HEADS MUST ROLL – Chanda

HEADS MUST ROLL

 By Mast Reporter

THE government must come out clean on the maize importation deal and those responsible must be held accountable, Kanchibiya Member of Parliament (MP) Sunday Chanda has demanded.

Last Wednesday, United States (US) Ambassador to Zambia Michael Gonzalez disclosed that last year, the Zambian government signed a contract to import 650,000 metric tonnes of maize from Tanzania at 40 per cent higher than the prevailing market price then, and that not all of the imported grain has been delivered.

On Sunday, The Mast published a lead story with the headline ‘Govt pays 40 per cent more for maize’.

Taking to his Facebook page to express his outrage, Chanda demanded a clear statement from the chief government spokesperson, Cornelius Mweetwa, to tell Zambians the truth about the ‘Maizegate’ scandal.

“The Zambian people deserve answers, and more importantly, they deserve action! This headline is deeply disturbing, to say the least.

Speaking for myself and on behalf of the people of Kanchibiya, what we are reading is not just wrong, it is unacceptable,” he said in a post.

“The government must come out clean on this matter, and those responsible must be held accountable without delay. Heads must roll. This is not a minor issue. We are talking about agriculture, food security and the lives of over 20 million Zambians.”

Chanda said government should explain to the Zambians why the price of the maize from Tanzania was 40 per cent higher than the prevailing market price at the time as revealed by the US government.

“We therefore expect a comprehensive and transparent statement from the government chief spokesperson to explain how this happened, who is responsible and what corrective measures are being taken,” Chanda said.

During his address, Gonzalez said the US government was surprised that Zambia had not received all the imported maize despite the US government contributing US$20 million towards the mitigation of the effects of the drought Zambia experienced in the 2023/2024 farming season.

Many Facebook users also expressed shock and wondered who the beneficiaries of the inflated price were and why not all the expensive maize had not been delivered.

The Speech Analyst yesterday challenged the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to provide answers on the ‘Maizegate’ scandal instead of posting irrelevant statements and pictures of Gonzalez paying a courtesy call on its director general Daphne Chabu.

“This is how government organisations like the Anti Corruption Commission lose the trust of the public. Rather than addressing a national interest issue brought up by US Ambassador Michael Gonzales regarding the import of maize from Tanzania, the ACC released a statement in which the US pledged support to the commission,” Speech Analyst wrote in a post on his Facebook page.

“Zambians want to know if it’s true that taxpayers paid extra for corn that the government bought for [them] even if the price was lower than agreed upon. It is clear that the ACC has been receiving assistance from the US through existing MoUs in its efforts to combat corruption in Zambia.”

In its statement the ACC said during his visit, Gonzalez pledged continued support to the fight against corruption.

“The commission should ensure that the cost of engaging in corruption outweighs the benefits gained from corrupt activities,” he said.

And Chabu expressed appreciation for the technical and financial support the ACC and the whole Zambia was receiving from the US government to support governance programmes.

In his address which addressed a wide range of issues on governance and management of national resources, Gonzalez expressed disappointment at the lack of transparency and accountability from the United Party for National Development (UPND) government.

“Zambia, mind-bogglingly, last year was wrought with drought, has no control over… the weather. And yet, at the beginning of the drought, the Zambian government signed a contract with Tanzania for 650,000 metric tonnes of grain to be imported from Tanzania. Paid for 195,000 tonnes of that. Not all of that has even reached the country yet,” Gonzales said.

“And the cost was 40 percent over the prevailing market rate at the time the contract was signed. And so, before we knew of the contract, the United States, as a partner, as a compassionate friend of this country, contributed US$20 million to address food insecurity and drought, only to find out that you’re paying 40 percent higher than you should to get the grain, and you’re not even taking what you received.”