Govt buys 100 hearses: “They are ready to bury us all”

Last week the POST, in their quest to dig deeper, unearthed a scandal in which the Government of the Republic of Zambia has purchased 100 hearses at a cost of over $29 000 each. Local government minister Benny Tetamashimba said the hearses were meant to help poor people in the country's rural districts who are always exploited when burying their dead. I think this is madness. Why is government worried about transporting the dead when there is no transport for the sick? One can say a better approach would be to first of all do everything possible to stop people getting sick by providing clean water, sanitation and nutrition. If this can not be achieved, the next step surely is to ensure that people have access to excellent and affordable health facilities when they fall sick. The last thing we should be thinking about is how we transport the dead. Following the strategy outlined here would result in hopefully these hearses being white elephants as fewer people would be dying from treatable diseases. This is so simple and I am wondering why GRZ decided to approach the problem from the wrong angle.

We the people of Zambia demand an explanation from the Minister of Health and the President why these manda mandas have been purchased. Is it too late to convert them to ambulances? This would be a better use….

From the POST

THE government has procured 100 hearses from China's Beijing Auto Works (BAW), operating as Top Motors Limited in Zambia, at a cost of over US$29,000 each. And some Chirundu residents last Saturday curiously mistook the hearses bought by the Ministry of Local Government and Housing for mobile hospitals when the trucks carrying them arrived in the border town.
Meanwhile, local government minister Benny Tetamashimba said the hearses were meant to help poor people in the country's rural districts who are always exploited when burying their dead.
A check by The Post established that the black vehicles were hearses and that of the 100, 68 were already in the country.
Well-placed sources in government said each of the hearses was sold to the government at a duty free cost of about US$29,400 and that they could carry a maximum of three caskets at once.
Sources said the hearses were arriving in Lusaka from the Port of Durban via Chirundu border in batches and were being off-loaded at a farm in Chamba Valley.
The sources said 12 vehicles had been off-loaded on Sunday while another 18 had been off-loaded as of yesterday.
And one of the drivers who delivered the hearses from South Africa confirmed that they were 100 in total.
And one of the residents, who preferred to remain anonymous, said most residents of Chirundu became suspicious when the trucks carrying the hearses arrived in the border town on Saturday afternoon.
The residents thought that the vehicles were mobile hospitals that the government intends to procure from China at a cost of US$53 million under intense opposition from some sectors.
“The vehicles look like Hummers and they also look like ambulances and we were asking why the Ministry of Local Government and Housing should buy Hummer-like ambulances,” the source said.
But Tetamashimba said although he was not aware of the procurement, the budget to buy the hearses was prepared before he became local government minister.
Tetamashimba said his director of local government informed him yesterday that the government had paid about K14 billion for the hearses last year and that it was true they were arriving in the country.
“For example, in the rural districts there has been a problem of burial where the poor are being exploited by people when they are burying their dead,” said Tetamashimba. “So we are going to give the vehicles to the councils.”

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The Issue of Mobile Clinics

By Henry Kyambalesa (Agenda for Change Party)

The Issue of Mobile Clinics

President Rupiah Banda’s plan to buy mobile clinics is a very good example of misplaced priorities by the MMD government.

And Ronnie Shikapwasha’s disclosure that the government has engaged stakeholders to carry out a comprehensive assessment of the matter seems to be a mere transparent ruse since the decision to purchase the mobile clinics was apparently made at State House by President Banda, health Minister Kapembwa Simbao, health Permanent Secretary Velepi Mtonga, officials from the Chinese Embassy, and representatives from the China National Aero Technology Import and Export Corporation (CATIC).

Shikapwasha’s statement that the government will also wait for the report from the medical assessment team looking at how best the mobile clinics can assist people to access quality and improved health care delivery in the country insinuates that the decision to purchase the 9 mobile clinics has already been made.

There is, therefore, no need for the government to waste time and resources on carrying out a comprehensive assessment of the matter after the decision to buy the mobile clinics has already been made. The assessment is apparently designed to hoodwink the nation into believing that the decision to buy the mobile clinics is made upon the recommendations of stakeholders and technocrats in the Ministry of Health.

After all, President Banda indicated that the government would purchase mobile clinics during the official opening of the National Assembly. Moreover, he was quoted as having said that the concept of mobile clinics was a “damn good idea” upon his arrival from Zimbabwe recently.

It is, therefore, clear that the decision to procure the mobile clinics has already been made. What is needed now is for the President to rescind his decision to buy the mobile clinics and save the nation from lies about the assessment of the US$53 million deal and the eventual approval of the deal by the Cabinet.

If there is money for healthcare, it should be used on the following: (a) provision of free healthcare for all Zambians; (b) construction of more permanent healthcare facilities nationwide; (c) provision of adequate medicines and medical equipment; (d) research designed to find cures for HIV/AIDS, cancer, tuberculosis, and other deadly diseases; and (e) hiring, retention and training of health personnel..

Unfortunately, President Banda wants the government to acquire a US$53 million loan from EX-IM Bank of China to facilitate the acquisition of the mobile clinics from the China National Aero Technology Import and Export Corporation. He wants to continue to mortgage our country and the future of our children and grandchildren through such loans. And, meanwhile, there is no attempt whatsoever to trim the highly bloated government in order to make it live within its means! Another transparent ruse is President Banda’s assertion that the proposal on mobile clinics came from the Chinese. Does he mean the Chinese government, EX-IM Bank of China or the China National Aero Technology Import and Export Corporation? And does he mean that his administration is incapable of determining the healthcare needs of the country?

The US$53 million deal has all the characteristics of an attempt by President Banda to use the mobile clinics as a campaign tool for the 2011 general elections, designed to woo voters in rural areas.

This is partly explained by Shikapwasha’s insistence that the views of intended direct beneficiaries like traditional rulers should not be stifled in the debate concerning the mobile clinics. It also explains why an issue relating to healthcare facilities recently found itself on the agenda of the House of Chiefs – for the first time, apparently, in the history of Zambia!

And how does one explain the prominence of single-source procurement by the government during the short period President Banda has been in office, if it is not to reap personal or political benefits from the deals involved? What is the use of having a procurement authority and technocrats in government ministries whose function is merely the acquisition of machinery, equipment and services that are prescribed by ministers or State House?

Blog dedicated to the Indaba

After our calls (here and here) for GRZ to set up a website dedicated to the Indaba, a private citizen has grabbed the initiative and set up a Blog called Indaba Watchdog.

"Transparent tracking and rating progress of the adoption and implementation of recommendations made to Zambian Governement at the National Indaba to deal with the impact of the global financial downturn on Zambia's economy."

It is still thin on detail but I am sure the pages will be populated once the report is made public.

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Where are the voices? Part 2

I questioned why as Zambians we do express our outrage when our politicians and civil servants abuse our meagre resources to fulfil their selfish desires.

Compare this to the furore the MPs' expenses scandal has caused in the UK. The events surrounding this sad development have highlighted the power of the press and also the fact that at the end of the day politicians are accountable to the electorate. The UK taxpayer telethon account was empty when the story first broke last week as MPs continued holding the line "my claim was within the rules". However this changed when the politicians realised that people were really angry at the excesses of the claims. The taxpayer telethon account quickly started swelling as one MP after another started writing out cheques lead by the Honourable member for Salford brandishing a cheque for almost £14000.

Lusaka Times is currently running the following stories highlighting abuse of public resources…

ACC uncovers K10bn theft involving Ministry of Health Officials
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has unearthed a scam in which over K10 billion from the ministry of health has been misappropriated.

Eight accountants nabbed for theft of poverty alleviation money
The Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) has arrested eight accountants at the Ndola cabinet office for theft of over two billion Kwacha meant for poverty reduction programnmes.

Health Human Resources Specialist arrested for theft
A Human Resources Specialist with the Ministry of Health has been arrested by the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) for theft of public funds totalling over K30 million.

Poverty reduction funds diverted to repair the Provincial Minister’s house.
The parliamentary public accounts committee has heard how K108 million meant for poverty reduction in Northern Province were diverted to repair the Provincial Minister’s house.


Perhaps the only consolation in some of these cases is that the suspects has been arrested and charged. The law enforcement agencies should expedite the prosecution of these cases so that the culprits can be made to pay for their crimes against the people of Zambia.

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Negative but positive questions for govt

An interesting piece from Fr. Pete Henriot (Column in the POST 11/05/2009) on the operations of the RTSTA. The season for positive stories has been extended!

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Written by Fr Pete Henriot
Why don’t you write something positive about the government?” That’s a question I sometime get from readers of this column. Whether or not it’s a fair question, I’ll let others judge.

But today I will readily be positive about one government agency that I recently dealt with. And then I’ll follow-up with some questions that are “negative but positive.” By that I mean that these are questions that many of us might ask not simply to criticise the government but to encourage a more constructive approach to development in Zambia.

Well, last week I discovered that it was time to renew my driver’s license. I almost forgot the date of its expiry - and we all know that would not have been a good thing to do! So early one morning, I went in search of the offices of the Road Traffic and Safety Agency (RSTA). As an aside, I find the media adverts of the RSTA really entertaining and educative. I hope that they have some effect in encouraging safer driving and hence saving lives. Driving along the very busy Lumumba Road in Lusaka, I had difficulty in finding the RSTA offices. Some pedestrians were helpful to me, pointing out the slip road along which the offices were located. But why, I thought, could not the Agency put up a big sign welcoming citizens to their offices? Particularly since it is such an important office. Or at least a little sign, pointing out the way for wandering searchers like me? (That’s one of the “negative but positive” questions I referred to above!)
When I finally found the offices and warily entered the premises, I was prepared for a tiring wait in long queues, facing some unfriendly and unhelpful people, and coming away not completely satisfied with my efforts to be a law-abiding person. To my surprise - and here is where I am getting positive! -I encountered very good service indeed. Clear directions from the start, lines not too long, satisfactory answers to my queries, equipment in good working order (no computer breakdowns), clean and neat desks, and even a large television monitor showing some of those entertaining RTSA safety adverts! I left the offices within 45 minutes with what I had come for - picture proof that I could still drive on Zambian roadways for another ten years! Civil servants civilly serving? Now I don’t want to exaggerate and give the impression that the RTSA is an ideal office, a bit of “heaven on earth.” Maybe some others have at other times had other experiences. Probably so. But it did impress me that the Zambian civil service bureaucracy at times can indeed work, civilly delivering civil service!
But why is my happy experience that morning with RTSA not always the case when a person seeks the forms necessary to do her or his business, or the answer to questions important for staying legal and happy? Why are there so many other stories - real “horror stories” - of hours of waiting in line only to be told “Come back tomorrow!” Or of repeated comments like “Your papers are not here - are you sure you really did file them with this office?” Or of subtle hints that some nchekeleko might speed things up, like “I’ve been working here all morning and am really hungry!” (Remember, “bribes” in Zambia are strictly forbidden, but “facilitation fees” are readily accepted!)

So is it fair to ask a “negative but positive” question like why don’t we have a better civil service? All too often, the civil service does seem to slow down the forward march to development in this country. Why aren’t all offices efficient and effective like RSTA - or at least the small and select sample of RSTA I experienced last week?

Summary of Indaba report

The government was quick to declare the indaba that was held at the beginning of April in Lusaka a success. We pointed out that the only way to judge the success of the indaba was to first of all have a record of the proceedings, recommendations and timelines. Armed with this information, Zambians and other interested parties can then make an informed judgement. The suggestion at the time was that a website could be set up where discussions on the issues raised at the Indaba could be discussed.

The ZANIS is reporting that a full report of the Indaba has now been presented to the President. They have been kind enough to provide a summary of the report.

The report has recommended that government should expedite the introduction of discount window to enhance liquidity in the market in order to ensure short-term liquidity is available to the banks and economy at large. The report further recommend that the ministry of finance, in close collaboration with the Bank of Zambia (BOZ), should facilitate provision of the necessary financial support to efforts aimed the development of the economy.It also urged government to enhance support to small and medium scale industries and women entrepreneurs through facilitation of access to finance, provision of tax incentives and removal of discriminatory legislation.The report further urges government to pay off arrears to suppliers of goods and services within three months.It said government should re-examine the corporate tax rates in order to level the playing field in the financial markets and enact appropriate legislation to provide for the functioning of the Credit Reference Bureau.On Agriculture, it has recommended for establishment of a Livestock Bank and re-opening of the co-operative bank, to streamline and enhance access top land and processing of title deeds.It further recommended that government should embark on livestock restocking, compulsory dipping and effect more investment in livestock vaccine research and the promotion of the Public Private Partnership (PPP) in farm block development.On Tourism, the report has recommended for the review of the Tourism and Hospitality Act and Zero rating Value Added Tax (VAT) on tour packages for domestic tourists.It also recommended for the implementation of the Open Sky Policy and the review of the landing and parking fees and the simplification of licensing procedures by introducing a one stop tourism licensing centre.On mining, the report said government should consider the restoration and review of the Mining Development Agreement .It said urged government to consider a power tariff freeze and a custom duty waiver on raw materials and formulation of policies that support local entrepreneur entry into the mining industry.‘Government should set up a task force to review the entire mining industry in the light of the global economic meltdown,’ it added.And the report has urged government to develop an Energy Strategic Master Plan (ESMP) for the electricity sector that allows for better linkages with other sectors.It said government should provide guarantees so as to facilitate access to finance thereby encouraging easier entry of the private sector and the introduction of cost reflective electricity tariff levels.Meanwhile, the report has recommended that the National Road Fund Agency (NRFA) and the Road Development Agency (RDA) be merged.It said government should establish a ministry that would coordinate all infrastructure development programmes to be named Ministry of Works and Infrastructure and establish an effective and comprehensive infrastructure performance monitoring and evaluation system.Other recommendations on infrastructure are that government should develop an integrated National Infrastructure Development Master Plan and set up infrastructure Development Fund.

ZANIS

If this is indeed an accurate summary of the report then the Indaba can not be judged to have been a success! However, I shall give the organizers the benefit of doubt and wait to read the full report.

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The Zambian High Commission in London

I normally use this blog to comment about events in Zambia but it has become necessary to deviate from this philosophy to comment on the Zambian High Commission in London.

Most Zambians accepted the incompetence of the High Commission and found a way of leading their lives in the UK without any contact with the High Commission. However, this changed when GRZ decided to change passports. To my horror the people at the embassy have not changed. They still want to work like they are in Lusaka! The solution to this problem is simple. Instead of filling the High Commission with relatives of the President and MMD cadres, send us people who are dedicated to serving the Zambian community in the UK.

In the meantime, there are number of things that they could do to improve matters at minimal cost such as answering the telephone (the Commission has a receptionist but it seems on certain days it seems like there is nobody to answer the phone. This can be frustrating). Furthermore, the website (http://zhcl.org.uk/) is full of dead links and rarely updated. The contact email (immzhcl@btconect.com) address is wrong and no one has bothered to correct it. It is amazing that at a time when the greatest headache facing Zambians in the UK concerns change of passports, there is absolutely no mention this exercise on the website.

The situation is captured by this comment on the UKZAMBIANS website

BA ZAMBIAN EMBASSY Kwena, you are all incompetent. How do you expect people to know about these renewal exercises ngatababikile ba website yabo? Obviously there is a serious problem if a passport that takes a week to obtain back in zed is taking over 6 months. Its totally unacceptable especially in this country were we are used to fast and efficient services. I think the Zambian community in the UK should sign a petition which should be submitted to the foreign office ku Lusaka, they need to explain why this incompetence and serious last of a sense of urgency that the embassy staff display. If you call the embassy you will be lucky to speak to someone at the first attempt. Receptionist ngasuka fone she puts you thru to a full mailbox so you can’t even leave a message. Tukashibuka lisa kanshi?? Lets be serious these people are in the UK to serve the Zambians here not ukulachita behave kwati they are doing us a favour. I will try and get these comments published mu post so that their bosses ku lusaka can read.

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