Patriotic Front (PF) could not manage, because of the debt relief.

 

Madam Speaker, the feedback I got from the people of Kankoyo is that they want us to strongly support the Budget because it means well for them.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Rev. Katuta (Chienge): Madam Speaker, thank you for giving the voice of Chienge an opportunity to contribute to debate on this very important Motion on the Floor. I had to leave my bed just to come here and add a few words to the debate.

 

Madam Speaker, I must say that when I was listening to this Budget Address, the first thing that caught my attention was the increase in the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), as I am one of the few Members of the Parliament in Zambia who did miracles in the constituency with the K1.4 million I was being given. After the administration fees, the K1.5 million went down. 

 

Government Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Rev. Katuta: Madam Speaker, increasing the CDF is, indeed, a way of taking development closer to the people, as opposed to chewing in Parliament. I say so because when we start having development at the ward level, it will be possible and easier for any hardworking Member of Parliament to take development closer to the people.

 

Government Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Rev. Katuta: Madam Speaker, in Chienge, there have been politics that are beyond comprehension; when you take development to certain chiefdoms, there are squabbles. In this case, every ward will be entitled, and no one will complain.

 

Madam Speaker, if, indeed, we are going to employ 30,000 teachers, as this Government is saying, I will say ‘well done’ because there are more than 300 trained teachers in Chienge. I urge the Government to employ the 300 teachers because the young ones have nothing to do, and it has been quite hectic for them. However, I have a concern. If we employ 30,000 teachers and 11,000 medical personnel, how are we going to fund them? It is true that we really need those people to be employed, but how are we going to do it? The hon. Minister did not explain to the nation how it will be done. As one of those who are really against borrowing, I am really worried about how we are going to maintain the economy because the sustainability of the exercise was not explained to the nation.

 

Madam Speaker, I also say that, indeed, compared with this K25.7 million that has been given to us as hon. Members of Parliament, the work that needs to be done is huge. However, I am a firm believer in our ability to deliver. Having had the opportunity of being a member of the Committee on Cabinet Affairs, I felt and saw the challenges to implementing decentralisation in our country. So, this is the only way to go. Decentralisation can be implemented without the ‘road blocks’ that I have seen in some departments of the Government.

 

Madam Speaker, I am worried about the increase in the mass extraction of our minerals. I heard the hon. Minister talk about going for green fields. We are aware that in the near future, we are not going to have vehicles powered by petrol or diesel; we are going to have electrical vehicles, which are going to be dependent on copper. So, we are going to see foreign investors come into our country to do mass-extract our minerals. We are saying we want to increase copper output to 3 million tonnes, but that is risking the future of our grandchildren. We should take into consideration the fact that minerals deplete, unlike agriculture. So, we should not rush into increasing the mass extraction of our minerals. China has minerals, but it is not extracting them, opting to get them from Zambia instead. Even European countries want to stockpile minerals by getting them from Africa.

 

Madam Speaker, in the future, when the manufacture of electric vehicles start, we are going to be buying our copper at very high prices when importing the vehicles into Zambia. So, I urge the new Government to reconsider the mass extraction of our minerals. Our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren are the future generation, and they will need these minerals. Why should we allow Lower Zambezi National Park to be destroyed just like that? We are talking about Kansaka. Can we not do something that will show that we are in charge and that we are not under the influence of outsiders?

 

Madam Speaker, this is a good Budget, and I hope and pray that it will be implemented, especially the employment of 30,000 teachers and 11,000 health workers, bringing the total of Zambians who will be employed to about 42,000.

 

Madam Speaker, I also want to know how the Government will come to our aid. I heard the hon. Minister say that we are not going to let contractors from other areas go and work in places like Chiengi. Yes, that is a very good thing, and I am one of the advocates for that. However, we have a challenge; in the Budget, I did not hear how the skills centres are going to be built in the different areas. Where are we going to train our people so that we can empower them?

 

Madam Speaker, I am also concerned about the Ministry of Agriculture cutting off the local transporters. Yes, there could be a few things concerning the ministry, but we are talking about empowering our locals. If we stop the local transporters, we will not be empowering our local people. Instead, we will be depriving them of what they have been hoping for. This small cake that the National Treasury has must be for every Zambian to partake of, and that is done by getting contracts from the Government.

 

Madam speaker, I believe the K25.7 million CDF will be implemented in the 2023 Budget. So, it will not help in empowering the locals immediately because they lack training.

 

Madam speaker, I just came to say, please, bring the K25.7 million quickly to Chiengi because we are ready.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Hon. Members of the House: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Speaker: Order!

 

Business was suspended from 1640 hours until 1700 hours 

 

_______

 

[MADAM SPEAKER in the Chair]

 

Mr Kang’ombe (Kamfinsa): Madam Speaker, in contributing to the debate on the speech by the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning, I will begin by making observations and, subsequently, make some suggestions.

 

Madam Speaker, K25.7 million has been allocated to each constituency as Constituency Development Fund (CDF), and the mention of this figure is exciting many people. However, when you convert the amount into a percentage of the National Budget, it only amounts to 2.3 per cent. What this means is that we are only allocating 2.3 per cent of the National Budget to development of the constituency. However, if you refer to page 35 of the speech by the hon. Minister, you will note that the activities we, the hon. Members of Parliament, need to undertake are enormous. Therefore, my proposal is that for us to be successful in discharging the responsibilities that have been added to our portfolio and achieve meaningful development in our constituencies, the allocation to the CDF should be 10 per cent of the National Budget as opposed to 2.3 per cent.

 

 Opposition Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kang’ombe: Allocating 10 per cent of the National Budget to the CDF will imply that each constituency will get K110 million as opposed to K25.7 million.

 

Opposition Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kang’ombe: The principle behind this proposal is that we have identified responsibilities that should be discharged at the local level. The hon. Minister has listed the local courts and bridges and over fifteen tasks. There are other responsibilities that that have not been listed, but they need to be discharged at the local level.

 

Madam Speaker, on the same aspect of the CDF, allow me to raise a very important observation for the attention of the hon. Minister. The equity principle that was highlighted on page 35 is not attainable with the allocated amount and it is not the correct application. I, therefore, propose that since we have a department that dealing with national planning and has socio-economic planners, a needs assessment approach should be adopted to ensure that monies are allocated to constituencies on the basis of many factors. For instance, some constituencies are big in size while others have high population densities. I, therefore, suggest that such factors be looked at even as we allocate the CDF to the constituencies.

 

 Madam Speaker, I wish to comment on the production of 3 million tonnes of copper over a period of ten years, as suggested of the hon. Minister. The projection is unrealistic because by an average of 10 per cent growth in production, in 2019, copper production in Zambia stood at 790,000 tonnes while in 2020, we only managed to produce 882,000 tonnes. So, it is not practical to produce 3 million tonnes over a period of ten years even with an average projection of 10 per cent growth in the mining sector. I, therefore, request the hon. Minister to propose more realistic figures. The 3 million tonnes, which has been projected on the basis that the mining houses will invest money, will not be attained.

 

Madam Speaker, I also wish to comment on the energy sector. On page 20 of the speech, the hon. Minister has indicated that for investment in the energy sector to be achieved, we need to have cost-reflective tariffs. There is also a page on which the hon. Minister deals with investment in small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and it contradicts the position of Government.

 

Madam Speaker, if we want to support SMEs to produce the various goods and services, we should not increase the tariffs. I, therefore, find the proposal to introduce cost-reflective tariffs to be a hindrance to achieving the right impact on our SMEs. I am sure hon. Members of Parliament from the Ruling Party agree with me, although they cannot do it on the Floor of the House, that if we increase tariffs, we are going to stifle the growth of SMEs. I am also sure the hon. Minister of Small and Medium Enterprise Development agrees with me that we should not increase tariffs as announced by the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning.

 

Madam Speaker, as I wind up my debate, I note that on page 39, there is an acknowledgement by the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning that domestic revenue cannot even support salaries for workers. By implication, the hon. Minister is saying that we are going to borrow money. Allow me, therefore, to request that this early appetite for borrowing be curtailed.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Opposition Hon. Members: Hear, hear!    

 

Mr Mung’andu (Chama South): Madam Speaker, let me state from the outset that this Budget is not very inspiring for the simple reason that it is anchored on assumptions. There are so many assumptions when it comes to revenue generation and expenditure, and I will cite them.

 

Madam Speaker, this is a contradictory Budget, as the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning has stated. On page 39 of the Budget Address, the hon. Minister stated that the numbers that he presented before this august House clearly show that the domestic revenues he will collect are not even enough to service debt and pay public sector salaries, yet he told us that the Government is going to employ 30,000 teachers. How? The idea is very good, as we all want teachers in our schools, but look at the predictions the hon. Minister is making. He has admitted that he is unable to pay Public Service workers from the domestically mobilised revenue. Therefore, Zambians should not judge the New Dawn or the United Party for National Development (UPND) Government for what it says. Instead, they should watch its actions. Does it do what it says?

 

Madam Speaker, this Government has been against borrowing. Actually, one of the reasons the people of Zambia voted for it is that the Patriotic Front (PF) Government overborrowed, yet the PF Government took the debt to US$12.9 billion in ten years. The current hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning left behind a US$1.9 billion debt when he left office as Minister of Finance under the Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) Government. That reduces the money borrowed by the PF to about US$11 billion, if not US$10 billion. The hon. Minister, on the other hand, has stated that he is going to borrow US$4.6 billion or there about in one year. After ten years, where will we be as a country? So, we will not support this Budget.

 

 Madam Speaker, the UPND Government has contradicted itself. Instead of raising revenue through the taxes that are in place, including taxing mines, this is a pro-rich Government. The New Dawn is a Government for rich people or foreign countries, not for ordinary people.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Question!

 

Mr Mung’andu: Madam Speaker, for the first time in the history of this country, the mines paid taxes on profits to the State, but the Government has removed those taxes. Let me be very simplistic: The Government wants the mines to declare interest and then tax the interest, and we, Zambians, have been told that the mines have, in the past, not told the Government the truth. Instead, they have been declaring losses and demanding Value Added Tax (VAT) refunds from poor people.

 

Madam Speaker, we, on the left, suspect that this Government is dancing to the tune of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) when it comes to the energy sector. The Government is talking about cost-reflective tariffs. However, Zambians passed through the most excruciating period when electricity tariffs were increased by more 200 per cent, and that is enough. To date, we have not been given the results of the study on cost-reflective tariffs. We cannot compare our country with South Africa, which produces power from coal when we have hydro power stations.

 

Mr Mpundu: They use nuclear.

 

Mr Mung’andu: Nuclear is about, maybe, 2 per cent or 3 per cent. Eighty per cent of power in South Africa comes from coal.

 

Madam Speaker, Zambians are being told that they will be empowered, yet the cost of production is being increased through an increase in electricity tariffs and fuel prices. The New Dawn Government told Zambians before they elected it that it was not going to increase electricity tariffs and the price of fuel, but it is about to do that. 

 

Madam Speaker, when we are given K25 million as Constituency Development Fund (CDF), we will empower villagers who have no – We are grateful for the increase in CDF. Twenty-five million Kwacha will make a huge difference, especially for us who come from rural areas. If anything, the Government should increase it to K100 million. We will be very grateful. However, here is the catch: For youths to engage in economic activities, they need energy. However, when electricity tariffs are increased, their cost of production will be high. Given that we are part of a regional market, will the goods and services produced by our youths be competitive compared with those, for example, from South Africa? We are a member of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and many multilateral bodies.

 

Madam Speaker, there was a lot of excitement when people heard that 30,000 teachers will be employed. However, the teachers should not be excited until this Government employs them, and we are going to monitor and track the Government. I assure the Government that from January to December, 2021, we will ask it how many teachers it would have employed, because it said that there is no money, and Zambians are not looking forward to borrowing. If anything, the PF Government stopped borrowing.

 

Laughter

 

Hon. PF Members: Yes!

 

Mr Mung’andu: That is a fact. We stopped borrowing.

 

Madam Speaker, the hon. Minister said that he is going to ensure that fixed deposit receipts (FDRs) are used.

 

Madam Speaker: Order!

 

Your time has expired.

 

Mr Mung’andu: Madam Speaker, I should have said a lot more, but due to time, I will not do that.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Sit down!

 

Mr Mung’andu: Madam Speaker, I do not support this Budget.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Mr J. Chibuye (Roan): Madam Speaker, thank you for giving me the opportunity to add my voice to the Motion on the Floor.

 

Madam Speaker, straight away, I draw the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning’s attention to the mining sector because mining has been the predominant economic activity in my constituency, Roan, and it is where Luanshya Copper Mines is.

 

Madam Speaker, it is good to hear the hon. Minister announce that the Government will increase the production volume of copper from 800,000 metric tonnes to 3 million metric tonnes. On page 16, paragraph 73, of the Budget Address, the hon. Minister says the following:

 

“The targeted copper production level will bring higher earnings, more jobs, business opportunities, taxes and foreign exchange.”

 

Madam Speaker, as much as I appreciate this statement, I bring it to the attention of the hon. Minister that copper is a diminishing asset and that His Excellency the First Republican President, Dr Kenneth Buchizya David Kaunda, may his soul rest in peace, realised that we could not produce copper everywhere at the same time. That is the reason he closed Kansanshi and Lumwana copper mines; he knew that there was the future. As much as we want to get the economy back on track, I appeal to the hon. Minister of Mines and Minerals Development to be mindful of the generations to come.

 

Madam Speaker, as I speak, Baluba Copper Mines in Luanshya is earmarked for closure by the end of 2022. It is in this vein that as much as we want to escalate the production levels, the hon. Minister should consider putting some mines on reserve for future use. I appreciate and welcome the idea of increasing production. However, I remind the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning, and other allied ministries that, in his address to the First Session of the Thirteen National Assembly, His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, stated that it is now time for Zambians to start benefiting from our mineral wealth, and that is copper. So, particular attention must be paid to the people who are involved in production, the Zambian workers. It is sad that a Zambian worker in my constituency, who is typically involved in the production of copper, gets peanuts. As much as we, as a country, want to make earnings from copper production, I appeal to the hon. Minister of Finance, together with his colleagues in the allied ministries like Labour and Social Security, and Home Affairs and Internal Security to ensure that the mistreatment, low salaries and other abuses that Zambian workers are subjected to, especially at 15 MCC Luanshya Copper Mine in my constituency, are brought to a halt. That will spur and inspire the Zambian worker to work even harder.

 

Madam Speaker, it is time the Government harmonised the working conditions in the mining sector. We want to see the conditions of service in the sector harmonised. Why should a worker at 15 MCC Luanshya Copper Mines and JCHX Mine get K1,300 as take-home pay whilst workers at Lumwana and Kansanshi copper mines get K12,000? In fact, I hope that one day, a Motion will be moved on the Floor of this House to harmonise the conditions of service and, if anything, introduce in the mining sector stipulations that exist in other sectors, such as minimum wages.

 

Madam Speaker, I support proposal to employ 30,000 teachers and 11,000 health workers. However, the adrenaline in Zambians, especially those who are qualified, is high. I only hope that the words will become reality. So, I encourage the New Dawn Government to execute whatever it has put on paper.

 

Madam Speaker, I support the Motion on the Floor.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Mr Lusambo (Kabushi): Madam Speaker, thank you very much for allowing the people of Kabushi to add their voice to the debate on this important document called the National Budget.

 

Madam Speaker, I acknowledge that Hon. Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane is a very intelligent man with a strong character. So, I do not know why he has turned into a socialist. Maybe, he plans to join the Socialist Party.

 

Laughter 

 

Mr Lusambo: Madam Speaker, the Budget the hon. Minister presented to this august House on Friday, 29^th October, 2021, is not inspiring in many areas. It is an ambitious Budget that is out there to excite the people of Zambia. However, the people of Zambia are not ready to be excited by just figures; they want the figures to translate into action.

 

Madam Speaker, I know that you have already gone through the National Budget Speech. On page 35, the hon. Minister talks about the projects that are supposed to be implemented using the Constituency Development Fund (CDF). It sounds attractive and very interesting to the people who are listening that the people in the constituencies have been allocated K25.7 million. So, when we go back to the constituencies, the people will think that we have K25.7 million to spend in constituencies.

 

Madam Speaker, when the CDF was at K1.6 million, we implemented projects at the ward level knowing very well that our parent, the Central Government, would handle other issues. In Kabushi Constituency, we need not less than 100 km of tarred urban roads. I know that the hon. Minister for Copperbelt Province has visited the constituency and that he will agree with me that we need more than 100 km of roads. Translated into money, the 100 km of roads is more than US$ 100 million, since it costs US$1 million to make a 1 km stretch of road that can stand the test of time. However, the K25.7 million in Hon. Dr Musokotwane’s Budget translates into K4 billion for all the 156 constituencies, which is 2.3 per cent of the Budget. That is a drop in the ocean.

 

Madam Speaker, the New Dawn Government’s aim is to develop Zambia, and the President was all over, spending Government money on flying in choppers to all districts and asking the people to wait for the Budget to see what would be done with the money that would be moved from Lusaka to the constituencies. Alas, 2.3 per cent of the Budget is not a lot of money when we have been told that we will have to provide bursaries from Grades 1 to 12. In Kabushi Constituency, the K25 million can only educate less than 100 people from Grades 1 to 12.

 

Madam Speaker, we need this Government of Mr Hakainde Hichilema to think through this Budget because it is nothing, but a plain paper meant to excite the people out there. The hon. Minister came here to do politics, but the time for politics ended sometime back in August, 2021. This is time to be very serious. When I look at these hon. Ministers here and hon. Members of Parliament from the United Party for National Development (UPND), I can assure you that they are very ignorant about this Budget because they –

 

Interruptions

 

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Member for Kabushi!

 

Remember what I said about moderating your language. Please, do not use the word ‘ignorant’ because it is unparliamentary. Please, substitute it with another word.

 

Mr Lusambo: Madam Speaker, I withdraw the word ‘ignorant’ and say that they do not understand this Budget. I have interacted with most of them, as they are my colleagues, and they just say, “Wait, the President has said that he is pumping more money into the economy.” That is not understanding the Budget. I wanted these hon. Members of Parliament and hon. Ministers to convince me on how they are going to raise the revenue that will come into our economy.

 

Mr Mutelo: Mercy!

 

Mr Lusambo: However, what we are just seeing is the appetite for borrowing without being told how our colleagues are going to pay back the money they will borrow. If they are not going to pay back this money, we will jail all of them in 2026 because they would have stolen from the people of Zambia.

 

Laughter

 

Mr Mutelo: Mercy! Question! DNA!

 

Mr Lusambo: Madam Speaker, I do not support this Budget because it is just a booklet containing exciting figures without that does not give any promise to the people of Zambia. Only until it is implemented are we going to say, ‘Job well done’. For now, this is just a copy of any other paper.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Hon. Government Member: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mutelo: Children are waiting outside! Jail whom? You will be there yourself!

 

Mr Fube (Chilubi): Thank you, Madam Speaker, for the opportunity you have given me to add my voice, on behalf of the people of Chilubi, to the debate on this Budget. I am a believer in acknowledging where we are coming from in order for us to interpret the future as well as the present.

 

Madam Speaker, to start with, using the freedom of expression given to me by the National Assembly (Powers and Privileges) Act and the Standing Orders, allow me to doubt the integrity of this paper, and I call it a paper because, to me, it does not meet certain standards.

 

Madam Speaker, if you go to page 40 and add up the figures that were presented to this noble House, you will find that they are short by K37 billion. I do not know why, but had it been in the time of the Patriotic Front (PF), the people would have said that the PF wanted to steal the money. Now, what should we tell them?

 

Madam Speaker, another thing is that, according to what I know, as a layman in economics, a Budget should encourage fiscal discipline, frugality and sustainability. It should also be needs-oriented, and the needs I am talking about are the needs of the people of Zambia.

 

Madam Speaker, when the United Party for National Development (UPND) was campaigning, it was selling its manifesto and making promises to the people. Among the many things it lined up was that it would improve the economy, which was in tatters.

 

Madam Speaker, in the Budget for 2009, on page 7, paragraph 49, the current hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning said that the nation then had an infrastructural deficit and that there was a need to work towards creating the needed infrastructure. The 2022 Budget, to me, is more of a Father Christmas document meant to throw sweets to the children so that they get excited during Christmas. It is cheap grandstanding politics that we cannot bank on as serious human beings. I say so because in the paragraph that I have cited, the hon. Minister said that the solution to the infrastructural deficit then was to launch the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Policy. I do not know what his solution is today. I know that, naturally, I am supposed to be excited on behalf of the people of Chilubi, but this is a balloon full of air. So, how do I get excited?

 

Madam Speaker, the Budget the hon. Minister presented in 2009 was K15.2 billion. This time around, he presented a Budget of K173 billion to Zambians. We are talking about building schools and employing teachers. This Budget, this paper – Sorry, but allow me to call it a paper because I doubt its integrity for it to even qualify to be called a Budget – is amiss in more areas than one. For instance, in paragraph 54, the hon. Minister says that it is difficult for us to sustain the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP). However, in paragraph 183, he goes ahead to allocate K3,600 per farmer. That contradiction leaves me shaken.

 

Madam Speaker, I warn the UPND, which is celebrating the fact that the PF is out of power, that, with this kind of a Budget,  it will go out with zeros.

 

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Fube: Madam Speaker, I know some people got excited when we talked about building 120 secondary schools. What is 120 secondary schools compared with the 4,600 secondary schools constructed in ten years, which translate into 469 secondary schools per year? What is 120 secondary schools compared with the 14,235 primary schools built in ten years, which translate into more than 1,000 schools per year? Null!

 

Madam Speaker, the workforce of teachers today is about 120,000, yet our colleagues want to introduce 17.5 per cent or 30,000 more, meaning they are overburdening the teachers who are waiting for their settling-in and leave allowances. If they calculate the amount that they said they are going to draw from the special drawing rights, it is – I do not know which word I can use. You will forgive my language.

 

Interruptions

 

Madam Speaker, this Government laughed at the PF for depleting the reserves of the nation and went to town, talking about how the PF had found reserves at five months of import cover, but had an intention to deplete them to three months of import cover. Our colleagues asked what kind of fiscal discipline that was, and over-graded themselves when they were campaigning, saying that they were the redeemers or messiahs for this nation. The people of Zambia should know that this Government has come to hoodwink them, not necessarily to redeem them.

 

Mr Nkombo: Question!

 

Mr Fube: Madam Speaker, let me also talk about the workforce in the health sector. I thank the PF for building 490 health posts as part of the 650 health posts earmarked for construction. I also thank the PF for constructing 4,527 housing units, two specialised hospitals and giving the country a power generation capacity of 2,800 KW.

 

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Fube: Yes!

 

Madam Speaker, I warn the UPND that the achievements of the PF will be a tall order for it to march with this paper that lacks integrity.

 

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

 

Madam Speaker: A point of order is raised.

 

Mr Nkombo: Madam Speaker, thank you very much for allowing this point of order.

 

Madam Speaker, I have been listening very carefully to my hon. Colleague, who seems to be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) resulting from the loss of an election.

 

Laughter

 

Mr Nkombo: Having served in this Parliament for a long time, he knows that the rules of the House demand that if he uses a language other than English, he must translate. While I was following, I got lost when he used the word ‘nanikane’.

 

Laughter

 

Mr Nkombo: Is he in order to not translate the word ‘nanikane’? Would I be right to assume that he is suffering from PTSD as a result of the loss of an election?

 

I seek your ruling, Madam.

 

Laughter

 

Madam Speaker: Thank you for that point of order, hon. Minister, but you did not cite any Standing Order or rule that he breached.

 

Opposition Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Madam Speaker: Nonetheless, we will benefit from the hon. Member of Parliament for Chilubi telling us what ‘nanikane’ means.

 

Laughter

 

Mr Fube: Madam Speaker, nanikane means a BMW vehicle.

 

Madam Speaker, let me continue as though not disturbed by Hon. Nkombo.

 

Madam Speaker, we also need to know what the excitement over the recruitment of health workers is all about when the PF recruited 25,000 health workers, but was smarter in that it spread the number out thinly because it knew that providing for that number in one Budget would collapse the Budget. We can only pray for the Government to succeed because when it does, it is good for everybody. However, I can tell from the signs in this Budget, which lacks the ingredients I mentioned, that the Government is not taking us anywhere.

 

Madam Speaker: Order!

 

The hon. Member’s time expired.

 

PF Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Munir Zulu: (Lumezi): Thank you, very kind Madam Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to speak on behalf of Lumezi.

 

Madam Speaker, from the word go, at the beginning of my maiden speech, I had reservations on who is in charge of our resources. In this context, I mean the man in charge of the Ministry of Finance and National Planning, the man who came to this House and said he was the bearer of a message from the Republican President. What I do not know is if at all the hon. Minister qualifies to be the bearer of that message.

 

Madam Speaker, I have heard comments about figures not adding up and, having read page 40 of the Budget, I know that is true because about K37 billion is missing from the Budget.  Further, history tells me that this is the hon. Minister who was behind the Kasaba Bay initiative that, ordinarily, should have cost the Government of the Republic of Zambia K61 million when he signed that contract. However, the works stalled and, if we check the figures today, completion was at 73 per cent. Today, the figure has gone up to K116 million or K120 million.

 

Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Munir Zulu: Madam Speaker, I was thinking that after having had difficulties in crafting this Budget, the hon. Minister would have considered resigning instead of continuing to mislead the Republican President, who is my Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. The President cannot continue to be misled by a man whose history is quite questionable.

 

Opposition Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Ms Mulenga: Hammer, Lumezi!

 

Hon. Member: Question!

 

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Member for Lumezi!

 

There was a point of order raised earlier under Standing Order 65(2)(a), which says that:

 

“A Member who is debating shall not impute any improper motives to the President, Vice-President or any other Member.”

 

When I ruled on it, I encouraged hon. Members to moderate their language as they debated. Further, this personalisation of debate is not encouraged.

 

Hon. Member: It is unavoidable.     

 

Madam Speaker: Please, can you debate in a proper manner.

 

Mr Munir Zulu: Madam Speaker, thank you for your guidance. I appreciate it, and you should continue guiding us because for some of us, it is the first time being here.

 

Laughter

 

Mr Kang’ombe: But sanavute.

 

Mr Munir Zulu: Madam Speaker, what I was trying to put across is simply that the challenges of this Budget could have been a result of the fact that we do not have the human resource to craft a better Budget system than we have now.

 

Madam Speaker, I have been the representative of the people of Lumezi for almost three months now, and we have been allocated K25 million. However, there is no equity in the allocation of the Constituency Development Fund (CDF). What our colleagues have done, who have been incapacitated at human resources level –

 

Mr Haimbe: On a point of order, Madam.

 

Madam Speaker: A point of order is raised.

 

Mr Haimbe: Madam Speaker, I rise on a point order pursuant to Order No. 58(4) at page 29 of the National Assembly of Zambia Standing Orders, 2021, which clearly states the following, “A member shall not read a speech during debate”.

 

Madam Speaker, I have observed the hon. Member’s manner of debate.

 

Opposition Hon. Members: He is not reading!

 

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Members!

 

A point of order has been raised, but all of you are now becoming the Speaker.

 

Laughter

 

Madam Speaker: Let the point of order be raised and then I will make the ruling.

 

Mr Haimbe: I am obliged, Madam Speaker.

 

Madam Speaker, I have observed the manner of debate of the hon. Member who is on the Floor. Apart from the Budget Speech, he also has a white sheet of paper that he is repeatedly referring to in a manner of reading, not simply referring to notes. That is in breach of Standing Order No. 58(4). Is the hon. Member in order?

 

Madam Speaker, I seek your ruling.

 

Madam Speaker: The Standing Orders are very clear in stating that hon. Members are not supposed to read as they debate. I did not observe the reading but, please, hon. Member on the Floor, if you are reading, do not continue doing so. You can only have notes to which you can refer.

 

Mr Munir Zulu: Madam Speaker, in fact, I will not refer to any notes now so that I do not make my elder brother uncomfortable.

 

Madam Speaker: Hon. Member for Lumezi, you can still refer to notes. That is allowed.

 

Mr Munir Zulu: Madam Speaker, time will not allow me to exhaust my thoughts if I will be interrupted in this fashion.

 

Mr Kang’ombe: Ba Chikankata bacilabelenga.

 

Madam Speaker: Then just proceed and debate. Do not make comments.

 

Mr Munir Zulu: Madam Speaker, yeah.

 

Madam Speaker: Did you say, “yeah”?

 

Mr Munir Zulu: Madam Speaker, I withdraw the word ‘yeah’.

 

Laughter

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

Madam Speaker: Proceed, hon. Member.

 

Mr Munir Zulu: Thank you, very kind Madam Speaker.

 

Madam Speaker, I was at the point of saying the people of Lumezi have been allocated K25 million. Indeed, on paragraph 158 of the Budget, it is mentioned that the CDF should build dams, primary schools, teacher’s houses and local courts, and the clear canals. Taking Kabwata Constituency as an example, it does not need dams, as it does not have cattle like my constituency . It also does not need local courts like Lumezi does. So, where is the equity? Kabwata is the most developed constituency in this country. To think that the people of Lumezi are lesser citizens of this country is a serious injury to the general citizenry and  those of us who are from rural constituencies.

 

Madam Speaker, I see no wisdom in how the K25 million was arrived at. Indeed, many of our hon. Colleagues in urban setups have supported the K25 million allocation to the development of our constituencies. However, I represent a constituency that has more needs because of its vastness compared with those of our hon. Colleagues in the urban setup.

 

Madam Speaker, I am now made to believe that, maybe, our hon. Colleague who presented this Budget before this House did it knowing that he is a Nominated hon. Member of Parliament who has no interest to serve –

 

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Member of Parliament for Lumezi!

 

You were advised.

 

Mr Munir Zulu remained upstanding.

 

Madam Speaker: Could you, please, resume your seat.

 

Mr Kang’ombe crossed the Floor.

 

Madam Speaker: Hon. Member of Parliament for Kamfinsa, next time, as you walk out, please, do not walk in front of the hon. Member who is speaking. You should have used the other way.

 

Mr Kang’ombe: Madam Speaker, much obliged.

 

Madam Speaker: Hon. Member for Lumezi, you were advised not to personalise your debate. All the hon. Members of Parliament here, whether Nominated or elected, represent the people of Zambia. Further, hon. Member, when I am addressing you, you resume your seat. I know we are all learning. Slowly, we will get to know the rules and procedures of the House. So, please, as you debate, there should be no segregation whether an hon. Member of Parliament is nominated or elected. A nominated Member of Parliament is not less of an hon. Member. So, please, withdraw the statement you made that, “Maybe, because he is a nominated hon. Member of Parliament.”

 

Mr Munir Zulu: Madam Speaker, thank you for your guidance. Like I earlier mentioned, you will continue guiding us.

 

Madam Speaker, I withdraw the statement.

 

Madam Speaker, I have put across my thoughts; that there is no equity in how the K25 million was arrived at. Similarly, if I was to give an example other than Lumezi since, in your guidance, you said whether one is nominated or elected, all hon. Members represent the people of Zambia, this Budget will not meet the aspirations of the people of Katombola Constituency. However, it will meet those of the people of Livingstone Central Constituency. As a Zambian citizen, I feel this Budget is more on the side of those in an urban setup; it is for the bourgeoisie, the ruling class.

 

Madam Speaker, this Budget does not represent the interest of the young people that I represent as a Zambian in this House in addition to representing the people of Lumezi Constituency.

 

Madam Speaker, in conclusion, let me say that, with difficulty, I will try to support the Budget presented by Hon. Dr Musokotwane.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Mr Kampyongo (Shiwang’andu): Madam Speaker, thank you very much for allowing me to debate the Motion on the Floor, moved by the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning.

 

Madam Speaker, like many other hon. Members, the challenge I have with this Budget is its preparation, first and foremost. Maybe, that is why there are those discrepancies that my hon. Colleagues have mentioned.

 

Madam Speaker, before I go further into my debate, permit me, since I am taking the Floor after a while, to congratulate the hon. Member of Parliament for Kaumbwe, Dr Mwanza, on joining us in this august House. I thank the people of Kaumbwe for listening to our message.

 

Madam Speaker, I was saying my concern is about the preparation of the Budget. At the Ministry of Finance and National Planning, there is constitutional office in which the preparation of the Budget is anchored, and that is the office of the Secretary to the Treasury.

 

Madam Speaker, the principal function of the Secretary to the Treasury is to prepare the Budget and ensure that all the funds appropriated to ministries, provinces and spending agencies (MPSAs) are prudently utilised. The office co-ordinates all the programmes related to budgeting, and we have advised our colleagues to approach governance matters with seriousness. However, the office was filled only a day before the hon. Minister came to present the Budget here, and we do not know what crisis we have had to deal with while the office remained vacant. So, the hon. Minister of Justice needs to up his game. The issues that are being raised on this Floor are a result of this very serious omission of not appointing the principal officer who should account for whatever proposals the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning has come up with. I am only happy that the office has been filled with a very competent gentleman.

 

Madam Speaker, I want to share with hon. Colleagues here the information that we are not going to take a narrow approach to implementing the Decentralisation Policy, which is very important, and the hon. Minister of Local Government and Rural Development is key in this matter. To take this narrow approach of throwing some funds into the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) is not a panacea to the developmental challenges of rural constituencies.

 

Madam Speaker, the rationale behind the introduction of the CDF is very well known; the fund was only meant to enable Members of Parliament to make supplementary interventions in their constituencies in order to fill in the gaps left by the Central Government. As we all know, it was introduced when Members of Parliament were also members of the councils, which is no longer the case. Further, currently, the implementing agency of the CDF is the local authority because the constituency offices have no structural capacity to discharge that very important function. I am not going to take the responsibility of the hon. Minister of Justice and start building local courts in the constituency because he has to plan for that and take funds to the districts, a level at which he is represented. The same will be the case in the education sector, where the hon. Minister of Education has the responsibility to build schools.

 

Madam Speaker, devolution of power only entails that all Government structures must be taken to the lowest level and appropriate matching resources to those structures on the ground. To implement the Decentralisation Policy in the manner our hon. Colleagues are proposing will be disastrous, and I ask hon. Members to not get excited about this because there is going to be a challenge here. We have to define our role as hon. Members of Parliament, that is, if we decide to become Sub-Ministers at the constituency level, we have to change some Acts of Parliament. As long as there is a gap between the Constituency Office and the local authorities, this money is going to be problematic to all of us hon. Members on both your right and your left. So, let us be sincere with ourselves. Yes, it can be exciting to talk about large figures.

 

Madam Speaker, on page 38, the hon. Minister is apportioning responsibilities and delegating functions that are meant to be discharged by our hon. Colleagues on your right side. For example, he is talking about youth empowerment, but there is the hon. Minister for Youth, Sport and Arts here who should plan and devolve his functions right up to the constituency level. How does the hon. Minister for Small and Medium Enterprise Development devolve his ministry and channel resources to the bottom?

 

Madam Speaker, let the CDF’s purpose remain that for which it was introduced, and  I thank the hon. Members who were in this august House when we debated these issues. We remember their debates. If you go to the Hansard, you will understand the rationale behind the introduction of the CDF. So, to use the CDF as a way of implementing the Decentralisation Policy is not acceptable. I had the privilege of serving in the hon. Minister of Local Government and Rural Development’s office. So, I know that this comprehensive policy is there. The hon. Minister should just go back to it and come to this august House with a roadmap for the implementation of the policy in its totality. Let us not take a piecemeal approach –

 

Mr Nkombo: Why did you not do it?

 

Laughter

 

Mr Kampyongo: My stint was short. I would have done it straightaway.

 

Madam Speaker, my proposal to the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning and the hon. Minister of Local Government and Rural Development is that now that they have a Secretary to the Treasury, who is a very competent gentleman, they should sit down and relook at the way we are going to implement the Decentralisation Policy. Taking a piecemeal approach is not the solution.

 

Madam Speaker, I will be –

 

Mr Matambo: On a point of order, Madam.

 

Madam Speaker: A point of order is raised.

 

Mr Matambo: Madam Speaker, my point of order is pursuant to Standing Order 58(2), which states as follows:

 

“A member shall refer to another member as he, she, his or hers and not you or yours which reference is to the presiding officer.”

 

Madam Speaker, is the hon. Member of Parliament for Shiwang’andu in order to refer to the hon. Minister of Justice as “you”.

 

I seek your serious ruling, Madam Speaker.

 

Interruptions

 

Madam Speaker: Order!

 

The rules are very clear in terms of Standing Order 58, which states that:

 

“A member shall refer to another member as he, she, his or hers and not you or yours which reference is to the presiding officer.”

 

I have noted that a number of hon. Members, as they debate, refer to their hon. Colleagues as “you” and “yours” instead of ‘he’ or ‘she’ and ‘his’ or ‘hers’. I know the Standing Orders are still new and we are all learning, but let us comply with the Standing Orders so that we do not bring the Presiding Officers into the debates.

 

Hon. Member for Shiwang’andu, you may proceed.

 

Mr Kampyongo: Madam Speaker, before I was distracted by that maiden point of order, I was just about to conclude by urging our hon. Colleagues to heed our advice. We appreciate their desire to implement the Decentralisation Policy, but let us be holistic instead of taking adopting a piecemeal approach in implementing the policy. There is still time for them to can come back to us, and we shall support them when we get to that point.

 

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

 

Mr Sampa (Matero): Madam Speaker, thank you for this opportunity.

 

Madam Speaker, from the outset, let me congratulate the hon. Minister on presenting the Budget after – Is it ten years? Further, before I get into debating the Budget, I would like to touch on some house-keeping matters on what he brought to this House, a matter on which many hon. Colleagues have touched.

 

Madam Speaker, it is unprecedented in the history of this country that a Budget is presented this House with a whopping discrepancy of K37 billion. I remember, in 2011, the debate on the Budget did not take off in this House because Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) hon. Members who were here at the time, who were many, but are now few and dotted in the House, took on the Patriotic Front (PF) Government for a difference of Ngwees that did not add up in the Budget.

 

Mr Mundubile: 2N.

 

Mr Sampa: It was 2N, yet the Budget debate had to protract, but now it is a difference of K37 billion. Having worked in the Ministry of Finance and National Planning, I know it is not the hon. Minister’s fault; the ones to blame are the civil servants there. the hon. Minister has many doctors there who let him down. However, he needed to check, as a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) holder.

 

Madam Speaker, the disparity is on the page for expenses; the “Expenses” written in bold font and all the details under that. When you add those to what had been listed, the total has a variance of over K37 billion. I have seen on social media our colleagues explaining that the detail is in the Yellow Book, which has not been brought to this House. So, other than just opposing repeatedly, I will give the Government a solution, which is that it  to ensure that it puts other expenses at the end of the template for expenses and then add all those tuma little ones. Then, the Budget will balance.

 

Laughter

 

Mr Sampa: Madam Speaker, let me go to the speech and debate the good and bad in the Budget. The good is that, yes, it gives hope to the people of Zambia, and I thank our colleagues for that. Everything the United Party for National Development (UPND) promised in its manifesto has been put in this one Budget. However, this is a problem because our colleagues needed five years to fulfil some of the promises. It is also good that the Government has employed the teachers and nurses who had been harassing all of us hon. Members of Parliament. No one can fault with that. Further, Hon. Nkombo, through the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning and the President, has increased the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) from K1.5 million to K25.7 million, and this is unprecedented. However, there is no modus operandi. How will the CDF be operated? Right now, at the Matero Constituency Office, there is a queue of people waiting for empowerment. Where do I start from. I can propose a project as Member of Parliament, but by the time it goes to the council for approval and the money is released, eight good months would have passed. So, we need to be guided.

 

Madam Speaker, one bad aspect of this Budget is that it is a consumption one. When we came in as the PF Government in 2011, our hon. Colleagues attacked us for borrowing for consumption. Our colleagues claimed that they, on the other hand, had borrowed for construction under the Formula One Project, and it just so happens that the hon. Minister was also the one in that portfolio before we took over. Nine years later, I do not know what has happened to the hon. Minister. Is it nine years from 2012 to 2021?

 

Mr Kasandwe: It is ten years.

 

Mr Sampa: It is ten years.

 

Madam Speaker, the hon. Minister has come back just to do what he spoke against, that is, borrowing for consumption. Within a month, he has borrowed for a school in the Western Province, and now 43 per cent or 44 per cent of this Budget is going to rely on borrowed funds. How can one raise children on borrowed funds at home?

 

Ms Mulenga: Imagine!

 

Mr Sampa: Kaloba, for that matter. So, the employment of teachers is good, but they are going to be paid from the reserves.

 

Madam Speaker: Hon. Member for Matero, what is kaloba?

 

Mr Sampa: Chikwelete.

 

Laughter

 

Mr Sampa: Madam Speaker, it means borrowing funds and having to return them at whatever cost. Usually, the interest is very high.

 

Madam Speaker, when the New Dawn Administration took office, it found the reserves left by the PF Government at 5.5 months of import cover. The reserves are meant for a rainy day. With this Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), anything can happen. So, we need that money. However, our colleagues have decided to take that money and use it to pay salaries. In this Budget, they will reduce it to three months of import cover. So, in the first year, we will manage to pay nurses and teachers. What about in the second year? What will happen in 2023? Are we going to borrow again? We will now deplete all the reserves left for this Government. That is the bad part of the Budget.

 

Madam Speaker, another bad side of this Budget is that it has gong’ad Zambians.

 

Madam Speaker: Meaning?

 

Mr Sampa: Madam Speaker, it is a raw deal; it duped and dribbled Zambians. It showed them a smoke screen of nothing. Then nipano tuli. Let us wait for one year and see if those things will be delivered. Will they be delivered?

 

Ms Mulenga: Kulibe.

 

Mr Sampa: First of all, where will the money come from? As a Budget that is supposed to be self-sustaining, wherever we are supposed to be getting money from, like the mines, we have given up and said miners should enjoy. Now, the mineral royalties are tax deductible, meaning all the mines need to do is make losses and those who are making profits will not pay to the Government. I was at the Ministry of Finance and National Planning, and I know that the mines will arm-twist the hon. Minister.

 

Madam Speaker, we have now surrendered the sovereignty of this country to the mines and allowed them to act like the camel in the story of the Arab and the camel by doing what they asked us to do. Next time, they will ask for something even bigger, like removing the mineral royalty altogether. If we refuse, they will just pile their copper up, and if they do not export, we will not get anything and then we will fail to pay salaries. We are now going back to the neo-colonialism of handing over our God-given asset, copper, to investors whose loyalty is not with us.

 

Madam Speaker, the Budget does not say anything on university bursaries. So, students have been left out. Further, electricity tariffs will go up; we will start paying more to cook at home, and Zambians will start crying. The prices of fuel, which is the life blood of every economy, will also go up. We know it is a condition that has been given by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), but when fuel goes up, everything will be expensive. We will even stop seeing the drinking water in this House because prices will go up.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Madam Speaker: There are some hon. Members who were debating while seated. We still have a few more minutes.

 

Laughter

 

Madam Speaker: There was especially a feminine voice today that debated seriously while seated.

 

_______

                                                                                                                            

MOTION

 

ADJOURNMENT

 

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

 

Question put and agreed to.

 

________

 

The House adjourned at 1813 hours until 0900 hours on Wednesday, 3^rd November, 2021.

 

____________