Sata accuses Shikapwasha of admitting tender manipulation for LITASCO

Sata accuses Shikapwasha of admitting tender manipulation for LITASCO
By Chibaula Silwamba
Sun 06 Dec. 2009, 04:01 CAT

PF president Michael Sata has said chief government spokesperson Lieutenant General Ronnie Shikapwasha has admitted that the government was trying to manipulate the tender process in favour of Russia’s LITASCO to supply and deliver crude oil to Zambia.

Reacting to Lt Gen Shikapwasha’s denunciation of his remarks on LITASCO, Sata said Lt Gen Shikapwasha ignorantly admitted the government’s manoeuvres to manipulate the tender process.

“Shikapwasha did not deny that the government was tampering with the tender process to favour LITASCO. What Shikapwasha was trying to do was to justify that the whole Europe gets oil from Russia. That is admission. What he was doing was admission,” Sata said. “Shikapwasha suffers from an incurable complex because he was justifying that Europeans get fuel from Russia, so why can’t we also get fuel from Russia?

That is why Shikapwasha has even abandoned late president Levy Mwanawasa’s legacy. No wonder tomorrow you will find that he has changed his name to Tembo Shikapwasha or Banda Shikapwasha.”
He said Lt Gen Shikapwasha behaved the way works and supply minister Mike Mulongoti behaved when he commented on the controversial acquittal of former president Frederick Chiluba.

“Like the other time you remember Mulongoti confessed that the government acquitted Chiluba. Shikapwasha, while he was trying to be honest by saying ‘yes the government’, he was trying to justify [LITASCO),” Sata said.
He said Lt Gen Shikapwasha, in his media statement, failed to answer the questions that were being raised about the irregularities in the government’s plans to give a contract to LITASCO.

“When he condemned me, he said the whole Europe gets fuel from Russia. Now, the reason why Europe gets fuel from Russia is that Russia is nearer to where they are than the Middle East. But we in Africa we are much more nearer to the Middle East than Russia,” Sata said. “I am now glad that we are being proved right that corruption won’t take them anywhere.

This government must realise that it’s not only me and Hakainde who is talking about corruption; even the donor community is not very comfortable. The Irish Ambassador was advising Rupiah Banda yesterday Thursday and everybody continues reminding Rupiah Banda about corruption.

“Even the chiefs are coming out in the open to say how they are suffering. They want somebody to liberate them. Mr Rupiah Banda and people like Shikapwasha and Mulongoti should think twice.”

Sata urged Zambians to continue holding the government accountable on the crude oil import.

“We have to continue hitting them because if we don’t hit them we are the people who are going to suffer because we are the people who are going to pay more for the fuel which will be coming from wherever, taking into consideration transportation costs,” said Sata. “Because of his ignorance, unknowingly, Shikapwasha has come to confirm what I was saying about the LITASCO issue.”
On Wednesday, Lt Gen Shikapwasha defended LITASCO, saying it was not a conman company but a reputable one. This was after Sata said the government intends to corruptly award the tender to LITASCO, which is just a “conman company”.

However, Lt Gen Shikapwasha did not state whether or not it was true that the government was trying to use Zambia Public Procurement Authority (ZPPA) to rubber stamp the selection of LITASCO, which energy minister Kenneth Konga has allegedly negotiated with, as a preferred bidder to supply and delivery of 1.4 million metric tonnes of crude oil.

Well-placed government sources disclosed that the Ministry of Energy submitted before ZPPA a tender document inviting bidders but there were efforts to doctor the same document in an effort to eliminate competition and allow LITASCO to be awarded a contract because the company staff had met President Banda at State House in June where it was assured that it would be given the tender.
But due to public pressure, the Ministry of Energy has postponed the deadline for the tender process in the supply and delivery of crude oil for the 2010-2011 period, following The Post's expose’.

The source said the rescheduling was meant to give the government time to review the tender documents in an effort to address the issues that had been raised so far.

“Even then, we do not feel what the dates they are proposing will be sufficient,” the source said. “The rescheduling of the tender process is a welcome move although we are yet to see if they are going to attend to all the issues that you have exposed. And thanks to The Post otherwise President Banda could have quickly pushed for LITASCO if you did not expose this matter. But just continue on alert because these people, especially State House, are determined to give this tender to LITASCO.”

Ministry of Energy and Water Development permanent secretary Teddy Kasonso on Friday declined to comment on the crude oil importation.
“I don’t work for The Post. Let me work first. I am in a meeting. Call me later,” said Kasonso before cutting the phone line.