GOVERNMENT has constituted a four-man team to audit the Lusaka, Ndola and Kitwe city councils.The audit will cover revenues, utilisation of rates, levies and Government grants for the period January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2009.
This follows President Banda’s directive to audit Lusaka, Ndola and Kitwe city councils to establish how the councils utilised public funds.
According to a letter obtained by the Zambia Daily Mail in Ndola yesterday, Minister of Local Government and Housing, Eustarckio Kazonga said the audit team will prepare an audit report and recommend its findings to his office.
He said the findings will be copied to the Lusaka, Ndola, Kitwe city councils and relevant provincial local government officers.
Mr Kazonga said the terms of reference for the audit team include verification of approved budget provisions for rates and levies in the three councils for the 2008/2009 financial year.
He said the team will also verify the actual billing of rates to residential, commercial and industrial property owners.
Mr Kazonga also said the audit team will collect schedules for the various grants from the Ministry of Local Government and Housing which Government disbursed to the councils.
Mr Kazonga further said the audit team will conduct physical verification of sites to check on whether service delivery, infrastructure development and maintenance financed from rates and levies are benefiting residents.
He said the team will capture payments made from rates and levies which are contrary to provisions of the local authorities regulations number 125 of 1992.
And Copperbelt Province local government officer Solomon Sakala said in an interview in Ndola yesterday that auditing of the councils will start on Friday.
[Zambia Daily Mail]
This is supposed to be the job of the Auditor General’s office and not a team composed by Rupiah Banda.
Can we be guided as to whether this team is from the Auditor General’s office and not an MMD team.
Good move Mr President,though auditing should be a continous process and all councils should be audited as the mess is in every council.
Selective auditing will not help in the quest for the development of the country and its our hope that any erring council officers will be dealt with accordingly.
This is a good thing because roads and bridges are pathetic. Please go ahead and fish out all those abusing tax payers money
Where and what are the recommendations about all the audit reports from the Artoney General we’ve been reading about,the foreign mission in America is on top of the list together with almost all the ministries for missaplying funds,levy’s funeral,all this is hard earned cash by poor zambians who are taxed,yet someone finds it noble to even come here on the blog and insult the same people who pay for his accomodation,awe bane,this is not fair,here everyday blogging shamelessly,mocking the same people who pay for their stay abroad…you sadistic animals,hope you burn in hell
Rubbish Ballast at panic stations. It began with the Post and it has died the expected death. It is all political. One would have thought that all GRZ are audited regulary and the AG makes the findings each year public. This wont win you my vote. The controlling officers are MMD Town Clerks and DCs so who are you going to audit ? PF or MMD TCs and DCs?
This is a personal vedenta because the mentioned councils are controlled by PF. # 1, you are spot on. and by the way, we are still waiting for the goverments reaction on the misapproariation of funds in foreign ministries as exposed by the AG.
another waste of tax payers money. Auditing should have been extended to MMD controlled councils as well just like UPND, that way the motive would have been genuine. unlike now, its all witch hunt. By the way what are the reparcussions should they be abude?
Why is the Government not swinging up in action over the Auditor General’s report about financial irregularities in Embassies and Govt. ministries and departments. We wait and see what action would be taken on Councils found wanting, when Embassies who have been found wanting are almost ‘untouchable’.
PROCESSING OF RESULTS OF AUDIT BY THE AUDITOR GENERAL
If material observations are discovered they are communicated to the Department/Ministry concerned in writing. The Ministry concerned is usually given a month to reply to the observations, if the reply is received, it is evaluated by the section concerned to see if what has been agreed as being wrong corrective measures have been instituted.
If corrective actions are not remedied this will feature as qualification to the appropriation account or the fund which is meeting the costs. Also at this stage the section will proceed to prepare Memorandum for the Committee of Public Accounts of Parliament. This memorandum details facts and figures which surround the material errors which have affected the fund/appropriation account.
When the Memorandum on the qualification is received by the Committee of Public Accounts, a date is set for deliberations, and the officers concerned in the Ministry are required to appear before this Committee to answer questions. The Comptroller and Auditor-General and his staff act as professional advisors to this committee and actually do the framing of the relevant questions to be posed to the Ministry officers.
If during the deliberations it is found that Ministry officials were responsible for the material errors, the committee is empowered to request Public Service Commission to transfer, sack, regrade and re-training of the officials concerned.
Where the Comptroller and Auditor-General feels the loss of the fund in the project was caused by the officer’s, he has the power to recover the money through raising of an audit surcharge in terms of section 13 of the audit and exchequer act Chapter 168. The Comptroller and Auditor-General does not have to disclose the reason for the audit surcharge.
Consequently, any appeals against the surcharge by an officer would be made to His Excellency the President of the country in terms of section 14 of the said act.
Submission of the audit report to Parliament. The Comptroller and Auditor General is required by law to submit his report to Parliament by 31st March every year, through the Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Development.
Lusaka, Kitwe and Ndola are important metropolitan urban cities in Zambia. This is where many commercial activities take place more especially in key sectors which are manufacturing, IT, Banking and Tourism just to name a few. One should also not forget that apart from these being the largest cities in Zambia, they are also key markets for the rest of the country when it comes to local inter-city trade and commerce. It is for this reason that these cities must receive the most up high standards in terms of development and service delivery.
One wonders why such important cities are left in the stagnant state they are in? Could it be the councils have something to do with this? If so then an audit is in order to verify whether this claim is true or false.
cont. from #12
The councils must account as to why many key projects have not been worked on which can be conducted at council level. Working on the drainage system is but an example of projects that can be conducted on council level. Let us audit these councils to find out why many key projects which can and should be worked on on council level have not taken root. I support this audit.
It swings and roundabouts springs to mind here. We have a president who abolished the Task Force created by late Levy only for him to go and do exactly the same. Africans never learn! Fire the Auditor General then.
Just wait and see how this is gonna work. I am sure MMD is doing a good job over abuse of funds by councils. What do you think bloggers?
And why Lusaka Kitwe and Ndola only? If you are in Zambia and are reading this, consider yourself a mug! Yes that is what this governement is saying.
By the president doing this, he is saying to me that for all these years that MMD have been in power, no auditing has taken place in these councils. These things can only happen in Africa!
Since when has zambia done such a thing especially when its only a year before elections. Please save us from this kind of politicking, how about MMD held councils? NONSESNSE MMD. YOU RE OUT THIS TIME NO MATTER WHAT![-x[-x[-x[-x[-x[-x[-x
Yes and also the criteria used in the allocation of plots in these three cities.:-?
# 19 …..and where if not all the money charged for the plots goes to:-?
I ve never seen a vindictive president as RB! Cheap politics:-@:-@:-@:-@
Mr Capitalist# 12,
What commercial activities are happening in Ndola and Kitwe,what kind of IT,tourism or manufacturing is going on in Kitwe or ndola,you need to take a trip back home,Northwestern province is kicking butt when it comes to commercial,nothing is left of Ndola or kitwe,even Livingstone can have a bigger say when it comes to commercial activities coz there is obviously Mosi o tunya,boarder to impoverished Mugabe’s crawl and thats the entry/exit point for most goods from south africa,i can see you are still leaving in the past my brother,Ndola looks like there was a civil war,kitwe is a big shanty compound,you need to wake up and smell some coffee
Zambia twasebana….. I dont know when our country will grow and politians focus on national development other than pulling each other down. As much as auditing councils and any other gov. wing for that matter is important, selective witchhunt to increase political millage for those in power does no good to our country. I feel sorry for mother Zambia.
The point you Africans are missing is it is in PF held councils. The other thing is this president has gone back to doing what he was in a hurry to abolish-Task Force. He wouldn`t survive a week if he was president of a developed country.
Cry my beloved country. Are those three singled out councils the only councils in our country? What guarantee has this child abuser of a globe trotter that other councils are well managed???? This is counter productive and it is a shame. Rupiah is just a heap of s.h.i.t fit for the sewege, how does he even leave the country to go and eat dogs in china when there is a crisis in the country, seven people are trapped under a rock and we need serious excavation work there to retreive the bodies of the departed and he shows no concern!!!!!! Yet some brain washed Zambians can stand up and praise this l.u.n.a.t.i.c I really weep for mother Zambia.
Bwezani Chiluba Vs Michael Hakainde…..[-(
#22 smoothcriminal
I don’t know about your generalization but seeing that Ndola and Kitwe are the second and third largest cities in Zambia from Lusaka, they do command reasonable amounts of commercial activity. Most of the time whenever a Lusaka based company seeks to expand, the CB is usually their first choice of expansion and within the CB, either Ndola or Kitwe are picked for the expansion plan. Kenya Airways opened a route between Ndola and Nairobi, is that a sign of non commercial activity. How about Kitwe’s Freedom Park Shopping Complex. How about Ndola Lime which has doubled production or even the controversial Zambezi Portland which is situated in Ndola. Is this the sign you want of non activity in the two cities?[tbc
I am sure the 3 cities have been statistically sampled considering the confidence interval within margin of error. What do you think bloggers?
How about going back to forming Task Forces which he abolished? Chawamina galu. The best Zambians can do is rid of this MMD. My prayer is UPND and PF stick together. From the past few elections, it`s clear MMD will be gone. Chiluba said politics is about numbers and here we are. UPND and PF put together will only leave a certain Chiluba quaking in his small shoes. This is the only chance you Zambians have got. Stick together and let us see what happens.
cont from 27
The fact still remains that the two cities are growing significantly thanks to the good policies of the MMD. Zambia is about to finalize a trade agreement with the DRC, this will translate into greater investment in the CB as well as expansion for already existing factories in the CB. And BTW, FNB which recently started operations in Zambia has got a branch in Ndola. If there is no activity in Ndola, this move would be a miscalculated move.
Trade between Zambia and DRC (souther part of) only stands to benefit the southern part of DRC! Why do africans decide to be thick when they are benefiting?
#27 and #30. You are statistically right when we consider density and migration of the cities. MMD is doing very good job
Again I say the votes UPND and PF got in the last few elections are more than enough to kick MMD out. Please stick together you Zambians. You will see how Chiluba will start jumping from branch to branch.
MMD won the 1991 elections because people got fed up. If you Zambians are fed stick with the pact. 1991 saw even redundants like Elias Chipimo, Lemmy Chipili, Nsuluka, Lembalemba, VJ to mention but a few win elections.
The first thing that the pact should do after winning the election next year is abolish inter party movement. If one is in UNIP (MMD), after they lose next year let them stay where they are. We don`t want to see what happened when these rats left the sinking UNIP for positions in the now new UNIP!
Ba capitalist mulichikopo.For auditing to take place it has to be the top most office in the land.Does it mean all these years nikafwafwa? Why do it just a few months before elections? of late i have seen activity in the vice pres office,even trips now! remaind my Vice Pres in livingstone where he has gone to,to make it habitable or at least paint it,it looks dirt in comparison to our neighbouring Bigfalls town and Kasane.
#33 and #34. If wishes were horses I am sure beggars would ride. You have even started to speculate how your dreams would materialize! This is fallacy.
2006 PF Sata 804 748
UDA HH 693 772
MMD Levy 1 177 846.
2008 MMD RB 718,359
PF Sata 683,150
UPND HH 353,018
From the look of things Zambians will only have themselves to blame is they don`t stick together as a pact.
#36 Your old version of UNIP thought thought it was a fallacy when your tall man started MMD. Remember KK signing on the dotted lines saying let them go and form their small parties? No you don`t! You were busy with your grade nine exams! If the pact doesn`t split, you are history son.
Rats like you will not be allowed to jump ship. Watch this space!
#36 I am happy where I am. I just feel sorry for your niece in George compound. Did you know that Mugabe has got a cabinet? I bet you will not see what I am on about here!
It is shame to learn that CAPITALIST has no latest idea about copperbelt ,that place is completelly finished SOLWEZI is even far much better,IN Kitwe diches start in TOWN what used BE a town centre.Mudala if you go to the heavy industerial area in Kitwe especially MUTENTEMUKO AVE.you can cry it is shame and NDOLA’S BWANA MKUBBWA it is even looking like bagdad or afganistan TATA WESU.MULETANDALA , come home and see MUDALA , THEN YOU WILL UNDERSTAND why you sisters and brothers HATE KA CHILUBA KING OF KJABWALALA PARTY (MMD).
This is a good move provided the exercise is extended to other councils and malpractices acted upon…..what about the AG reports especially on missions abroad given that heads of missions are MMD cadres….:-?
The AG`s report has already been delt with. They got a slap on the wrist-stern warning! Seen the compare the market ad mate? Simples!
I was suprised-NOT!
ati shani lt bloggers? ya lelo, ba madamu vali mu mood, i think ni pregnancy. ale shouta fye!awe i think nalaya pa pub fye. so apa she was saying ati becoz ali na fumo i dont want to sleep wit her, awe nayine nilanaka bane, i m addicted but its too much. awe deuces bane, naya ku pub.:)>-
#39 Are you still staying in Chazanga or you had shifted to Ng’ombe east? Is you family still in Bauleni compound or Zingalume. For your elder brother I cannotg even ask because I have been seeing him in Misisi compound
The PF Camp should be very happy that their councils are being audited. This will give them another Kilogram if they are found clean.
But The PF camp is complaining, They know very well that things can get messy
#44. Look at you now! Laughing at the mess your party UNIP has created. Chazanga, Ng`ombe East, Bauleni and Zingalume are there because your party doesn`t care about them. Cause for Zambians to slap your UNIP silly next season. Definitely not intelligent are you? Am I surprised? No!
Ever heard of shooting yourself in the foot?
#44. Look at you now! Laughing at the mess your party UNIP has created. Chazanga, Ng`ombe East, Bauleni and Zingalume are there because your party doesn`t care about the people there. Cause for Zambians to slap your UNIP silly next year. Definitely not intelligent are you? Am I surprised? No!
Ever heard of shooting yourself in the foot?
##44 Chances are you had a wash this morning. No offence to most Zambians seeing this but we know these things happen and it`s only true unless one has got a borehole. Mu ka backet emo wachisamba lelo.
Got to laugh at these UNIP beneficiaries.
40
Peace Maker – I asked Ali Simwinga on the state of roads especially the one from Nkana West to Mindola Shaft. He said all roads are now under RDA. The other thing is this so called Consituency Devepment fund apart from it not being enough to repair 1 Km of roads, is an MMD domain. The DC decides who , when and how to disburse it. If this audit was not politically motivated, I tell you even all the DCs would be in shit. They drink every day and sleep with the same women depending on who comes first at that time.
Ka walai, congrats muntu wandi! ulifye? hope your are a father to that ka little thing in your muzungu’s tummy! i missed you wee!
Why are PF so scared of audit – do they have something to hide? Is what is being undertaken illegal? Every issue has to be politicised. I for one want to know if some of Sata’s promises regarding how the council run by PF would be run. What are the PF scared of?
iye katalina ati shani? nili best mune! awe am the father mune, mmm there is no denying it mune, nalikuchipela no doubt bane. awe she is not like avasungu vambi from here, she is very well mannered bane. mmm elo chali kwata attitude, ama fellaz they are oways looking or trying. ine nilaseka fye. coz chila landa, chali kwata ama penalties bane. ya kwatishi fye, i was blogging pa stoli ya ba dec nabbing fyamba, nomba ka appetite ka banje nakabwelela, ya katwishi, last tym napepela fyamba was many moons ago bane, during my youth. mmm katwishi but kuti na performila ba madamu, deuces bane. :)>-
While audits are a good think, these ones smell of politics, out to find a smoking gun in PF run councils. It’s all a battle for Copperbelt. Unless these councils were run squeeky clean, any dirty found will be mighty used against PF by MMD in election campaigns. I cant blame PF for worrying.
One would expect that all councils are audited every year by the AG as a matter of course. This is an election here, we shall see more mud slinging. It’s happening here in the UK also. The parties are on each other’s neck.
In the end, may the best party win in Zambia. We need a new govt that will take us forward, not backwards or stagnate. God bless Zambia. Amen.
Mwebo efinshi ifi ba fwele ba minister Eustarkio Kazonga. kwati ni David Livingstone[-(
To my fellow bloggers especially in diaspora, I advise you not waste time responding to bootilickers and blind cadres of MMD. Bena we are on a mission to get highly educated, work hard, make and earn our bucks the clean way and think about sound investments that in future would benefit our children and relatives. Get on the property ladder and fixed assests, even at home. My two houses are on rent for K3m each which is equaivalent to £400 British pounds. It may sounds little here, but with it accumulating in your account back home, Uliche. Beside you would only spent between 20-25thousands pounds to make one. Forget Zambian politics too polluted for our calibre and level of understanding issues now. Just tell your relatives to vote wisely 2011. To hell with MMD, kafupi and basakala bonse.
Chama you are really correct.If you study even the language of bootlicker for instance you will come to realize that he is not only a planted brother who is just writing to eat otherwise.Let me remaind him that we are more Zedians and it pains to see our brothers,sisters,neighbours suffer back home.Who loves Zed then? Him or us?
Why auditing PF controlled councils? what about the rest? Oh yah what about the reported scandals in the Zambia Police? The misappropriation of funds in the Zambian embassies as reported in the Auditor General’s report such as USA etc? What about the looting of public funds using NCC to pay Lusaka based MPs? What about Rogers Chongwe’s 6.5 million dollars? What about state house’slavish expenditure? RB’s unending trips? Chiluba’s unbudgeted campaign holidays? So all these issues dont matter to the Zambians except for the selected for councils which are run by the PF.
Let have a responsible government not a vindictive government.
The process is well articulated smoothcriminal. I have a feeling that the report on the councils will be conducted in a swift, fast and furious manner becoz the opposition is involved and the process that smoothcrimanal has highlighted above will be over in days. To date Zambians we are still waiting for appropriate action in relation to the theft done by Officials in a number of Embassies, Govt. ministries and departments.
Audits in Council are done almost every year. For Ndola Council the last audi was last year. There were no serious querries only some small recommendations which have since been attended to. Officers are responsible for most operations so in the final analysis the audit will not be for PF councillors but for MMD officers. So who are they hurting. PF councillors have nothing to hide
Audits are necessary the only danger is we keep on talking about the same things year in year out.This is 2010, that is when the 2008 report is out and but everyone is totally blank on the activities of 2009!
Desparate situations call for desparate actions. Yes the AG is there to audits but I think this is to speed up the results of the audit. I would like to believe that the AG have their hands full dealing with the line ministries audits etc.What people need to wait to comment on are the results and the action to be taken by the MMD govt if the results of the audits are negative. Suraly all councils in Zambia are important but given the financial sitiuation in Zambia we must start some where. am very interested to hear the outcome of the audit. I have a gut feeling that given the Millions that we have been made to understand the GOVT has subsidized the councils it is only fiting that we hear if money has been propery utlized. Devlopment has been slower than expected.