Maravi

‘Govt scheming to replace TAZARA acting MD Chipewo’

‘Govt scheming to replace TAZARA acting MD Chipewo’
Written by Chibaula Silwamba

RELIABLE sources at the Ministry of Communications and Transport have revealed that some Zambian government officials plan to replace TAZARA acting managing director Henry Chipewo with a 'friendly' person to facilitate illegal importation of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) maize into the country.

And the sources revealed that the differences between Chipewo and former minister of communications and transport Dora Siliya started when he increased the rates at which Nyiombo Investments was supposed to transport fertiliser on TAZARA from Tanzania to Zambia.

According to insiders, some importers of maize wanted to use Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) to import GMO maize from South Africa but abandoned the idea after management at the railway company queried them as to why they wanted to use Dar es Salaam to import maize from South Africa when they could have used the Livingstone route which was shorter.

"Recently, some people who are well connected to senior government officials wanted to import maize into Zambia from South Africa and they approached TAZARA management so that they could use TAZARA to transport the maize. But when TAZARA management asked these guys why they did not use the Livingstone route, which is nearer to Zambia than Dar es Salaam if the maize was coming from South Africa and if the consignment was GMO maize, the guys were startled and that's how they left and they have not gone back to TAZARA," the source said.

"So that gives you an idea of the politics attached to TAZARA; it seems these big guys in government want to be using TAZARA for their own personal advantage. We are dealing with selfish people here. So they are trying to push out Chipewo and put in their own person who will cover up their deals."

The sources said the differences between Chipewo and Siliya started over Nyiombo Investments.

"First of all, their interest is Nyiombo, the fertiliser supplier. The fight started a long time ago. It seems when Chipewo first started as acting managing director, he discovered that Nyiombo was given very low rates of transporting its fertiliser to Zambia. The rates were so low across the board, so Chipewo changed the rates, he adjusted the rates upwards," the source said. "Siliya had flown to Dar es Salaam on three occasions to discuss these issues and during a meeting, she told Chipewo that 'you cannot charge Nyiombo this much. It's a private company.' But Chipewo told her that the rates were too low but Siliya insisted that he could not do that. She was in very good books with the managing director of Nyiombo."

When contacted, Nyiombo Investments managing director Dr Maurice Jangulo said he was in a meeting and later requested for written questions and a press query was sent to him but since Monday last week, he has not responded.

The sources said the government, through its officials in the Ministry of Communications and Transport, was trying to protect companies that were "politically correct" and financially support the MMD.

The sources said Tanzanian ministers, during a council of ministers meeting early April in Lusaka, opposed the Zambian government's manoeuvres to remove Chipewo.

The sources said the Zambian government had introduced a new person during the council of ministers, with whom they wanted to replace Chipewo but the Tanzanian ministers refused saying the council of ministers did not have powers to hire a managing director because that was a responsibility of the board.

"During the council of ministers on April 9, 2009, there were three ministers from Zambia and three from Tanzania; there was Siliya, [finance and national planning minister] Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane and [commerce minister Felix] Mutati and from Tanzania there was the Minister of Finance, Minister of Trade and Minister of Infrastructure," the source said.

The sources said after the three Zambian ministers failed to convince their Tanzanian counterparts, they referred to the matter to the board.

"The board of directors meeting took place on 7th and 9th April, 2009; in fact it was not even a meeting, it was just a question of bringing board and management members and telling them to advertise the position of director within two weeks to employ a new MD. There was no board resolution at all; it was just a directive from the minister. The advert should be running in Tanzanian newspapers by now," the source said. "That happened just after the council of ministers meeting, it should have been on 29th March or somewhere there."

When contacted over the weekend, Chipewo declined to comment on the issues.

Meanwhile, communications and transport permanent secretary Mukuka Zimba refused to respond to questions, saying in the past she was not given a chance to explain what was happening at TAZARA before a story from retirees was published.

"I saw an article in the paper about that. Why didn't you wait for me? Where is that person who wrote that article about TAZARA last time? This is when you are asking me about this? Why do you want me to make a clarification [comment]?" asked Zimba, who sounded angry, before cutting the phone line.

Labels: HENRY CHIPEWO, PARASTATALS, TAZARA

posted by MrK @ 4:00 PM