The appointment of Minister of Green economy and Environment Collins Nzovu’s wife, Shezzipe Banda Nzovu as Head of Procurement at ZESCO has attracted criticism from some sections of the society.
According to ZESCO’s internal news publication, dated 17th January 2022, ZESCO’s new Managing Director Victor Mapani unveiled his corporate leadership, which included among others, Mr Nzovu’s Shezzipe Banda.
Although there has been no direct response from the Minister on either his Facebook page or the Facebook page of his Ministry, several pages are quoting the minister to have responded to the criticism of his wife being appointed as Head of Procurement at ZESCO.
According to the Minister:
“The media needs to be responsible and not incite hatred against public servants. The Managing Director and all new directors at Zesco are previously Zesco employees who are highly qualified but were victimised because of alleged belonging to the opposition.
Shesippie Banda Nzovu is a Zambian, highly qualified for the job and with the necessary requisite experience to run the department suffered the same fate. Shesippie Banda Nzovu is not a new person at ZESCO or in this department she has just been reinstated. The cream is back to Zesco and watch the space, Zesco will start performing again
This lady despite her high credentials suffered because of her acquired name, should she continue suffering because of the same name? isnt she a qualified Zambian with the necessary experience?”
And in a lengthy post on his Facebook page, former Ambassador to Ethiopia Emmanuel Mwamba questioned the reasoning allegedly advanced by Mr Nzovu.
Mr. Mwamba said that ZESCO or the IDC needed to advertise all these senior positions including that of the Chief Executive Officer, to help attract the best qualified Zambians to one of Africa’s largest utilities.
Mr. Mwamba said that such a decision on ZESCO and many others in the energy sector can begin to place parastatals as drivers to the development of our country.
Mr. Mwamba concluded that, if President Hichilema is serious about fighting corruption, tribalism, nepotism, cronyism and favoritism, he should revoke such appointments and urge all CEO’s to abide by an acceptable developed code of conduct.
Recently, Commerce Minister Chipoka Mulenga’s wife, a qualified Engineer, Likonge Makai Mulenga, was also appointed as Board Chairperson of the Rural Electrification Authority (REA).
Energy Minister Peter Kapala in December last year announced the appointment of a new Board of Directors for REA to be led by Mrs. Likonge Makai who was an Electrical Engineer at KCM
And they said pf was corrupt. These monkeys have not even been in power for a year and yet they are already stealing. Their own president said his ministers are corrupt
It can not be in dispute on any given day that the ubomba mwibala alya mwibala regime was corrupt to the bone. There is no fire tender on this earth that can cost one million US dollar each just as there will be no booth and shelter called a toll gate costing 4.3 million US dollar anywhere in the world. The lady appointed at Zesco will have more value than the daughter to the former smiling minister at state house whos was sent into a diplomatic service
And what is this elephant guy saying “This lady despite her high credentials suffered because of her acquired name, should she continue suffering because of the same name?” What name is this? Banda Nzovu are all Zambian names. And from Lungu’s region. So what is being invented here?
Nothing wrong with that but integrity is put at risk. I remember one of our general managers after being appointed to the position, his wife resigned as hospital Matron. He wanted to be above board and transparent without confusions.
Mwamba choses not to mention that the ministers wife was previously at ZESCO but Was hounded put by his corrupt PF because of her families political affiliations……….
I hope she even get back pay……..
Let’s not be petty Zambians. Does it mean that when one is in a political office then the immediate family can’t get government or quasi government jobs.
The lady in question is suitably qualified period
Yes that’s what it means. Ministers should have a code of conduct. Go to the UK where their families are not allowed anywhere near State owned enterprises and even in certain jobs in banks.
Emmanuel please put your gluteus down. We have heard you. can we please hear the other 16,999,999 zambians also air the opinion? Your own appointments you have held in the public service were not on merit but as a result of your machinations in forcing others out
SHE IS QUAIFIED LET IT BE SHE WILL BE WATCHED CLOSELY
AND TO YOU PF PUPPETS ZIP IT !! YOUR APPIONTMENTS MOST OF WHICH DIDNT QUALIFY APART FROM BEING A PF STOOGE
You dont earn a job because you were previously victimised. It is about whether you are the best candidate in an open process of appointment. As it is Husband: Minister and Wife: Head of Procurement smells of nothing but nepotism. Its the stuff of tenderpreneurs. Companies linked to family and extended family will be sole beneficiaries of ZESCO’s tender processes.
What is with this wanton habit of APPOINTMENTS in Zambia kansi? Why don’t you allow fair competition, interview and FairPlay? Why don’t you allow people to RISE through the ranks on merit. Uyo anacoka whether fairly or not. You could have appointed her as some consultant to your party constructions kwinangu uko. Yaba! Ba UPND mutisewanya ma guys namwe!
We are not even at 500th lie you already crying mfyo! mfyo!.
Basiyeni badyeko nabo.
Shut your hole. No is listening to any of you PF thugs.
Childishness being exhibited here through and through as some arguments are neither here nor there! Kaunda had introduced the leadership code that took into account such moral values and Zambians criticized it getting it totally obliterated under the MMD administration! There’s been an ongoing cry for women to also have share in consideration for prime appointments which has slowly been receiving attention by successive administrations but currently women are also under pressure in that they are still comparatively few in professional categories (numbers) and they still are fighting recognition of their capabilities. Why then should it be an issue when both wife and husband have professional jobs then one gets the privilege of serving in governance administration? Then reinstall…
contd…… Leadership Code 2.0!
There are a lot of qualified Zambians out there.
Advertise so that all may have equal chances to the jobs. These appointments are nepotism driven.
The last time I checked, nepotism is some form of corruption.
Yangu bankusa aba!
ACC investigate.
#7 Toilet Advisor… That’s the point people are blindly missing. Having relatives in sensitive positions has more disadvantages in that whatever you do whether honestly or not people will misconstrue it. Above all we are fallible human beings…. someone very close comes to your house asking for a favour… how do you handle them…oh I will talk to my wife who’s the CEO of the…. Oh banamwana, John Bunda will come to see you tomorrow etc. That’s what we’re talking about.
The fact that women have been crying for a bigger share in our country doesn’t mean Minister’s wives must get jobs meant for qualified but unfortunately have no access to such jobs because of lack of connections.
Bwana Minister please do not speak as if your wife is the only person suitable for that position. We are just doing the same things we condemned not more than a year ago. This appointment is pure nepotism. You may try and fool Zambians who are not privy to the happenings at ZESCO etc but we know the story. The ZESCO MD and his CLIQUE made this appointment along time ago and you are blinded by future opportunities you will enjoy from this appointment.
Manje ngati ndiwe ministers wife nikunkala lova?
And a very strategic department too… some businesses are bound to prosper.
Ba Emma…
Ethically and objectively, it is wrong. The man would have used others to appoint his wife. He will fail to criticize his wife in case he errs. Khoswe akakhala pa mukhate sapheka.(meaning if a rat is on your bread, it is very difficult to kill it.) This minister need to be very careful. If he can appoint his wife, how many has he infused in the system without public knowledge.
This is childish and can boomerang on PF. There are many wives to PF members even MPs who work for Government and Parastatals. Should they be fired because we suspect they did not qualify or we simply favoured. Stop petty hared…….
she held the position before. so there is no need to advertise as she had been appointed through promotion or interviews in the past
Zambia , is Zambia short of qualified people who can do those jobs who are not related to those already in government , this is another form of corruption we are seeing in this new confused government , government jobs must be equally shared with other Zambians which is more wiser than bunching the same people in the government.
Is HH so daft that he couldn’t see how wrong this is, please allow other Zambians to participate in your government jobs it is really strange the caliber of this person in state house is he short of reasoning capacity or he is just corrupt.
This President is potentially creating problems for those families , however he knows what he is doing with his predecessors which is rather unfortunate doesn’t he know that a similar character like him could one day arise and be more evil than he is doing.
Please allow other Zambians to partake of the government cake , this guy is a selfish character who doesn’t deserve to rule a nation, what his detractors were saying about him they are now proving themselves right .