Maravi

Teta is lying on hearses – Sata

Teta is lying on hearses – Sata
Written by Patson Chilemba
Saturday, May 30, 2009 3:47:24 PM

PATRIOTIC Front (PF) president Michael Sata yesterday charged that local government minister Benny Tetamashimba is lying because his statements on the hearses have been filled with contradictions. But Tetamashimba said he could not keep quiet over who made the decision to procure hearses because he was being accused of receiving kickbacks.

Commenting on Tetamashimba's statement that he and President Rupiah Banda were not involved in the procurement of hearses, Sata said Tetamashimba was lying because he was local government deputy minister and knew what was happening.

He said it was impossible for Tetamashimba not to know what was happening when he served as a deputy to former local government minister Sylvia Masebo.

Sata said Tetamashimba was contradicting himself because he recently said the ministry paid for the 100 hearses in December last year.

He said Tetamashimba had changed positions because of pressure from the public who wanted to know who had pocketed the US $20,000 on each of the 100 hearses that were bought.

"The documents we have show that those hearses cost US $9,000, but they said those hearses cost US $29,000. So we want to know who has pocketed US $20,000 and why is he bringing in Rupiah Banda? Have they shared the money?" Sata asked when he featured on a Radio Yatsani programme yesterday morning.

He wondered why the government went to buy the hearses from China when there were several companies in the country dealing in the sale of motor vehicles.

"And why pay them at government to government level? Why was he in a hurry that by December they pay? I want to know in whose pockets the US $20,000 dollars is. Anna Chifungula can you go to local government so that you can tell us who has pocketed the money," Sata said.

"He's [Tetamashimba] a champion of doom. He jumps on anything which pleases him, that's why he went to chief Mumena so that he can support him on the hearses and mobile hospitals."

Sata said people wanted to receive kickbacks and that was why they procured goods and services centrally.

Sata said late president Levy Mwanawasa opposed the purchase of hearses just as he was opposed to salary increments for constitutional office holders and senior government officials.

But Tetamashimba said he could not keep quiet on who made the decision to purchase hearses when he and President Banda were being accused of receiving kickbacks.

"Do you think I am supposed to agree to that, to remain quiet when you are accusing me of receiving kickbacks? You are being unfair, you are bought by Sata. I am just refusing, you were mentioning that it's Rupiah Banda and me," said Tetamashimba.

On Thursday, Tetamashimba said the decision to buy hearses, tractors and boats was made by Masebo during president Mwanawasa's reign.

He said Masebo revealed to him that she remembered hearses being budgeted for at a cost of K8 billion but that the ministry had now spent K14 billion on the procurement.

On May 19, 2009, when contacted for comment on the procurement of hearses, Tetamashimba said the budget to buy the hearses was prepared before he became local government minister although he was not aware of the procurement.

Tetamashimba said the director of local government informed him that the government had paid about K14 billion for the hearses last year and that the vehicles had arrived in the country.

He went on to justify that the vehicles would be given to the councils to help people in the rural areas because they were in most cases exploited when burying their dead.

But on May 20, 2009, Tetamashimba changed his position, saying his ministry paid for the 100 hearses in December last year.

"I am the minister of local government. They [hearses] were bought last year. So for now everything that happens falls on my back. I paid for these things in December. The money was paid when I was local government minister. Don't blame Honourable Sylvia Masebo, it's me. I have got these vehicles and I am going to give to every district," Tetamashimba had said.

And Sata said corruption had become more alarming in the nation than it had ever been in the country's history. He said President Banda should not just concentrate on sealing the Ministry of Health but should do so with other government ministries and institutions where corruption was rampant.

Sata said President Banda could not fight corruption.

"He has seen that all the money is already gone out of health ministry, that's why he says ‘seal’," he said.

Sata also said the country would not be in such a deplorable state if former president Frederick Chiluba had continued where Dr Kenneth Kaunda left.

He said president Mwanawasa did not achieve much because Chiluba had not left a development platform for him.

Sata further confirmed that PF had commenced talks with the United Party for National Development (UPND) and hoped to extend the same to Heritage Party (HP) president Brigadier General Godfrey Miyanda.

One of the callers to the same programme, Reverend Edith Mutale encouraged Sata to continue speaking for the voiceless.

She said recently there was a revelation that MMD deputy national secretary Jeff Kaande wrote a letter to then home affairs permanent secretary Susan Sikaneta to pay suppliers who had pledged support to the MMD but the issue had gone quiet.

She said the public would want to know what happened over the issue.

Rev Mutale said accountants at Ministry of Health should be probed because there was no way Henry Kapoko could have committed alleged corruption without them.

Rev Mutale said she bled to see countries like Uganda which were behind develop rapidly when Zambia was still in poverty.

Labels: BENNY TETAMASHIMBA, SATA

posted by MrK @ 2:50 PM