Maravi

Govt intends to abolish visa fees – Mulongoti

Govt intends to abolish visa fees – Mulongoti
Written by Edwin Mbulo in Kazungula
Monday, June 15, 2009 3:07:27 PM

WORKS and supply minister Mike Mulongoti has disclosed that the government intends to abolish visa fees. And Kazungula Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) officer-in-charge Clement Mulenga says the authority has begun sensitising tourists and people not to go through third parties to avoid being cheated by thieves at the border.

Speaking when he toured Kazungula border area on Saturday, Mulongoti said that the immigration officers needed to be alert.

"At political level there are plans to abolish visas, if that is done the immigration is going to be irrelevant, you need to help raise the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the nation," he said.

He further instructed the Engineering Services Cooperation (ESCO) officers to clean the border area and put up security lights and a welcome signage.

"If you have a clean environment even people conduct themselves well. By November, plans for the Kazungula Bridge would be completed and when the bridge is completed you shall even have more traffic to deal with. As for the police, you need to expand the police post. Let's plan for the bridge as there would be more influx of people after the bridge is completed," he said.

Mulongoti who was accompanied by acting Kazungula council secretary Namukolo Kalufyana and district commissioner Fred Siasuntwe was also shown two uncompleted government houses, which have been occupied by unknown people after the death of the contractor.

And welcoming Mulongoti earlier, Mulenga said that ZRA was understaffed and appealed for more staff.

"We are sensitising people not to go through third parties to reduce thefts. The biggest challenge we are facing as ZRA is the fencing as people who go though the area pretend that they are ZRA or immigration officers when they are not due to lack of a security fence," he said.

Mulenga added that once a perimeter fence was put in place, there would be controlled movement at the border.

"We will remove all the people loitering and pretending to be ZRA and immigration officials when they are not but with the absence of a fence it is difficult. However the other issue is that of the capacity of the pontoon. All the trucks you see here are cleared but due to limitations on the capacity of the pontoon which can only ferry one truck at a time, trade in the region has increased and we attend to well over 40 trucks on a daily basis but the pontoon capacity makes the area look congested as we receive about 120 trucks on a daily basis," said Mulenga.

And Mulongoti on Saturday heard that only 30 per cent of the first phase of the Zimba-Livingstone 30-kilometre road had been done.

Mulongoti who toured the Zimba-Livingstone road said that so far the indications were that China Geo Construction (CGC) was doing a good job on the road.

"Our commitment to the people of Zambia is that we mean what we say and we don't expect the road works to go beyond November. As a government we don't look at UPND as our mandate is for the whole nation. We will not be destructed in the province. The people of the Southern Province should consider what we have done, if they think otherwise it is up to them even. If they don't vote for us we shall meet their requirements, we are not fearing any political pact," he said.

And speaking earlier at Livingstone General Hospital where he had gone to visit acting Siavonga district commissioner Aaron Siamuzulu who collapsed on Friday, Mulongoti said that all was normal at the hospital despite the nurses strike.

The acting district commissioner died yesterday morning at around 05:00 hours.

"All essential services are continuing. All is normal as I have been briefed by the acting director (Dr Robert Fubisha) as there has been no BID (Brought In Dead) case and that the hospital yesterday (Friday) received a surgeon from Lusaka. I would however appeal to the health staff to come back for work like yesterday. They are employed to look after people's lives. We want them. It is not a win-win situation. It's a win for all. We want the public to be attended to," he said.

And Roads Development Agency (RDA) chairman Walusiku Lisulo has instructed the Zimba-Livingstone road engineer to speed up the road works before the onset of the rains so as not to inconvenience the travelling public any further.

Labels: CLEMENT MULENGA, INFRASTRUCTURE, MIKE MULONGOTI, MINISTRY OF WORKS AND SUPPLY, ZRA

posted by MrK @ 2:11 PM