MPOROKOSO PF MP Brian Mundubile says the decision to purchase Zambeef PLC’s Chiawa Estate Farm in Kafue District at $13.5 million is motivated by corruption under the UPND government.
And LUNTE PF MP Mutotwe Kafwaya says government must cancel the purchase of Chiawa farm because it is not in the best interest of Zambians.
Government has disclosed that it has purchased Zambeef PLC’s Chiawa Estate Farm in Kafue District at $13.5 million and handed it over to the Zambia National Service (ZNS) and Zambia Correctional Service (ZCS) for its management.
Addressing journalists, Monday, Mundubile said President Hakainde Hichilema should reflect on the corruption scandals under his reign.
“Today marks three years of UPND that they forgave criminals who stole $2.5 billion from Zambians, they allowed them to go scot-free and withdrew cases from court. They allowed mining houses to walk away with $1 billion worth of taxes and only asked them to pay $23 million. We’re getting reports of K51 billion in FIC. Just these few examples, the energy with which the UPND were speaking against corruption, we have over 30 scandals. The latest being the purchase of the Chiawa land. That’s a scandal. We want to ask His Excellency the President to vacate that transaction immediately. Corruption will come by way of policy administration and legislation. How did this decision to buy this land come about? Was it advertised? Were there other pieces of land being sold? We donate 10,000 hectares to Rwandese then go and buy a smaller portion of land? What type of transactions are these?” he wondered.
“The reports will show you that if government spent $13.5 million, which is K300 million, they’d introduce not less than 300 kilometers of roads in the Kalungwishi farming block. The $13.5 million could’ve resolved the infrastructure challenges on Kalungwishi farming block. So the motivation to acquire this land cannot be for increased maize production. It’s pure corruption. If the motivation was to increase maize production, Kalungwishi farming block would’ve received K300 million and farming activities would’ve started. We want the President to know that this is a scandal. Mr President sit back and reflect upon the scandals that have befallen this country for the past three years. It’s too much. These scandals involve colossal sums of money. If ZNS and Zambia Correctional Service are looking for land, Northern Province has land which belongs to government”
Mundubile said the UPND was conducting deals that were only benefiting a few people in government.
“They went on quoting three major scandals in PF. The 41 fire tenders, 48 houses, which ended up being connected more to them than PF and the purchase of ambulances. Corruption in the UPND is endemic. Even when you call them out, they can’t stop it. They’ve continued giving each other consent judgements. Government is losing money everyday using consent judgements. The UPND government thinks everybody is dull and they can say they are very methodical. How are they accounting for the money that came from the sell of maize? We demand to know [how] the money for the sell of maize is being accounted for. We’re also demanding [to know how] the money from exports of power is being accounted for. In the UPND, when they do something consistently, there must be personal interest. They could cancel the export of maize and power, that’s evidence of something wrong,” said Mundubile.
Meanwhile, Kafwaya called on government to cancel the purchase of Chiawa farm because it was not in the best interest of Zambians.
“Government is doing so at a time when the cost of commodities is so high? Government is doing so when load-shedding is around 20 hours per day? This is one of the most unfortunate transactions. If it is important to give ZNS and the Zambia Correctional Service more land, why can’t you give them part of the six million that you wanted to give the Vietnamese? How will ZNS develop it if they can’t develop their own land in Kabwe or Kasama? I want to call upon government to cancel this decision because it’s not in the best interest of the Zambian people. You can’t pay $13.5 million for land when you’re even giving land to foreigners,” said Kafwaya.
“I want to challenge Mr Hakainde Hichilema to make sure that before he opens the fourth session of the 13th National Assembly, he should traverse the country. He should go round the country to see how people are suffering. I demand that he does not less than 10 trips. Go to North Western, Muchinga, Eastern, Western, Central, Luapula, Copperbelt to see how people are suffering. You can exclude Southern Province, you’ve been there too many times”.
