Opposition Patriotic Front (PF) is demanding that ballot papers for the 2011 tripartite elections should be printed in Zambia, by Government printers.
PF Secretary General Wynter Kabimba says stakeholders were not consulted over the awarding of the contract to a South African Company.
Mr Kabimba says the ECZ has not told stakeholders what went wrong with the original arrangement to have the ballots printed in Zambia after all stakeholders were taken on a tour of government printers.
Mr Kabimba said during a press briefing in Lusaka on Tuesday that printing of ballot papers in a general election is a matter of public interest and should be done in consultation with all stakeholders.
He says the ballots should be printed under security arrangements agreed to by all stakeholders to avoid suspicion.
The Electoral Commission of Zambia has explained that it issued an invitation of sealed bids from interested bidders through open tender procedures and that the tender was advertised in the media.
In announcing the awarding of the contract to Universal Print group, ECZ Spokesperson Cris Akufuna said that eight companies responded to the bid invitation and were evaluated in accordance with the laid down procedure.
ZNBC
all PF does is complain , when they are in power who will they complain to ???????
@1, wishes can never be donkeys for free rides.
Does it mean we do not have the capacity as a country to print ballot papers. This syndrome (foreign is good local is bad) is quite bad and need to be checked before it totally consumes our country.
Right on Wintry. We are probably the only country in the world that doesn’t print their own ballots. The minute people in Zambia accept that the country is far from development then things will start moving.
As long as you are all in denial of Zambia’s mediocrity, no one will work hard to correct the situation.
If they revoked the SA contract and asked government printers to do it, PF would then complain about ‘why the change’? there is no way of pleasing Poor finnishers (PF), i hope boma just ignores them.
Iwe Chi-Kabimba, who can print ballots in Zambia? You should be shutting up when you don’t have anything to say. Instead of telling voters what you will do if you win elections you are busy focussing on done deals! What sort of party is PF kansi? If the government had gone to find someone local to print the ballots the same i.d.i.o.t.s would turning around to say why is MMD printing locally, they want to rig easily. Grow up. You will just die in opposition and you should blame yourself for making s.t.u.p.i.d political mistakes. RB and his government are so far behaving maturedly and it is the opposition who are behaving like children – knowing their supporters are children ofcourse…!!
So what will Goverment Printers ever print?if the cant print ballot papers? Have they started printing exam papers cos they never used to?
Are you in GRZ for you to demand?you will print them in zambia if ever you ll take over GRZ.Just concentrate on your unproductive campaigns, shaaa.
Trying to buy time again? PF are not ready for these elections and want to raise unnecessary points of order to buy time to find candidates. ECZ is an independent body, they advertized and Government Printers were supposed to bid and if they didnt bid its not ECZ’s fault. Besides PF are not the only stakeholders in these elections. UPND, UNIP, MMD, Heritage, ADA, NAREP are all stake holders what happens if UPND wants ballots printed in Luanshya and NAREP says they want them printed in the USA? And so on and so forth…Just go in and fight like men.
HH needs to win so that tension between MMD & PF is neatralised..I can foresee C/B and LSK going on fire.
Are the Poor Finishers already finding solutions or answers to their upcoming Loss . Bola panshi, till we pass the bridge.
Nonsense as usual from that muppet. If ballot papers are printed in Zambia you are going to be the first ones to complain about rigging seeing you don’t trust anything linked to government! Hello!
Mufunanji ba mambala imwe ba PF?Njala ya minyokolani?
people be realistic…what are you going to do for yourselve in this country. everything is foreighn. you can even fail to print the face of RB or SATA. Lower middle income nation? wats this. Whites always laugh at our BRAGING……………..
Kabimba is right…don’t you people see sense in printing a simple one colour A4 or A5 paper in Zambia, Is everything MMD Vs PF to you people, do you know how much such contracts are worth and wouldn’t you rather Zambians benefits through temporary jobs, how can you talk of prosperity when you have no faith in “Made in Zambia” products.
Use your brains to think not your sill.y party cards!!
Wake up!!
To be honest dear bloggers, I regret the day I thought of contesting VP position. Njala yaninyokola manje. The US$45million I was promised, I cannot see any more.
Please advise!
Zambia is becoming an extension of China and SA. Even sick people are to be taken to SA? Where is the dignity of being a country? Why should Zambia cry sovereignty if everything and anything is foreign? Soon even umumbu and chikanda will be from SA. This is not fair to our indigenous Zambian businesses. Ink suppliers, printing machines technicians, paper suppliers, and the list goes on and on. It is unfortunate that government which is supposed to create employment meanwhile chooses to create employment in SA leaving millions of Zambian graduates and youth languishing and walking the streets of once drivable streets of Zambia.
Kabimba wants pf to boycott elections!!
Sometimez it iz only wize to analyze matterz objectively, irrespective of who bringz them up; WHAT iz Government Printers there for?
kalos 2121, too late, Chikanda in shoprite comes from SA. As for the ballotts, the SA company has experience, they did it successifully last time-2008. you dont want to mess with inportant secure documents by giving the contract to printers in my backyard, Matero.
IF Zambia is a middle earned income according to recent declaration why for sure can Zambia fail to print ballot papers in Zambia? what a joke
I am not discussing polon iwe. Wow, I just reminded myself of how nice our Zambian polon was taste. Chikanda is Zambian formula. Who gave it to them. Why don’t you Zambians keep secrets kanshi?
About ballots, are you saying that Zambia is Middle Income nation but they cannot print anything for themselves? That is sad!
meant was tasting. I don’t know about now since it is made in SA and comes from China, kutiwaseka ngeciweme.
@20
You’re a disgrace you are the same chaps in England who are claiming Welfare Benefit and doing nothing…go to the Public Library and do some reading make use of your Library card, haven’t you learnt anything in Europe or the West… haven’t you seen how these guys protect gov’t contracts here…what is sophisticated about a Ballot paper, it has evolved one bit since 1950!!
WAKE UP!!!
what is sophisticated about a Ballot paper, it hasn’t evolved one bit since 1950!!
Malabishi…………………from poor finishing as usual.
#23, but what were you doing on the gravy-train que today? i know you ,you live on ‘giro’. ballot papers are ‘secure’ documents because you dont want anyone to make fake reprints. Do you know why ‘kwacha’ is still printed abroad?
This Wynter is either a shrewd politician or lacking some intellect. What exactly is he saying? Surely, he must know that the ECZ is an independent function of all parties including the incument government and must be seen as such. No party including the MMD should interfere with it. Indeed the ECZ, and rightly so, put this job out to competitive bidding. If any of you has ever performed any procurement activities of this sort you would be aware that only companies that meet the technical criteria, of which security is key would be considered. Infact the finacial bids are irrelevant. Cont’d.
It would be interesting to find out whether or not Government Printers did bid and if not, why. However, that is a different question. A matter of investment in Government Printers, I guess.
It is nonsensical to think that this is a matter for public consultation. Wynter is completely beyond the pale on this one.
Apamwamba you are a bit dim, trying to tell us how ECZ “must be seen”? I’ll see it as I wish – i.e. a suspect government-appointed quango
@25
SMH How can you compare a one sided A4 paper with one black ink tone white paper to a bank note with engraving and hidden security features printed on a special paper…have faith in Zambian manufacturers or put a sock on it and shut it!!!
In Zambia we can’t even make a box of matches that works. Shame! Development my backside
I leave the thread to the rest to comment of the drivel of PF Kaponyas. This all explains why Winter Kabimba is full of hollow hallucinations. Sata was telling m’membe throughout 2002-2007 that he has potholes in his head, now he has a Secretary General kabimba with craters in his head than M’membes. He rants without inflections.
Boycott elections the UNIP way Zambia will move on. Use your newly acquired election boycott expert Sebastian Zulu to help you protest the tripartite elections with because SA has printed ballots. See droves of Zambian patriots votting MMD.
Its important to see things in a clear screen and be objective. Government Printers has capacity to print any sophisticated prints and why not simple ballot papers? people lets be serious and put petty politics aside. Government Printers can do it and thats the reason we have fake people going to monitor the printing in South Africa and end being hooked with the beautiful Amazulu and forget why they are there.
I leave the thread to the rest to comment on the drivel of this PF Kaponya called Kabimba who has never won a single case in independent courts of justice in the country.
The same Kaponyas in PF cried foul when GRZ announced that ECZ will go with Government printers for 2011 elections. They said elections will be rigged and ECZ should not allow such a plan to proceed untill SA prints. Hear them now.
Government Printers NEVER printed ballots when Sata was at the helm of MMD in the ’90s.Chiwamila Galu…
What are we going to do if we can fail to print ballot paper sure guyz? Politics aside 45 years of independence… chabe-chabe
shut up naimwe.twala tolokamo mu bwato ukulanda landa tukavotela po fye ba miyanda ala
THIS ARROGANT MMD HAS NOW GIVEN MONEY AND JOBS TO SOUTH AFRICA BY PRINTING SIMPLE BALLOT PAPERS THERE WHICH MANY ZAMBIANS COULD HAVE BENEFITED AS A RESULT OF THAT WORK.I
HAVE BEEN TO GOVT PRINTERS AND I BELIEVE ZAMBIOANS HAVE THE CAPACITY TO DO THAT JOB WELL AND GOOD.
INDEED MMD IS MARABISH THEY MUST GOOOOOOOO PF SAVE OUR FACE
I have just been watching Chanda Chimba III on ZNBC TV this evening. There was this speech by Mr Sata on 30th September 2006 where he condemned the Task Force on Corruption as an illegal entity which must be disbanded. He said the only legal entities to handle such cases were Zambia Police, DEC, ACC. Not too long ago, RB decided to disband the task force and give its functions back to the three organs. As we all know, PF, Mr Sata and Post were in the forefront condemning RB for condoning corruption! I said to myself, my oh my, is this an aspiring president? No wonder he will never be President!
For those who don’t understand the PF and Mr Sata, PF is sending out feelers to see how the public views a possible election boycott. They are ill prepared for 2011 and they would jump at any excuse not to participate, provided that it did not seem to come from themselves. But if PF doesn’t participate, the people of Zambia will not even lose a wink. You see, for the majority of Zambians, PF is neither here nor there.
From what am seeing PF are heading for big defeat in these elections if there are not careful. SATA has chance in 2016 because RB is not standing. There are alot of things that is working against SATA in these election. Just keep quiet kaponyas,,, with your leader with rotten teeth..!!
And who is PF to demand anything anyway?
This party over rates itself and believes in gridlock. ECZ is an autonomous body instituted by act of parliament which also approves the one heading it. All the Zambians are represented in the House, so which stakeholders are you talking about? The President said he’d announce election date once ECZ is ready, and just when ECZ announces that it’s ready you say let’s have consultation? If you do not believ in constitutional bodies you’ll end up like the ‘late’ president in Ivory Coast.
PF is just a BOAT of LOSERS…..
Everyone in this party must be be brainless. Â South Africa is printing its currency in Norway despite it having a very advanced government company which prints almost all SADC notes including the Zambian Kwacha. The South African passport was designed and printed in Germany. Whats the issue with that????
IF YOU HAVE NOTHING TO OFFER ZAMBIANS JUST SHUT THE F….. Â UP
sorry wynter you are too late a hero ! Imbwa yamukali tai chenjela!
thats what happens when you resign your selves to the fate of poverty.you stop to see beyond your noses. zambia has been independent for 47 years and we still are not confident with our own institutions to the extent of denying our jobless youths an opportunity to make some money from the process of printing ballots locally. its a shame really.
i feel sorry for lubinda,surely to get married to these foolish cants.who are the Poor Finishers to tell us where to print the ballot papers?Just prepare for defeat
@43, Have Zambians lost the ability to think and have sensible debate, how does your post make sense…its ironic that you even the word brainless.You talk of RSA Â having the most advanced printing yet they print abroad ( Not so advanced to their standards then..eh)…Please put on your thinking caps before you post, whilst you MMD and PF Monkeys are busy fighting the politicians are clearing the till…the issue here is simple Ballot paper printing and the tender procedure…how do you think the Zambian Companies are going to find out why didn’t make it, what so special about RSA?Â
Think about shipping as well no way are those ballot papers going to be transported by Road..it definitely Air and the bill gets longer all for simple ballot paper..who pays for this??Â
Kabimba and his PF is trying to raise dust from moist soil, or rather fishing from a dry pond. These guys thrive of on complaints that are of no relevance to real situations. PF should hav e consulted its cadres who are insiders in Govt structures to brief them on data relating to the technical expertise and infrastructures that the Govt Printer has at its disposal. The Chief Executives of the party are displaying the worst form of administrative ignorance. Who then can entrust the complexity of Govt machinery to a fleet of kaponyas.
PF must work very hard to identify credibe candidates for adoption as potential MPs. Do not waste your energy in hatching imaginary chicks from unfertilised eggs. PF should work hard to sell its manifesto in the same way as MMD and UPND have demonstrated. Crying disconnected noises will not earn you votes. Sata and his camp should not think that they can gain political power on a silver-plate. They should learn to nurture wisdom rather than thrive on insults.
That is the price which we have to pay for allowing biased individuals and the Post free reign over our society. Look here, all our NGOs e.g. TIZ, LAZ Mwenye, Caritas, NGOCC, and the rest of those individuals and organizations who are supposed to guide our society are biased and compromised by PF and the Post. It is not hard to interpret Mr Kabimba’s statement to mean that some of the Zambian printing press are largely controlled by these same individuals and politicians. Our safe bet as a nation is an open, competitive international tender, Zambian firms can bid too. Mr Kabimba probably has some printers on his payroll who were lined up to do the job, with US$45million, he thought that he can buy any service in Zambia!
What is forex?How do you expect to value your currency but spending outside your country on the unnecessary ?Tax payers money used in this country (sa) Do you know how many jobs you have created for south africans at the expense of unemployed zambians
let them boycott if they are not happy..pf..