Threats attributed to Public Service Commission Chairperson Dickson Chasaya warning civil servants from discussing government issues on Social media prove that we have an extremely unhappy civil service in Zambia, says Gabriel Namulambe.

Last week, Chasaya disclosed that it was spying on civil servants to identify civil servants who were leaking information to the media, and further banned public servants from discussing government matter on social media.

But Namulambe who is former Sports minister and now UPND chairperson for labour and social security said the civil servants who were leaking government documents were PF cadres who had been given government jobs.

W”hat Chasaya needs to grasp is that the confidence and motivation levels in the civil service are at their lowest ebb since Zambian attained independence in 1964. Our civil servants get paid meagre salaries and cannot rely on their wages in order to meet the escalating cost of living in Zambia. They are further demotivated by the high levels of nepotism and caderism being executed by the PF government when it comes to employing and promoting civil servants,” Namulambe said.

“The Civil Service is now riddled with PF cadres. These are the only people that get appointed or promoted. If you are not a PF sympathiser you are quickly frustrated and eventually removed from the position. Nepotism and tribalism are also rife in the Civil Service. Professionalism has been discarded and thrown out of the window. This has drastically reduced efficiency levels in this very important institution of labour.”

He said there was no professionalism in the civil service because it was flooded with ruling party cadres.

“The above stated reasons and many others, are what has caused the leaking of government information through social media. A professional and happy civil service knows better than to leak official government documents or information on social media. The current civil service is the most disgruntled in the history of this country and unless their conditions of service are improved, the leaking of government information will not cease,” said Namulambe.

“As long as the employees are not happy they will always seek other avenues of channelling their grievances. Instead of issuing out empty threats that will not work, we implore Mr Chasaya and the Civil Service Commission, to find a better way of engaging the workers so as to get a better grip and understanding of the situation. Antagonising the already unhappy civil servants isn’t a solution and will not work.”