President Hakainde Hichilema has warned Ministers and Government officials to improve their performance and avoid irresponsible expenditure of public resources.
Speaking at the Presidential Delivery Unit leadership workshop Monitored by the Zambian Business Times – ZBT, the Head of State said the lack of work efforts being put in by some ministries is hindering Government’s development agenda.
The President questioned some Ministers and other Government officials who attended the meeting on what they have done since they were appointed.
“What have you done as Ministers in your Ministry to change for the better, you were elected on the ticket for the change what have you done? Do you know what you need to do? And have you done those things you needed to do?” he questioned.
“The Ministers who superintends the PSs what have you done to save public resources and reallocate the savings into growth revenue generating areas, most of you are guilty here and hopefully from today we will wash away the shame first from ourselves individually.”
“I am tired of swearing in people. How many people are we going to remove from positions because of failure to deliver? I want us to deliver. We want to change this and we will change it and if we don’t want, it will not change but why should we be paid our salaries?” he said.
He observed that some Ministers and Permanent Secretaries are perpetually travelling and seeking out salaries and yet they were not delivering anything profitable.
“Some Ministers are perpetually travelling, but no delivery. You should be ashamed! This is also the same for some Permanent secretaries. As a Minister you should be ashamed to fill in a form for the president to allow you to travel before you have done the basics that you need to take care of in your offices.” He added.
President Hichilema has since directed Secretary to Cabinet Patrick Kangwa to sell all brand New Land -cruiser VX vehicles bought after UPND formed government and revenues invested in productive areas that will create jobs.
The President expressed shock that some Ministers and other leaders in Government were still applying to buy new VXs to be purchased for them to move from home to their offices.
“We are servants and not kings, we should not be feared by people we work with, anyone who got a new VX after we formed government I will give an instruction which should be followed to bring those vehicles and they will be sold” he said.
President Hichilema reiterated that Ministers do not need expensive vehicles like VX’s when it comes to service delivery and has since ordered that all VX’s purchased after the UPND formed Government be sold out.
