The Technical Education, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training Authority – TEVETA has disclosed that about ten (10) institutions have been caught forging its registration certificates, purporting that they are registered to fraudulently access constituency development funds – CDF.
TEVETA revealed that it has been put as a requirement for students to be sponsored under the constituency development fund that the institution a particular student is applying from should be registered with Teveta, because there is an amount called CDF Teveta bursary meant for students who want to go into Teveta institutions.
Manager corporate affairs at TEVETA Siachiyako Clive stated that the students in these institution are drawn from different constituencies and the respective constituency paid to the purported institutions.
In an interview with the Zambian Business Times – ZBT, TEVETA corporate affairs manager said the constituencies were different students are coming from had no reason not to pay because documents purporting that they were registered with Teveta were presented to them.
He said that the constituencies will get their money back, and the institutions involved in this matter will be reported to Police so that they can be persecuted, he added that the court will decide on what happens to them after wards weather they will pay all the affected students or not, “our immediate interest is that the they are reported to the police as per procedure then the national persecution authority picks up their role”, he said.
Among the ten (10) institutions that have been alleged to be in this dubious act, is Pascal operating training institute in Ndola, pabrob operators training institute in Ndola and heavy duty operators which is in Ndola, Kitwe and other campuses.
Siachiyako said that the ward development committees are supposed to sieve, by getting in touch with Teveta, he said some of the committees are able to get in touch with Teveta and clarify if a particular institution which has been presented is registered and Teveta is able to clarify.” Some of them I don’t know if its oversight or probably not paying attention, they ended up paying”, he confirmed.
Permanent Secretary in charge of Administration, Ministry of Local government and rural development, Maambo Haamaundu said some of the culprits pretend to be him or the minster and some would even go up to the point of suggesting that they spoke to the president.
He said the ministry is taking all the necessary measures and any such activity were criminality is suspected, the ministry is reporting to the police and Zicta for further prosecution. Procedures to accessing CDF have been cited as a major bottleneck behind the low disbursement levels which is partly blamed for low liquidity or no money in circulation.
