Mr Ntewewe, we as former workers of Kabwe’s GENERAL PHARMACEUTICALS LTD (GPL) totally agree with what you are saying, that Mansa Batteries workers are just one of many groups in this category of former parastatal workers who were not paid off. At GPL the factory plus 41 staff houses were sold to a Zambian investor for only K250,000 (rebased). This “investor” quickly evicted all we workers from the 41 staff houses and sold them back to GRZ (Defence). He then abandoned the factory and us workers.Our complaints to the then ZPA against this investor proved futile. Our 1995 Lsk High Court case has only just been concluded in May 2020, but the liquidator who should pay us, has also passed the buck to the Attorney General. All this information is still there at ZDA.We are just praying that our kind President comes to our aid as he has done for our Mansa colleagues. About 35 of our former workmates out of the original 75 are now deceased due to poverty related depression- leaving widows and orphans.
YALI President, i doubt whether you have ever heard of a former parastatal company called General Pharmaceuticals Ltd (GPL) of Kabwe whose factory and about 40 company houses were sold by ZPA to a local investor in 1994 (at only K250 Million- unrebased) who then converted all these houses into cash ( which he pocketed) by selling the houses back to the Zambian government. This factory soon ceased operations due to this investor’s pocketing most of the sales revenues. The workers were abandoned without getting their 20years benefits. They went to court in1995 but, only got partial success in a 2020 judgement- but are still not paid up to today due to unknown reasons. We only hope the Republican President will also help these poor desperate senior citizens.
Morning Andrew. I wish to contribute to the current debate on the now long overdue Commission of Enquiry over the early 1990’s privatisation programme, whose objective, i feel, was quite noble. It was just marred by corruption by selfish people, including very senior people at ZPA. When this Enquiry comes, please urge President to include the reparations to be paid to all those of us who NEVER got our terminal benefits. Please take note of the following summarised narration of what happened at Kabwe’s GENERAL PHARMACEUTICALS LTD, in 1994, which was sold as a going concern- with cash in ZANACO and Barclays banks:
This factory, together with 41 staff houses- high, medium and low cost categories- were sold as one whole bloke to a politically connected Zambian (MUTASHI LTD OF LUSAKA- Directors: a Mr Joseph Kasonde and his wife) for only K250 Million (unrebased ). We workers noticed this investor’s lack of experience in the pharmaceutical industry and wanted to get our benefits and retire- although ZPA officials assured us that our ZIMCO conditions will not be disturbed. We begged ZPA officials to pay us off so that those who were interested could then stay on with the new investor and start afresh. ZPA refused, and the factory was handed over to this new owner ( MUTASHI LTD).
However, just a few months later this investor evicted all of us from the 41 houses and sold them back to GRZ’s Defence Ministry and pocketed all the hundreds of millions. Shortly thereafter he abandoned the factory and we workers to a production shutdown due to his siphoning most sales proceeds. We all lost our jobs and our 20 years terminal benefits. Our 1994 Lusaka High Court case, where we sued ZPA, the Company & the Attorney General, took more than 20 years in court. The court assessment judgement was just concluded in May 2020- we were awarded only leave days, unpaid salaries up to 1999 and housing allowances + bank interest todate. However, we still have not been paid as the Liquidator on whom the court lumped these payments is also insisting that the Attorney General pays, since judgement came long after the conclusion of the liquidation process. We are therefore in a dilemma and only hope our Republican President can step in and handle our issue as he did the Mansa Batteries issue. In the meantime more than 30 of our former colleagues are now deceased, leaving widows and many orphans in Kabwe.
Mr Ntewewe, we as former workers of Kabwe’s GENERAL PHARMACEUTICALS LTD (GPL) totally agree with what you are saying, that Mansa Batteries workers are just one of many groups in this category of former parastatal workers who were not paid off. At GPL the factory plus 41 staff houses were sold to a Zambian investor for only K250,000 (rebased). This “investor” quickly evicted all we workers from the 41 staff houses and sold them back to GRZ (Defence). He then abandoned the factory and us workers.Our complaints to the then ZPA against this investor proved futile. Our 1995 Lsk High Court case has only just been concluded in May 2020, but the liquidator who should pay us, has also passed the buck to the Attorney General. All this information is still there at ZDA.We are just praying that our kind President comes to our aid as he has done for our Mansa colleagues. About 35 of our former workmates out of the original 75 are now deceased due to poverty related depression- leaving widows and orphans.
YALI President, i doubt whether you have ever heard of a former parastatal company called General Pharmaceuticals Ltd (GPL) of Kabwe whose factory and about 40 company houses were sold by ZPA to a local investor in 1994 (at only K250 Million- unrebased) who then converted all these houses into cash ( which he pocketed) by selling the houses back to the Zambian government. This factory soon ceased operations due to this investor’s pocketing most of the sales revenues. The workers were abandoned without getting their 20years benefits. They went to court in1995 but, only got partial success in a 2020 judgement- but are still not paid up to today due to unknown reasons. We only hope the Republican President will also help these poor desperate senior citizens.
Morning Andrew. I wish to contribute to the current debate on the now long overdue Commission of Enquiry over the early 1990’s privatisation programme, whose objective, i feel, was quite noble. It was just marred by corruption by selfish people, including very senior people at ZPA. When this Enquiry comes, please urge President to include the reparations to be paid to all those of us who NEVER got our terminal benefits. Please take note of the following summarised narration of what happened at Kabwe’s GENERAL PHARMACEUTICALS LTD, in 1994, which was sold as a going concern- with cash in ZANACO and Barclays banks:
This factory, together with 41 staff houses- high, medium and low cost categories- were sold as one whole bloke to a politically connected Zambian (MUTASHI LTD OF LUSAKA- Directors: a Mr Joseph Kasonde and his wife) for only K250 Million (unrebased ). We workers noticed this investor’s lack of experience in the pharmaceutical industry and wanted to get our benefits and retire- although ZPA officials assured us that our ZIMCO conditions will not be disturbed. We begged ZPA officials to pay us off so that those who were interested could then stay on with the new investor and start afresh. ZPA refused, and the factory was handed over to this new owner ( MUTASHI LTD).
However, just a few months later this investor evicted all of us from the 41 houses and sold them back to GRZ’s Defence Ministry and pocketed all the hundreds of millions. Shortly thereafter he abandoned the factory and we workers to a production shutdown due to his siphoning most sales proceeds. We all lost our jobs and our 20 years terminal benefits. Our 1994 Lusaka High Court case, where we sued ZPA, the Company & the Attorney General, took more than 20 years in court. The court assessment judgement was just concluded in May 2020- we were awarded only leave days, unpaid salaries up to 1999 and housing allowances + bank interest todate. However, we still have not been paid as the Liquidator on whom the court lumped these payments is also insisting that the Attorney General pays, since judgement came long after the conclusion of the liquidation process. We are therefore in a dilemma and only hope our Republican President can step in and handle our issue as he did the Mansa Batteries issue. In the meantime more than 30 of our former colleagues are now deceased, leaving widows and many orphans in Kabwe.