Local Government and Rural Development Minister Garry Nkombo says mobile money booth cartels were formed as a result of political party carders allocating booths at undesignated places.
The cartels were big as they were run by Council workers, politicians, political party carders and Mobile Network Providers.
The manner in which the mobile money telephone booths were installed was completely against the Urban and Planning Act, Mr Nkombo highlighted this when he made an appearance on HOT FMs Hot Seat Programme.
He noted that the carders would go to mobile money booths to collect rent amounting to K250 per booth in places with high traffic and K100 per booth in places with low traffic and every Friday at 3 O’clock political party carders would go over and above the K5,000 in revenue collection.
“These cartels formed charged K5,000 for stand allocation only,” he said
Mr Nkombo noted that if the money collected by the carders for booth allocation went to the Council, it could have been more affordable than the K5,000 that was being charged by carders.
Mr Nkombo said that one person would own up to 100 booths around the city and use the same trading license, conduct which is illegal and against the stipulated Law.
He added that political party carders planted booths on other people’s property and collected rent, conduct that was disjointed in the rule of Law.
“The money was going to a certain political party and I will live it to the public to guess which political party it is,” he said
Mr Nkombo alluded that when the Zambian people decided to transfer people and power through a vote and gave UPND an opportunity to govern, these are some of the problems that he was confronted with in his Ministry.
He further explained that the mobile money providers included as many people in financial transactions which saw the participation of all citizens, and the inclusion of all our citizens in the financial market is something that the UPND Government extremely desires to achieve.
Mr Nkombo said that despite creating a tangible benefit for those that found a livelihood in the operations of mobile money booths, the onset and setup of money booths became rampant not just in Lusaka but other parts of the country.
Mr Nkombo is concerned with how the Local Authority in the whole country is not recognised as they relegated their power and authority to them by the Constitution Act and ushered that power to political players who in one description can be called political carders who took over the responsibility of designation of mobile money booths.
“The Council’s power to operate had been overpowered by political party carders and it is not something to argue about,” he said
Little garry is a f00Iish boy. Those cdf funds that you are stealing will need to be accounted for in 2026 when your boss is out of power. You used those poor people for votes and now you are claiming that big party cadres are behind the setup. This is why I beat you up many years ago at that filling station in mazabuka. I know you remember that beating. Just go make silly videos with your children on YouTube. Fuseke
Lies in morning, lies in afternoon,lies in evening. We were told it was to keep the town clean. Now it’s political.
I always thought Garry was clever but I think I was wrong. We have always advised you to stop seeing PF in everything you do but it seems you’re incorrigible. Every time the UPND sees PF in something, they score an own goal. They’re not bothered by these own goals because there’s still time to make up after all they still have more than 48 months to equalize. Come 2025 they’ll start panicking because the opposition will begin to score to add to the UPND own goals. That’s the time we’ll come and tell them that we told you. That’s what we kept telling the PF. They’re still shocked that they’re in opposition. ECL thinks he was doing us a favour to handover power, he doesn’t imagine what could’ve happened to him had he not done so. That’s how politicians take us for granted
All politicians are dull. Thats why we clever citizens dont vote. Because the choice is among the dull chaps in the country. I cant be forced to choose which dumb guy will lead me
Cadres, cadres as per usual! Of course, there could be truth to this – but who can be sure? Politicians are as bad as each other. It’s just unfortunate, I can’t get over this one for his Kachasu deed.
Any thing to do with illegality, be it……..
Illegal plot allocations, illigal trading spaces , illigal revenue collections from bus stop or markets, illigal motor vehicle importation………
PF are at the forefront…………
The PF is like a mafia ensemble, their financing was from extortion, corruption and outright stealing…………
This is where zambia is at, grappling with the mess of lungu lead PF………..
So this was not about cleaning the city but targeted at PF booths to be replaced by UPND booths. I knew the truth will come out because there are other businesses making dirt in the CBD but why target only mobile money booths. UPND wants to kill PF at all costs whether other citizen go with food.
And yet you are the same people who complain that the twon is dirty, the council does ot do its job….. The problem is that an African is used to living a disorganised life. yet you wonder why you remain poor
Useless chaps.
At current copper prices, and adding loss of investment, Vedanta can easily walk away with US$3-5bn when the government losses the case in court
How can you say it’s cadres.A party with a plan.Most incompetent party in the country called UPND
Garry Nkombo, Cornelius Mweetwa fi mafontini who only came to town because there’s only one UNZA.
We were told it was a cleanup. Now we are learning it is a targeting of political foes. No wonder other vendors selling other stuff are not being touched. Perhaps even those Kachasu Brewers were PF cadres??