PRESIDENT Hakainde Hichilema has lambasted his Cabinet Ministers and Permanent Secretaries for manifesting extravagant and wasteful behaviors by procuring for themselves luxurious Toyota VXs motor vehicles when most Zambians who were voters are suffering.
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President Hichilema has demanded that Ministers, Permanent Secretaries and directors should immediately cut their lavish expenditures because they were not in offices to enrich themselves but to serve Zambians who had given them the privilege of superintending on national affairs.
Addressing workers and employers during the International Labour Day at the Freedom Statute in Lusaka yesterday, President Hichilema expressed disgust that Ministers and Permanent Secretaries including directors in the civil service had bought for themselves the VXs motor vehicles against his policy direction.
The head of State stated that he had been moving around and had seen a lot of VXs motor vehicles and that he was not amused that his government that had promised Zambians of being thrift had some of his Ministers living lavishly at the expense of the many Zambians.
Mr Hichilema said Ministers and Permanent Secretaries should not be driving expensive Toyota Land cruiser VX at the expense of poor Zambians, many of whom he said could not even afford to buy a bicycle.
The President said he was aware that the cost of one Toyota VX motor vehicle could be able to sink about 20 boreholes as well as build a clinic in rural areas where medical facilities were often not easy to access.
He said the funds which can be used to buy a Toyota VX can be used to sink boreholes, build clinics, buy medicines in hospitals or buy school desks.
The 2023 International Labour Day commemorations are under the theme: “Accelerating job creation for economic growth”
Mr. Hichilema said his new dawn government shall not allow laziness and shall not accept stealing from people and that he was not going to allow Ministers to buy and drive expensive vehicles while the Zambians suffering.
President Hichilema said the new dawn government shall continue to save money to pay to students’ meal allowances.
“We the workers must be conscious that we were employed by the people. Let us not work on wastage in the country. We need to stop the unnecessary expenditure and let us save the money for important things rather than buying Toyota Land cruiser VXs which is so expensive…and I am serious about this. One VX can sink 20 boreholes or build a clinic in a total area,’’ President Hichilema said.
Mr. Hichilema also stated that the Zambia Congress of trade union (ZCTU) should be addressing such issues of careless expenditure of government workers buying expensive vehicles instead of saving or investing money into something tangible.
“Youth needs jobs, and we have already created employment for 30,000 teachers which is a good step, Constituency development fund CDF has helped the youths have some businesses and the orphans in the community are now in schools getting the free education by the new dawn government,’’ President Hichilema said.
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