Wed, 18 Jan 2017 09:56:33 +0000
By Charles Musonda
THE Patriotic Front (PF) youths in Lusaka have warned United Progressive Party (UPP) leader Saviour Chishimba to stop using the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and the media to gain political mileage.
And the Public and Private Drivers Association of Zambia (PPDAZ) has cautioned Dr. Chishimba against making wild allegations on issues he was ignorant about.
Mr Kamba has also challenged Dr. Chishimba to name any of the government official involved in the maizegate scandal and state which institution in the transaction had received the money.
Mr Kamba said it was public knowledge that Dr. Chishimba was facing a possible arrest for misappropriating public resources when he was given an opportunity to serve at the Commonwealth Youth Programme.
Dr. Chishimba had been cited in the Auditor General’s report as having misappropriated public resources and his sustained attacks on the Zambian and Malawian governments were meant to divert attention from his
possible prosecution.
Dr. Chishimba has accused Minister of Home Affairs Stephen Kampyongo, Minister of Youth and Sport Moses Mawere, and former Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Panji Kaunda of corruption in the youth bus empowerment scheme launched by Vice President Inonge Wina last year.
In an interview in Lusaka yesterday, PF Lusaka Province Youth Chairman Kennedy Kamba said Dr. Chishimba must concentrate on organising his party if he had political muscle rather than rushing to the media and ACC to malign government officials.
“As youths we will not allow Saviour Chishimba to tarnish the image of our National Youth Chairman Honourable Stephen Kampyongo and Honourable Mawere because we know how the two ministers came into the youth bus empowerment,” Mr Kamba said.
He said if Dr. Chishimba was genuine about the fight against corruption, he should quietly report suspects rather than rushing to the media before reporting.
Meanwhile, PPDAZ president Josias Majuru says Dr. Chishimba must not make wild allegations on issues he was ignorant about. Mr Majuru said PPDAZ was doing its level best to implement the youth bus empowerment initiative whose information has been in public domain from inception. “Those who are interested have come and we have shared information with them and it is sad that people from outside can start talking about what is happening inside. We have the business proposal, the memorandum of understanding, and the loan agreement and we follow these in everything we do,” he said.
According to him, the youth bus empowerment initiative was entered into by PPDAZ, the Ministry of Transport and Communications, the Ministry of Youth and Sport and Higer Buses, which has so far supplied 25 buses to PPDAZ youth members.
Each bus has been allocated to seven youths and contrary to Dr. Chishimba’s claims, the initiative was not funded by a grant from the Chinese Government but it was a loan agreement which the beneficiaries have to pay back before they could become owners of the buses.
