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Rupiah has turned Zambia into a sangwapo, says Sata

Rupiah has turned Zambia into a sangwapo, says Sata
Written by Patson Chilemba and Chibaula Silwamba
Wednesday, February 25, 2009 3:48:09 AM

RUPIAH Banda and his looters in MMD have turned Zambia into a sangwapo, Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata charged yesterday.

And investigations have revealed that MMD deputy national secretary Jeff Kaande had inflated by about K179.4 million the amount which the Ministry of Home Affairs was supposed to pay Dakwa General Dealers, a company owned by MMD Kabwata constituency chairman Chilekwa Munkonge.

Meanwhile, a search at Patents and Companies Registration Office (PACRO) yesterday revealed that three of the seven companies which Kaande had recommended to the Ministry of Home Affairs for payment were not registered companies.

And UPND president Hakainde Hichilema said Zambians voted for trouble when they elected President Rupiah Banda and MMD into office.

Commenting on Kaande's request to the government to pay over K1 billion to food suppliers that had offered to financially support the ruling party, Sata said President Banda had failed to provide leadership as evidenced by rampant corruption in government and MMD. He charged that President Banda was only pre-occupied with enjoying State House and the benefits it brought to him as an individual.

“This is happening because there is no government. As it is now, it is leadership 'sangwapo'. Everybody wants to make money using Rupiah Banda because Rupiah Banda is only there to enjoy. When the leader on top becomes callous, corruption becomes rampant,” Sata said.

“My president [Frederick Chiluba] I served for 10 years became pre-occupied with suits and shoes. There was no leadership, but you see what is happening [to him].”

Sata said it was sad that instead of President Banda accounting himself with good deeds after a narrow and disputed election, corruption, mismanagement and cadre politics had become the order of the day in the government. He challenged President Banda to provide solutions to the many problems the nation was facing such as the depreciating kwacha, job losses and high poverty levels rather than being obsessed with corrupt practices.

“Rupiah Banda is not capable of fighting corruption. He has never condemned corruption ever since he became President. I challenge him to order [Vice-President] George Kunda to give us the name of a supplier supplying suits, uniforms to civil servants attending NCC [National Constitutional Conference],” Sata said.

“[As it is now] it's each one for his own and Zambia for us all…Kaande is the most powerful deputy national secretary because we have a substantive national secretary in MMD but everything is done by Jeff Kaande”

Sata also said it was saddening that the donor community had remained silent when gross corruption was being committed in government.

Sata mockingly said President Banda should be given credit for managing to undo everything late president Mwanawasa stood for.

And records at PACRO revealed that Chilekwa Munkonge is a sole owner of Dakwa General Dealers. The records indicated that Dakwa General Dealers' registered office is at plot number 186, Luanshya Road in Lusaka.

Munkonge yesterday confirmed that Dakwa General Dealers supplies food to the Ministry of Home Affairs but argued that he was not aware about Kaande's letter to former permanent secretary Susan Sikaneta asking her to speed up the payments for his company and six other companies that pledged to financially support the ruling MMD.

He said he did not know that Kaande had written a letter to Sikaneta requesting her to facilitate the quick payment to suppliers, including his company.

“I don't know anything apart from what I have just read in the newspaper,” Munkonge said.

Asked if he had supplied food to the Ministry of Home affairs, Munkonge responded: “Yes I do…but I don't know about the balance. I have just read in the newspaper about that.”

Asked if Kaande included the name of his company in the letter without his knowledge and authorisation, Munkonge responded: “Aah! Aah! I don't know anything…I have just read in the newspaper. I am saying I don't know anything…Ba Chibaula finshinachita kanshi? [Chibaula, what have I done?]”

Further asked whether the government owed his company K291 million as indicated in Kaande's letter or K111.6 million which was indicated on the payment sheet for November 2008 by the ministry, Munkonge could not give a figure.

“Unless I check through my records,” said Munkonge.

According to the payment sheet for November, 2008, Dakwa General Dealers supplied dry kapenta and its LPO number is 80012293TX, LPO date October 9, 2008 and invoice number 34. Dakwa General Dealers was also paid K17 million leaving a balance of K94.6 million.

The payment sheet revealed that before the November payment Dakwa General Dealers' outstanding balance was K111.6 million and not K291 million written in Kaande's letter.

This disparate shows that Kaande in his letter to Sikaneta had inflated the amount the Ministry of Home Affairs was supposed to pay Dakwa General Dealers by K179.4 million.

On other companies, the search at PACRO revealed that Miyele Enterprises, whose registration office is stand number 10 at COMESA Market is sole owned by Donald Henzee Bwalya of Chawama Compound in Lusaka. The records showed that Miyele Enterprises' nature of business is food supply.

Miyele Enterprise had supplied dry beans and on invoice number 27, LPO number 560143HB, LPO date June 6, 2008. Miyele Enterprise was paid K17 million leaving K22.9 million as balance.

The payment sheet revealed that before the November payment Miyele Enterprise's outstanding balance was only K39.9 million and not K95 million written in Kaande's letter.

A further search at PARCO revealed that Sunlight Estates Natural Development's nature of business is farming and food supply and is owned by Jeff Mwila Simpson Musonda and Thandi Musonda of Lusaka West.

Sunlight Estates and Natural had supplied dry Kapenta and its LPO number is 560111HB, LPO date February 18, 2008 and invoice number 143. The company was only paid K17 million leaving an outstanding balance of K74, 494, 000.

The payment sheet revealed that before the November payment Sunlight Estates' outstanding balance was K91, 494, 000 and not the K300 million that Kaande had written in his letter.

Records further revealed that Mark Marketing's business is food and stationery supply and dealers and is owned by Bena Kaimbi of Matero East in Lusaka.

The records showed that Mark Marketing's registration office is room number 133, The Point Shopping Kamwala in Lusaka.

However, in the payment sheet of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Mark Marketing was not paid the K50 million indicated in Kaande's letter because that company did not appear on the list of suppliers owed by the ministry.

A further check at PACRO revealed that Liki Enterprise, Bangosho Enterprise and Mavin Marketing [or Marvin Marketing] were not registered companies, according to the records.

But documents of payment at the Ministry of Home Affairs, revealed that Liki Enterprise was paid K10 million, as noted by the funding committee to be the amount owed by the ministry to the company, and not the K400 million which Kaande had written in his letter. However, there were no details on what Liki Enterprise supplied, date when the commodity was supplied and the invoice number

The Ministry of Home Affairs did not pay Bangosho Enterprise, just like Mark Marketing, because it was not on the list of suppliers the ministry owed.

Marvin Marketing which supplied dry kapenta with LPO number 560225HB, LPO date, November 13, 2007 and invoice number 11 was paid part of its money.

The payment sheet revealed that before the November payment Marvin marketing's outstanding balance was K120 million and not K130 million in Kaande's letter.

A search at PACRO for details of Marvin Marketing as written on the payment sheet and Mavin Marketing as written in Kaande's letter proved futile because the names did not appear in the data base. This means that the companies may not be registered.

According to records at PACRO, Dakwa General Dealers, Miyele Enterprises, Mark Marketing and Sunlight Estates Natural Development are Lusaka-based and registered companies but all, except Mark Marketing, were paid under Copperbelt region.

Meanwhile, Hakainde Hichilema said Zambians were now courting trouble because they made a mistake by voting for President Banda.

He said MMD was so endemically corrupt that if it were a human being it could have been diagnosed with incurable corruption.

Hichilema said the action by Kaande and former home home affairs and now sports permanent secretary Susan Sikaneta amounted to corruption and that they should both be visited by the Anti-Corruption Comm-ission (ACC) for possible arrest.

He said Sikaneta should step down because she had proved that she was an MMD cadre by taking instructions from the MMD secretariat.

Hichilema asked Sikaneta to step down from her position because despite getting paid from taxpayers’ money, she was serving the interests of MMD.

“That's why she's moving from ministry to ministry because she has been infected with corruption. How did these companies get chosen to supply? Did they tender? Even if they did, someone instructed that they be given the contract,” Hichilema said. “This is the reason why we are saying that cadres should not be appointed permanent secretaries.”

Hichilema said he would visit ACC officials to find out why they were not investigating clear cases of corruption being committed by MMD and its government.

“Whose interest are they [ACC] serving? Who is paying their salary? It's taxpayers money,” Hichilema said. “In the meantime we are waiting for [communications and transport minister] Dora Siliya to step down.”

According to correspondence obtained by The Post, Kaande in November last year requested then home affairs permanent secretary Sikaneta to pay over K1 billion to seven food suppliers that pledged financial support to the ruling party.

According to the documents, the figures for Liki Enterprise on Kaande's list was inflated by over K380 million while two other suppliers were not owed anything by the Ministry of Home Affairs although Kaande stated that they were owed K50 million each.

In his letter dated 11th November 2008 to Sikaneta on the MMD letterhead, Kaande requested her to facilitate the payments according to what they had discussed earlier.

“List of companies pledging to support the party,” read Kaande's letter in part. “Please consider assisting the companies below as discussed: - (1) Sunlight Estates - 300,000,000 (2) Dakwa General Dealers- 291,000,000 (3) Mavin Marketing - 130,000,000 (4) Miyele Enterprise - 95,000,000 (5) Liki Enterprise-400,000,000 (6) Bangosho Enterprise-50,000,000 (7) Mark Marketing-50,000,000. Total 1,025,000,000.”

When contacted for comment on Monday, Sikaneta confirmed having received Kaande's letter but referred all queries to the current permanent secretary because she was no longer in charge at Ministry of Home Affairs.

Labels: RUPIAH BANDA, SATA

posted by MrK @ 3:48 AM