THE Electoral Commission of Zambia outsourced the printing of ballot papers for this year’s elections because the Government Printing Department (GP) required about K44 billion to be equipped for the job.
This is against the K1 billion which is in the budget.
ECZ director Priscilla Isaac said in a statement yesterday that K43,897,966,174 is needed to fully equip the department to carry out the job.
She said the commission was left with no alternative but to outsource the printing of the ballot papers.
Ms Isaac said the tender was advertised in daily newspapers for a period of four weeks and it closed on April 29, 2011, but the Government Printing Department did not apply despite being free to do so.
“When the commission started preparations for the conduct of 2011 tripartite elections, it proceeded on the premise that ballot papers for the elections would be printed locally by the Government Printer. To this effect, the commission engaged the government through the Minister of Works and Supply (Gabriel Namulambe) to assess the capacity of Government Printers to print ballot papers for the 2011 tripartite elections,” she said.
She said only K1 billion was budgeted for the rehabilitation of Government Printers.
And the ECZ says the demand by Patriotic Front (PF) that ballot papers for the 2011 tripartite elections be printed in Zambia is unrealistic as there is no company in the country which can undertake a job of that magnitude.
“It is unfair for the PF to say the printing of ballot papers has been arranged between Government and ECZ when stakeholders have been kept abreast with everything that has been happening,” ECZ spokesperson Cris Akufuna said.
He said the South African company, Universal Print Group of Durban, which has been contracted to print ballot papers, was awarded the tender in a transparent manner.
PF secretary general Wynter Kabimba said during a press briefing yesterday that the opposition party would rather have the ballot papers printed in Zambia under security arrangements agreed by all stakeholders.
Mr Akufuna also said allegations by Mr Kabimba that the ECZ and President Banda held a meeting at which they agreed on the date of the elections are unfounded.
[Zambia Daily Mail]
Imwe, there are 3 men in the above picture. One is named Priscilla?
This would hv bn the opportunity to rehabilitate & equip our printer.but since we hv dull managers there they failed to apply
Ba Winter or however you spell your name…… level of opposition ili monga ya paUNZA in those days; I don’t know about now, maybe it has matured a bit
Iwe #1 tauma. The one in black is Priscilla isaac. We need to rehablitate government printers so tht money should be used to development immmmm .
#4 Forget rehabilitation of govt. printers, send Priscilla for a boob job. Girlfriend needs it!
if the 44 billion was used to equip Government printers PF would have complained still, wynter would have said that that money should gone into peoples pockets and that gov printers was pro MMD hence they would rigg the election. politicians are very predictable in zambia thats why voters should be clever. Sata has rigged elections before in favour of MMD. former MMd vuvuzelas are now PF within a week. Mulongotis and the like…..Wynter what do you bring to the table? tell us!!
#1,I thought there were three men in the picture too.I asked myself, is one of the men using a skin-lightening cream? I went back to look at the picture again closely and saw, it was a woman! (she has a handbag) but isn’t that a man’s T-shirt she is wearing? We need the fashion police in Zambia.Asap.
#4 I know that our government is not committed to such to work on such institutions but that money would have been put to good use. By the way ulechindika ur girlfriend ..
So what sort of tendering process is this – first you asssess a possible tenderer, BEFORE YOU EVEN ASK FOR TENDERS. Then you proceed BY ELIMINATING THEM ANYWAY BECAUSE YOU THINK THEY CAN’T MANAGE! So these TWO REASONS are ALREADY PART OF YOUR ANSWER TO REBUFF ANY QUESTIONS!! Good strategy!!
CAN YOU TELL US WHO ELSE PUT IN AN OFFER IN THE TENDER???
I HOPE you don’t come back telling us it is confidential, as you have ALREADY OUTED GOVT PRINTERS!
We all know GOVT PRINTERS IS GOVT OWNED, thus who ever heads it is a civil servant, thus appointed, thus if the guy wants to keep a job, WHO IS HE/SHE TO SPOIL THE PARTY BY SUBMITTING A TENDER THAT IS WELL THOUGHT OUT NOT TO INCLUDE GOVT PRINTERS??? Very good excuse Priscilla, HOWEVER WE ARE NOT STUPID!!
#1 and 5 and 7 The level of debate is disgrace to mankind. Am sure animals are laughing in bush
if its true that govt. printers needed K44 Billion for equipment in order to undertake the printing of ballot papers locally, a serious and transparent govt would have easily sourced for that money.
This financing issue of govt. printers is not new but has been know by the govt for a long time. Besides the funding would have created more jobs for the local Zambians and would have permanently localised the printing of ballot papers even for future elections.
Outsourcing is not only a conduit for corruption but it also gives govt and its agents a platform to rig the elections.
Why is rupiah so allergic to good governance and transparency?
Govt Printers = K44 Billion Kwacha
SA Firm = K1 Billion Kwacha
Savings = K43 Billion Kwacha.
Cheaper option seems plausible in this situation.
Rubbish
Read the article fully before you comment and start waving your MMD Party card…SA Firm = K1 Billion Kwacha???
The whole ECZ structure is dull. Everyone knew about 2011 elections from 2006 and no one was planning for this important event, really do we have managers in this country Today you are saying Zambia has no capacity to print ballot papars what shiit? Printing ballot papers in SA will be costly because come 2016 the ECZ will print the same in SA. No wonder Sata is saying he can change things within three months because it seems as if the country has alot of money to waste. (What about Mission Press?).
This is pathetic!!! A country like Zambia has no capacity to print Ballot paper, what joke! Just be careful no one rigs the election apart from ECZ and OP and it all starts from here (excess ballots). Lets make sure that the Ballots are printed locally! If K40Billion is too much to fund Zam Printers and create jobs then we are stuffed as a country!
Rb and sons have fingaz in all these deals. Just wait for change of govt in oct.
By oct you shall know you had a corrupt. Filth. Liar. Cheap character for a president.
This is indeed so rediculous of the PF to now claim, put in a demand at the 11th hour that ballot papers should be printed locally.
If you scrow down to the story above in the section related news, you will see the story published on April 27, 2011 tittled Government Printers will not print ballots. There was a tour that concluded that it was not possible for ballot papers to be printed locally and this was in the public media and reasons were clearly given.
Question: WHY DID PF NOT REACT BACK THEN WHEN THERE WAS PLENTY OF TIME?
When we say we are dealing with Kaponyas who don’t & read and understand issues, you think we are just being biased. Judge for yourselves. Demand answers this Kaponya leadership. I hope they are not looking for an excuse to boycott elections
Printing ballot paper from outside means the elections wont be free and fair
@ #17 MMD Chief Bootlicker
Don’t forget this one reported on July 31, 2009 titled We’re not capable of printing ballot papers – Government Printers. So these guys (PF) knew since 2009 that Govt printers do not have capacity to print ballot papers. They have chosen to start making noise now. I personally think they are trying to buy time.
I personally support the bid to print ballot papers locally but if there is no capacity, then there is nothing to discuss. Let them outsource.
@13 TRUE RANGERS – ECZ is a separate body from GRZ printers, and is not in the business of printing but elections.Why do you want them to budget for items that are not part of their core business?And dont talk about Mission Press even my 6 year old daughter knows that it is a Kaponya/PF controlled printer.
Imwe sure 47 years after independence, zambia cant print ballot papers. Is this normal, lets change the government this year. MMD KUYA BEBELE
Another fundraising campaign for RB and his minons. what nosense. How can aserious gvt fail raise 44b when they are able to by meanwood land which they have no use for at 75b. They also put 500b on DELAPIDATED znbs. Spend more than 1tr on cosmetic road projects. The story continues…… What a reckles gvt we have pa zed. No proper planning. No priorities. Just always looking for ways and oportunities to fatten their pockets. My great pity goes to the rural masses which is always being manipulated and it appears MMD enjoys keeping them poor so that they manipulate them during elections. My special warning goes to lozis in Western Province to wake up and not to give in into RB’s deceiption. Remember your maimed and late brothers and those still in prison at the hands of RB
Kaponyas should partaway with their $45million and fund GRZ Printers if they want GRZ Printers to do the work.Oh no no I forgot, this is drug money from herion sales.
#12 The K1bn iz government allocation for works at Government Printer. Maybe we should ask what the budget iz for the printing of ballot paperz excercize.
What iz the landed cost of ballot paperz done in S.A?
OK this Goverment Printers was only allocated K1 billion. How much then are we spending to
boost the SA economy? Thought we did this last time and chances are this will not be the last
time. Keep them poor to rule them longer-Africa!
Right thinking managers would have spent the K44 billion to rehabilitate GP now in order to create permanent local capacity and to save money in the future.
Government Printers was set up to print government jobs, was it not? Why then did they have to bid for the ballot printing?
Strange things really do happen in this country!
@12. And a SA is employed when your niece is selling ifitumbuwa.
You have to start from somewhere. God didn’t create this world with SA having Millpark
and companies able to handle large/bulky work. Stop being selfish.
#17 MMD Chief Bootlicker & #19 Mr. Capitalist – 3E……:
It is the responsibility of government managers to manage the affairs of the state wisely, and those managers, including the President, should have seen the need to rehabilitate GP. They are the ones who should have reacted positively to the finding that GP did not have the capacity to print the ballot papers. I think GP is of strategic impotance to the government and all should be done to ensure that it has the capacity to proficiently do all required government printing. Where there’s a will, there is always a way! Government wasted K200 bn on a useless NCC; they could surely spend K44 bn to rehabilitate GP, which is infinitely more useful!
Since when did we know that we shall have elections in 2011, not to be prepared for this? The machines to be repared or bought could have saved us money in the long run this is because they could not only be used for ballot papers but many more issues. We have a mayopic government thats why we can fail to print simple ballot papers on oue own. This time we shall not accept any rigging because we know the number of registered voters for each polling station and we shall have the PVT not to announce but to verify. All the polling stations will be manned by Independent monitors. No more Kasama cases where some body declaired a loser to be a winner. Shame on you who ever you are who wants to continue to be giving jobs to out siders in and out,leaving Zambia in poverty.
Middle Income country failing to print ballot papers,what a joke . Haaaaaaaahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
imagine bakabolala ba mmd bafikala fyabafyashi babo.balebepa ubufi uno mwaka kuya bebele
It’s ok don’t despair, UK will engage Zambia to print it’s ballot papers for the next elections and I have information that all material to do with next year’s Olympics and Qatar 2022 World Cup will be printed and marketed in Ndola, Zambia. So there will be no corruption and all logistics will be in place in good time. Oh sorry, another important one, Amy Winehouse’s funeral arrangements were done in Zambia. Zambia is a great country.
Mungoma, Sir.
Your point is well made, but I think you are mixing up two issues here: (i) the capital investment in GP i.e. the K44billion; and (ii) the one-off order for ballot papers. Have you stopped to think that there may be no justification for the former outlay of K44b. For the benefit of clarity that is a matter for GP Management and Govt as sponsors. It is not ZEC’s problem. ZEC’s responsibility is to ensure elections take place efficiently and indeed within their budget.
I repeat your suggestion is one that GP should look at, but to suggest that because money has been spent on one thing there is money for everything else is, at best, an oxymoron.
#28 Typical of a Kaponya, the decision was made in April and the question is why has it taken your fellow Kaponyas from both Matero University and Kulima Tower to make this an issue now? Where were you when a decision was made and Tenders were running in all Daily Newspapers for 4 weeks? Answer those questions before we can take you seriously. Otherwise you are just picking on issues to be contentious and am sure if GP was going to print the Ballot papers you would have made the same noise.
On related News there is a story in march titled “Zambia can now print ballots papers” .
Go read that story and see the comments PF cadres made and then come back and debate us. You all said it was a ploy to rig! You guys are sickening and just don’t know what you want.
Losers
If as clarified by Mr. capitalist et al above regarding the capacity of GP to print the ballot papers my guess is that PF must have been privy to this information.
Which leads one to speculate that Mr. Kabimba is being disingenuous or a liar or both.
PF needs to up its game. Zambia so desperately needs competent opposition and I am afraid Mr. Kabimba this just ain’t good enough. Merci.
Smell a rotten rat! Govt made sure Govt Printers should NOT be equipped enough for the election exercise. How genuine! Riggers paradise.
#33 is there anything worth taking seriously in Zambia? Do you think Zambia is a serious country? Ours is a perpetual circus or non-stop entertainment. We love the country for that.
CHECK THIS OUT:
May 31, 2009, Zambia can now print ballots papers-Source Lusakatimes Archives
———————————————————————————-
Here are few selected comments on that thread
#1. Digital Smoke-Big platform for rigging
#5. No Way-That’s the dirtiest trick this devil of a government could ever pull..
#16. musimbi-OMG! 2011 elections already rigged…ballot papers to be printed in Zed!!.
#26.Ba Zambia-Oh NO!!!! Here we go again! Rigging has already started….WTF???
#27.imebo-RIGGING MADE SIMPLE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There you have it. Kaponyas shallowness exposed and laid bare right here. This is not the opposition Zambia deserves. We can do better. UPND step in front and be counted.
PF inconsistencies exposed bare by MMD Chief Bootlicker. Aren’t you guys ashamed?
Anyway @ #28 Mungoma , there are procedures to rehabilitating GP. If you read one of the articles, it clearly states that GP will most likely be ready by 2016. The fact remains ECZ budgeted for K1 Billion kwacha and advertized the tender. GP did not bid for the tender, that and the additional K43 Billion Kwacha needed to print ballots from GP.
The real question is PF knew about GP since 2009, why bring it up now when we are in an election year?
useless leaders why can’t you learn from KK cause when he was the President he was told by the western world that having manufacturing industry it will be expensive than importing.thank God KK did not listen to them he went and developed the industry of Zambia which the foolish MMD as destroyed now they are telling us that Government printers needs 44billion kwacha.if they had to pump that money there at the end it will be cheaper than going to south Africa everytime
Government Printers didn’t bid to print ballots. I am sure those who were interested in seeing ballots printed locally delayed in telling them. Who knows?
HAH 1,000,436 PEOPLE HAVE VOTED ALREADY FOR MMD BEFORE ELECTION DATE IS ANNOUNCED
Question: When is ECZ going to have capacity if it is not given the business? Jobs have been created in SA because of elections in Zed. If G Printers were given this job and the financial support they would have learned to do a better job come 2016 and also it would have been an employment opportunity for our young men and women roaming the streets. This is rubbish. No planning, no foresight just living by instinct.
There we go, can we have the next topic, the poor finishers have lost this one with tails behind their bottoms!
dont tell me that govt printers didnt know that they were elections our way. if they had wanted the tender of printing the ballot papers then they would have done something abt it. dont just bame the govt for other pipos wrongs. but to tell u the truth, if the ballot papers were to be printed here the pf would hav started complianing again ati they mmd wats to rig elections. our opposition have no sense of direction. thats y nipankoloko!
Government Printer did not bid? How convenient! And we continue admiring the sound economy that S.A iz, yet we are alwayz buzy giving them jobs.
PF should not waste our time guys..we have to move on!let them boycott if they so wish!
#45 atleast a good job will be done in sa. nway whts da difference all we want is ballot papers isnt it?
@#1, Alakwena walipena man!!!!
Luis Tavares
Dear Freinds
I am not in Zambia at the moment, buy following Zambian Presidential electoion every day. Zambian Constitution does not allow me to have a double citizenchip. because I have another Nacionality. But I consider and always will consider myself proud to be a Zambian. One day I hope the Zambian Constitution will change and go back to live and dedicate the rest of my life to Zambia and its People.
Zambia has the Potencial to be One of the richest Countries in the world. The natural resources Zambians Khnow about is only a very small part of the Potencial ones. The probability of having Petrolium is very High. Estern and Western Provinces geological surveys prove that. But I have found evidence that the surveys done were not suficent and probably not well conducted
So you are a Nigerian then from your location??
But I have found evidence that the surveys done were not suficent and probably not well conducted and not all the country was surveyed. You Have Cooper the actual exploration sites cover only about 50% of the real deposits. Agriculture is another potencial of Zambia. Its just a question of implementing the right mesures. And so much more…
It was a crucial error to privatise minning. Now you only see part of the Profit the Chinese, the Indian and oters get the real BIG Amount of the money.
What Zambia needs is a President and Ministers that understan economics, macro economics. Sata any futrue ministers will not be Economists. Mr Sata will appoint them for political Reasons and not Competence. Mr Sata is desperate to win so he can pay back the Millions of dollers He Owes to the Taiwan G
Tiyende you want UNIP back? Forget my friend
Its such a shame that 47 years after independence zambia still cant print its own ballot papers. What a shame. The leades must be ashamed of themselves. They spend money on task forces, commission of enquries, girlfriends, unfruitiful trips, bribing people, buying expensive cars, bribing organisations, pocketing money, buying designer suits, name etc. Nothing left for development. Shame on you leaders.
Quote: Mr Akufuna also said allegations by Mr Kabimba that the ECZ and President Banda held a meeting at which they agreed on the date of the elections are unfounded. Unquote. Doesn’t Kabimba know that elections will be held in 2011? Is it abnormal or unconstitutional if the President consulted with the electoral organ in order to assess its preparedness for elections? Why push an open door? Let PF boycott the elections, the majority of Zambians wouldn’t care less, they would just say good riddance. PF, you wanna try us?
the opposition is just scared to death they are complianing to just about anything they hear and see! get yo shit togather fools!
Sadly this is the outcome when you don’t encourage local entrepreneurship with policy, everything is short-term in Zambia. In other words Government Printers is the biggest printing firm in the country and its in the hands of government….OMG..As long as we do not value and promote our local entrepreneurs this will be the norm, if you hand out houses now to sitting tenants for political appeasement without replacements don’t be surprised when there is a shortage of accommodation 2 years down the road.
Instead at throwing money to a government firm which I guess is inefficient why not relax import duty on high tech commercial printing equipment that way the local printers/ businessmen will see it economically beneficial to reinvest/ upgrade their machinery.
On a separate matter, the crumbling of Mbingu wa Mutharikelang’i’s government is spectacular. This is Banda’s homeland, when we depose him and kick him out of Zambia, where is he going to run to. It is agony for Bwezani sure!
iwe bwezani is more zambian than u.
UPND take your rightful place and dislodge this so-called party masquerading as an opposition political formation. The level of engagement by pf is nauseating to say the least. A conversation with anyone that cares from pf will often take an illogical mysterious route as they themselves are in DONCH KUBEBA MODE :((
Zambians…let it be known from today-RB IS WINNING THIS YEARS ELECTION…ba PF mukalila./..i hope ur grooming Mumbi Phiri for 2016…or is it Nkandu Luo that is ur favourite now?
#58 and #59 AMEN TO THAT!
I think UPND need to step up and take over the PF space… the boat is full of monkeys
I don’t even understand the reason for continuing to out source the printing of the ballot papers. We knew that there will be elections in 2011, and 5 years is enough time to finance the Government Printers and have the works carried out to make it capable to carryout bulk jobs. This government lacks foresight and good planning, that’s why we have problems of this nature after 45 years of independence.
Something does not sound as it is supposed to be. If all Zambian exams – Grade 7, 9 and 12 are printed in Zambia and transported with very few hiccups here and there, and mostly with nothing to do with the printing press, how come we can fail to print ballot papers with three names on them – Honorable Sata – PF, Rupiah – UNIP/MMD, HH – Some Tonga Party? Forget the MPs, just have people fill in the names after all they are just rubber stamps. Which one is bigger, the Examinations Council printing press or the Government Printers? Something seem not to be adding up here. This is a let down. If
So how much is this contract actually worth?? How much are we going to wire to RSA to print ballot paper??
Ecz what a useless organisation,seem like an extension of state house
Who has outsourced, ECZ or GOVT? Or is ECZ and GOVT one and the same? I thought even if the govt printers were given the job, the ECZ would still have outsourced. Of course, unless the ECZ did print the barrot papers
barrot papers!!!LOL!
Poor planning! Everyone knew about the elections way ahead of time. They could have started preparing the GP way back. I do not support any party by the way. Funds to prepare the machines could have been raised if they wanted to.Why do countries have allies? They could ask for donors for this cause, instead of asking for donations for their pockects.Even citizens could have been asked to contribute for this cause! After rehabilitating the machines they could also be used to print for other countries which do not have such equipment in the region. I see a great investment potential there.Jobs for zambians and income potential!
Sad that the CEO of the Government Printers DID not exhibit real management skills by planning ahead for General and Presidential elections from 4 years ago. Why not fire thus ***** who does not plan ahead for his organization? In all decent nations of the world, all managers of such organizations know what timeline their countries are on in terms of national duty and obligations in a democracy. This crap of leadership is not re-electing.
Giving away the money that can be used by Government Printers to strengthen its base. Awe mwandi!