Zambian president orders sale of luxury vehicles bought for govt officials

Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema on Thursday directed the head of the public service to sell all luxury vehicles bought after the formation of the new government.

The Zambian president said he was shocked that some senior government officials, including ministers and permanent secretaries, were applying to buy luxurious vehicles such as Land Cruiser VX when there was an agreement that there would be no buying of luxurious vehicles.

“We agreed that extravagance is not part of us.

“Anyone who has bought a VX in central, local, quasi-government institutions, I would like an instruction that must be followed: to bring out those VXs and sell them into the market,” he said when he opened a Presidential Delivery Unit leadership workshop.

He said instead of buying luxurious vehicles, the money should be plowed into productive areas that would create jobs for the people.

He challenged government officials to improve their performance instead of dwelling on the reckless expenditure of public resources, adding that people elected the current government because they wanted improved service delivery.

He said people voted for the current government because they wanted to see improved living standards, adding that the trust of the people should be returned with effective and quality service delivery.

According to him, some ministers and permanent secretaries are perpetually traveling, yet their performance is below par, and they should feel a sense of shame.

He challenged them to improve their output, adding that he was tired of swearing in new people every month due to the inefficiency of some people whom he was forced to fire.

However, he further expressed concern that some officials were working in isolation and called for collaboration in the public service in order to improve service delivery.

Secretary to the cabinet, Patrick Kangwa, called on all public workers to ensure hard work and realise that they have a duty to deliver to the expectations of Zambians.

The Zambian president recently announced the setting up of the Presidential Delivery Unit aimed at accelerating the implementation of government programmes and projects. (Xinhua/NAN)