The Parliamentary Committee on Parastatal Bodies chairperson Peter Daka says the committee will enforce sanctions on parastatals and other state owned enterprises that are performing poorly.

And Zambia’s High Commissioner to South Africa Emmanuel Mwamba says State owned enterprises still play a vital role in improving domestic economies.

According to a statement issued by First Secretary for press and public relations at the Zambian High Commission in South Africa Naomi Nyawali, Wednesday, Daka was speaking in Pretoria when he led a team of committee members on an in-depth study tour of the management and operation of the South African Industrial Development Corporation and other State Owned Enterprises.

Daka, who is also Msanzala PF member of parliament said his committee had legal powers to recommend sanctions against parastatals and state owned enterprises that were failing to bring benefits to Zambia.

He further said that parastatals were created to help improve the local economy and create job opportunities for many Zambians.

“Parastatals and state owned enterprises should be successful in implementing their mandates without government’s help. Parastatals were created to help improve the local economy and create job opportunities for many Zambians,” he said.

And Daka urged the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) to play a proactive role in sourcing for funding and recapitalisation of parastatals.

He said this was to ensure that they were successfully performing according to their mandates.

Meanwhile Zambia’s High Commissioner to South Africa Emmanuel Mwamba said State owned enterprises still played a vital role in improving domestic economies.

He said the South African model of managing parastatals demonstrated a good example that Zambia needed to maintain the idea of having functioning state owned enterprises.

Mwamba noted that the Parliamentary Committee’s study to South Africa was timely as the country was running some of the world’s largest and successful parastatals that had helped to prop-up that country’s economy.

The full Committee on Parastatal Bodies comprises; Peter Daka (Msanzala PF MP), Patricia Mwashingwele (Katuba UPND MP), Mulowa Mukumbuta (Senanga UPND MP), Brian Kambita (Zambezi East UPND MP), Mumbi Phiri (nominated), Anthony Kasandwe (Bangweulu PF MP), Gift Chiyalika (Lufubu PF MP), Mutotwe Kafwayaya (Lunte PF MP), and Moono Lubezhi (Namwala UPND MP), Douglas Siakalima (Chirundu UPND MP).