Government through the Ministry of Transport, Works, Supply and Communication will soon re-introduce the defunct Mechanical Services Department which will be in charge of maintaining all government vehicles.
And government is making efforts to make the government Transport Control Unit, a fully fledged department under the Ministry of Transport, Works, Supply and Communication.
Newly appointed Permanent Secretary in charge of Works and Supply Julius Shawa said government is loosing colossal sums of money in repairing its fleet from private garages hence the need to revamp the mechanical services department to be working on all government vehicles.
Mr. Shawa was speaking when he officially opened a five-day workshop for Government Transport Control Unit staff at Fringila lodge in Chisamba District today.
Mr. Shawa said private garages are charging huge sums to repair government vehicle which he said could be saved if the mechanical services department is introduced.
He said government wants to introduce cost effective way of managing government fleet of transport to ensure that public resources are used cost effectively and in accordance with the laid down rules and regulations.
The Permanent Secretary noted that the upgrading of the Unit into a fully fledged department will create jobs for many youths with transport qualifications and will bring sanity and efficiency in the management of government transport.
He added that government is encouraging the use of computerized fuel accounting which will require fuel issued to be closely monitored throughout its usage so that it is not pilfered or misappropriated.
And speaking earlier, Controller of Government Transport John Kasanga said the introduction of transport allowance in government has brought sanity in the way government transport is being managed as there is no misuse of government transport.
Mr. Kasanga congratulated his officers from all the nine province for implementing government policy in the management of government transport and stoping reckless movement of vehicles at awkward hours.
He noted that the tendency of using government transport at awkward hours had drastically reduced following the new measures put in place.
He however disclosed that the unit faces challenges such as understaffing especially at district levels where the unit has no representation making difficult to monitor movements of government fleet of transport.
The workshop which has brought together all provincial transport controllers is expected to close on Friday this week.
ZANIS
And just like under the defunct Mechanical Services Department, Zambia public money was spent as a subside on this loss making not useful for the welfare of ordinary Zambians.
Kenneth Kaunda used it as job creation for his political stooges. It was used to employ SHUSHUSHUs unnecessarily to the point every Zambian was being watched by one Special Branch officer.
ZCBC, NIEC, ZAMTEL, ZCCM all these were loss making ventures which drained a lot of money from Zambia public coffers
That is why Zambians are paying now through all this poverty evil Kenneth Kaunda created through his reckless spending on govt subsides
Even though evil Dictator Sata wants to create more employment for his PF Special Branch please don’t spend our money on loss making companies. Sata should stop…
SHAKA OZ . it would be so meaningful to drop your comment or suggestion in a way that suggests for a solution . you are too much bias on political grounds . let employment be created thats a way forward allow young Zambians get a job .
Spend your money? Which money are you talking about when you are paid by your under 5 from your base in Diaspora to insult our President, you *****.
Shaka, I have to agree with you. What I am seeing everyday is a slow re-introduction of things that failed under KK. These ideas failed because the government thought they could run everything. I have always advocated an aggressive devolution of responsibilities to local councils. Councils should be responsible for schools, social services, local roads, etc. Once the councils and government agree budgets, the government should release the funds to the councils. Government can then just provide oversight. Instead, at the moment Chingola Council cannot even build a footbridge without the area MP first lobbying government for money. Then the entire Ministry of Works and Supply gets involved. How can you run a country like this?
Relevent suggestions however, i must rebuttle your stance on subsidies. Yes ZCCM, NIEC, Mwisenyi, ZCBC (endless list) were used to provide subsidies, however the debt zambia incurred under Kaunda was also to build the infrastructure the country never had. If you must the colonial masters only developed harrare as that was the jewel of rhodesia and the rest was just desolate land. In addition also education to zambians was provided at no cost. So i am still trying to understand your rational. We have seen first hand what privatization has done had those companies under ZIMCO and INDECO still been around no doubt zambia would have been further ahead of where it is today. How much of the foreign currency earned on copper comes back less than 10% at most.
These institutions shouldn’t have been loss making. Independence was key to run them efficiently and profitable but political interference marred everything.
Too many political appointments is destroying efficiency and stagnating development.
Bitter Character
its a good move though people wont understand what GRZ wants to archive. I support this move.
Whay happened to lberalisation/
Oh shut up dildo.
What the Govt did to health workers is not fair as health workers work even at night. Health workers should have transport at all times because of the work which requires them to work even on week end. I demand that this year you should provide transport to all health workers because they work more hours and day than all other civil servants. There is need of buses, trucks and utility vehicles. I was surprised to hear that Levy Mwanawasa General Hospital has no new vehicle only only have two vehicles that are not even road worth. If you think i m lying prove me wrong go there and find out for yourself.
The responsibility lies with the person running these institutions. The chief executive or whoever is managing these health centres or hospitals should think out side the box. You don’t expect government to do everything, that’s why failure is widespread.
Good intentions. lets hope this has not ended at the workshop.Implement it as quickly as possible. We need sanity.
Good move GRZ. Bravo!! GRZ is losing billions through overpricing. Bravo..!!!
this is a good move because truth be told some garages only exist because the grz vehicles…….my concern is that i hope the government will invest in the training and buying of modern equipment because grz buys the latest cars but if the mechanical unit wont have the ryt equipment and training to do the job then we shall be wasting even more money
Good move! However, there is need for total professionalism otherwise the project will be a drain on public funds.We dont want wrecks to to be dotted around government yards around the the country as it were.The guys who ra the mechanical workshops were very incompetent such supervision and management was non existent.Pilferage of spares was the order of the day.I can assure that no savings will be made because the managers will be coniving with sparepart dealers to inflate the price and cost of spares and later pilfer the same spares back to the suppliers or sell them to private individual at rock bottom prices.Supervision in government in a nightmare as no one will take any sense of responsibility for such activities.The workshops will be hives of crime and all sort of nasty activities.
Unfortunately, the very same unprofessional attitude towards work and lack of respect for duty will occur. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great, potentially money saving idea. However the major problem is the lack of security measures to keep track of inventory (spare parts), the lack of exemplary behaviour from the top to the bottom, evidenced everyday from every ministry and private sector entity. Unless there will be a sustained effort by gov to prosecute corruption/ theft at all levels, Zambia faces the unfortunate reality that is misappropriation of funds. If you do not agree , just look at the track record the gov has so far, they obstruct and use selective justice and follow no set national plan.
Lut us not run the government based on misplaced nostalgia.Let us move on and never look back with envy.We chart our own fresh destiny.We only learn from the past and not embrace it,for it has no good to offer this time around and the future.Let us divise our own new tools to cut down the cost of runing state affairs and not the old achaic arrangements.We have good brais around who can easily help the state of affairs.
This move is good but let it not be the way of stealing our money like the MMD did. There should be transparency in the manner this unit will operate. Not misusing our tax money.
Peace and Prosperity to Mother Zambia.
And how is it going to be transparent if you can not even stop Masebo appointing the over used & mentioned Kabimba from being part of ZAMTEL, ZESCO, ZAWA & everything anyway.
Sata & PF want to start these companies for their relatives not for ordinary Zambians in Kanyama nor Chwama nor Kaloko in Ndola! PF is full of greedy evil people to be kind to ordinary Zambians.
Kabimba entertains with beers his prostitutes & political destitute popele like Namugala & Kachingwe not ordinary Zambians.
Evil tribalists Sata & Kabimba are just full of themselves they need psychiatric assessment for their greedy & self centered grandiose approach.
#1.4 Uko dont Kubaba,
Kaunda & UNIP destroyed companies that were under ZIMCO and INDECO. & Chiluba did well to sell them off to stop political interference in these companies.
What happened in the companies under ZIMCO and INDECO, the companies were running on paper & loss making, there was no reinvestment in these companies ALL THE ASSETS IN THESE COMPANIES DEPRECIATED to to the point the assets became worthless, as one party UNIP Dictator KK took all the profits that these companies were making annually and used the money for UNIP conferences at the Mulungushi Rocky of Authority in Kabwe.
If u want to see how PUBLIC COMPANIES ARE ABUSED, see@PF Dictator Sata & Masebo’s appointments & allowances of Kabimba & father Bwalya in ZAMTEL, ZAWA & ZESCO?
It is a shame t say the…
#1.1 BULLDOGS
I just hope you watched the USA elections recently & saw how live & contentious was!
There was no room for tribal nor people who are full of nepotism like Sata & Kabimba. I don’t think they can withstand that onslaught of criticism they may end up locking everyone in jail with their evil Public Order Act.
I just still hope Sata can drop from they sky with his Presidential Challenger plane whenever he is flying just to save zambians from all these suffering, bringing back of political appointment of stooges in companies like ZAMTEL, corruption, misuse of public fund, communist type nationalisation of ZAMTEL, ZESCO & others.
The list is endless
I don’t understand where this man is getting his information from. Here in Chiapata every evening government landcruiser pickup remove numberplates and go jolling.
Another suggestion to him would be that government should not but buy any makesof vehicles at whim. Police , army, ZNS should mainly have landrovers and land cruisers$ other departments should have a uniform make. Even ministerial vehicles should be one standard. Makes maintainance and orfering of spares cheaper and staff can specialise in certain makes
Outsource the entire transport sector.