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.”
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.”
The PANEL
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