UPND Chairperson for Tourism Ephraim Belemu has criticized the manner in which Tourism Minister Sylvia Masebo is handling the ZAWA scandal.
Mr. Belemu who is also Mbabala MP said it was irregular for Mrs. Masebo to fire the ZAWA Directors in the absence of a Board.
“The first thing she did when she became Minister was to fire the Board constituted by Hon. Lubinda when he was Minister responsible for Tourism. She has failed to put in place a Board all this time and she is now making irregular decisions. This is bad governance of the highest order” Mr. Belemu said.
Mr. Belemu who served as Director of Marketing at Zambia Tourism Board before venturing into politics claimed that Mrs. Masebo’s decision to cancel 19 safari hunting concessions was meant to benefit some PF sponsors.
“A Minister cannot just wake up and fire Directors and Managers at a public institution created by an Act of Parliament without recommendations from the Board. This level of interest from Mrs. Masebo in ZAWA is highly suspicious,” he said.
“We know that she was brought in to undo what Hon. Lubinda wanted to do at ZAWA. Hon Masebo is now desperate to reward those people that supported the PF financially. Our challenge to her is to stop complaining and start providing solutions.”
Mr. Belemu said Mrs. Masebo has spent a lot of time complaining about the state of the wildlife sub sector without offering any credible solutions.
“She should stop crying like a little baby, if she has seen planes carrying our animals illegally then the question should be what has she done about it?”
The UPND Tourism Chairperson also observed that Mrs. Masebo’s statement on animals being airlifted has the potential to compromise national security.
“We have been told by Ministers of Defence and Home Affairs that our borders and airspace are fully secure and now Mrs. Masebo is telling us that our airspace is porous and foreigners are easily airlifting our animals illegally. She is in government and she is supposed to be telling us what her government is doing to stop this if at all it is happening.”
During a news briefing on Wednesday, Mrs. Masebo claimed that some high levels of corruption at ZAWA have led to some foreigners illegally airlifting Zambia’s wildlife from game parks.
My country how long will this go on? It’s getting out of control it’s too too much. My heart, oh no it’s too much mwe
Masepo claims that planes fly in and out of the country without being detected. This is a source of worry. We need to boost our air defence capability
Masebo owes the zambians an explanation to clarify her claim and should give evidence of any aircraft that came in and flew out withou being detected. Why didn’t she share her concerns with her fellow ministers before blowing it to the public.
Who is baby Belemu?
Hey komboni dweller the statement can otherwise be written like: Belemu said that Masebo should stop crying like a baby!
Here in Mkushi we see these private 4 seater planes. Some of our people have done some piece work loading bush meat and precious stones on those planes. The way it is done is often odd, which makes you suspicious. The ministers call must be heeded. Bulemu’s utterances is crap! I listened to his disorganised speech presented in an angry and ignorant manner and I choked! He should be more responsible, calm down and follow up the lead.
Ubufi iwe chikalah
why dont your people report it to police. Your people are corrupt.
Clearly ZAWA officials were conniving with foreiners to illegally airlift animals out of Zambia. Such officials deserve to be fired. This time around this UPND official has lost it.
No board, no management? Madness right? I guess the advise is timely
guys Masebo is not serious,wat solution is she providing,even in our homes we don’t tel our kids about thieves without tel telling them the measure taken.they want to potray that LUBINDA was corrupt,we know they concern. SATA has people he prefer sending as sacrificial lamb, MASEBO and KABIMBA are the culprits and this two guys are corrupt like their master SATA. no wonder the are trying to get lid of lubinda coz he doesn’t encourage corruption. he refused to appoint kabimba son in law in diplomatic services,he refused to send masebo bastard child in foreign service now the consequences is to have him out of Government
…”She should stop crying like a little baby, if she has seen planes carrying our animals illegally then the question should be what has she done about it?”
ANSWER: She has fired the people who were allowing planes to fly without clearance for their personal gain. She has also alerted everyone of us to be on a lookout for such the illegal activities.
Does ZAWA control the airspace? If not, who does? Why fire these guys that have no idea as to how the airspace is controlled?
She may be dealing with symptoms and not disEASE
Is this speech by someone fit to be called HONORABLE or from a Kaponya? Even if you are in opposition, there must be a level of etiquette befitting an MP towards other members of parliament, including those serving as cabinet ministers.
How can an MP refer to a colleague who is simply doing her job as “She should stop crying like a little baby…”? Is this how low Zambian politics have sunk? Or is it just that UPND people (including their party president) are simply MISOGYNISTIC towards powerful women. HH refers to one grown powerful woman (Nawakwi) as “a little girl who belongs in the kitchen,” and now it is this UPND MP calling another grown woman MP/Minister a “crying baby”. Wow!
And what’s up with this insistence on trying to create acrimony between Hon Lubinda and PF?
So now this Loud Mouthed Tonga Bull wants to side with Lubinda, merely on the basis of tribe! Nowonder He is facing those treachery charges. I can now read between the lines! Masebo is 100% right and has our full support as patriots of Zambia. Fire those in the habbit of plunder and let us cleanse the rotten core of this country! Get rid of them and next have them prosecuted! Get rid of the rot in the entire civil service! If you in 4 plunder basopo! Seleni Tubombeko!
On the basis of tribe? Lubinda is Lozi we chipuba. Why do you kolwestans like rushing for tribal politics when it is you people who are tribal?
If what Ms. Masebo has done is so egregious, let the aggrieved seek redress in the courts of law as Ms. Masebo herself has hinted. As “UPND Chairperson for Tourism,” Ephraim, if you insist on protecting crooks, you will have no wildlife left to market if and when you guys form govt someday.
“…Masebo’s decision to cancel 19 safari hunting concessions was meant to benefit some PF sponsors.”
Wow, strong language indeed. But does Belemu have evidence to substantiate such a serious allegation against the minister? If he does and he is sitting on it, then he is complicit to the very corruption he is condemning others for!
It would, however, be interesting to know what Belemu would have done after learning about the entrenched corruption at ZAWA if he was in Masebo’s shoes.
# 9 Yambayamba, Bushe Ngamwaba mu PF ninshi bonse abashala Fipuba? There is nothing wrong with the comments from the MP. If facts are not correct argue from that stand point. This PF is like any other party. It will lose its salt very soon and the Yambayambas will be the first ones to pour untold ridicule on it. Critisise with sanity in your head not for the sake of self preservation. These politicians talk too much. Miss Masebo has been in every Government except KK’s. Tell us what she can show for her years in Government? Nothing apart from rhetoric. No wonder most african countries are far behind the rest of the world. We always see leaders as gods and whoever criticises them as a King killer. Yambayamba stop blind support and have mature debates.
Yeah, mature debates to you are the ones always in opposition to everything this govt does. There is a place for that, it is called ZWD!
And you are right, if this govt and its ministers get out of line, I will be the first to pour unmentionables on them. That’s called independent thinking, bro. But to characterize what Masebo has done as ” simply crying like a baby”, let alone accept that kind of language from a “honorable MP” this really lowering the bar for political discourse in our young Democracy. Freedom of speech shouldn’t mean we lose all our senses of civility and aim for gater politics. This is coming from someone unaffiliated with any political party. Voted as an independent before and will continue to do so, now and forever!!!!!!
As always some bloggers cant deal with the topic
She said animals are being airlifted illegally with the help of some corrupt ZAWA directors. Not the same as our borders being porous. Step 1, suspend the culprits on charges . Step 2, investigate allegations through the ACC. Step 3, act according to ACC findings. Meanwhile, the defense forces continue with their excellent work of keeping us safe! Peace to mother Zambia.
THIS IS HOW ROTTEN THIS COUNTRY HAS BECOME IN THE LAST ONE YEAR AND MONTHS. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN WE ARE NOT SAFE IN THIS COUNTRY UNDER THE CURRENT GOVT. DAY LIGHT CORRUPTION, ALARMING STATEMENTS, HIGH COST PRICES OF MEALIE MEAL.
WE NEED REAL CHANGE!! UPND REPRESENTS REAL CHANGE!!
hahahaha. thats laughable. we are better off now than a year and half ago. like it or not. lets at least be sencere pipo
Viva Masebo,
Masebo is telling the truth
How can someone airlift an elephant and defence forces don”t know? Am a fan of discovery channel it is not easy.Madam Masebo must explain what she meant.
Sela tubombeko iwe! We shall not tolerate plunder of our natural resources. More need to be fired!
You Tonga chap, what are you saying over Honorable Minister, no wonder why you finished all the cattle in Tonga land, because of such myopic thinking. Some one wants to put things in order you condemn, Dr Kaunda provided a lot of dipping facilities to dip in your cattle, but because of such people like you, you couldn’t use them shame.
Masebo, as the story entails, wanted concessions to be awarded to PF friendly crooks and the zawa officials objected, so she adds fire to story about animals being stolen to substantiate her firing of the officials who did not agree with her. PF supporters and kolwestans without their brains supports her. What about the allegations against her mwe fipuba. Zambia will go nowhere with such kolwestans at the helm.
we always have the same jokers in government. So what has changed? what is it that we voted for? Muppet show Ministers with a propensity for showing off and a culture of creating stories.
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Masebo’s claims are baseless first our security wings works 24hrs round the clock.Why not first arrest those who she said were airlifting animals? Her claims would have been watertight..Now it appears something is fish here.
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