Africa-Press – Zambia. DON’T pay Brian but pay the other people that are not connected to politics, Brian Mundubile has pleaded with President Hakainde Hichilema’s government.
Mundubile, a contractor and Mporokoso PF member of Parliament, told The Mast that some contractors had since died or committed suicide because of the payment that has been withheld from the them.
“We are surprised when the Minister of Finance [Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane], the UPND and the President come out to say we have recorded a surplus in this year’s budget when contractors remain unpaid. We are talking about a budget that is running a deficit. How can we have a surplus when you have a budget that is running on a deficit?” Mundubile asked. “On the non-payment of contractors, they have given so many excuses regarding audits. You will learn from this conference (Building and Construction held at Pamodzi Hotel last week) that this is a well regulated sector. All those external audits are not even necessary okay. Contractors are owed money period. What is supposed to happen is for them to be paid. But you know that the persecution drive by our friends in the UPND even extends to private business like contractors. They believe that most of those contractors or some of those contractors may be connected to the PF and once they pay money, it means PF is going to have money.” Mundubile said the UPND was literally paralysing the country’s economy.
“So they have literally paralysed this economy. They have taken action that has resulted in people committing suicide. People have lost property, widows have lost houses through foreclosures. They were pledging part of these assets to get performance bonds, to get advance bonds. And when government decided not to pay for political reasons, people have died and lost property as it were. So when government comes up and say ‘it is a caring government’, this is the reason why we question,” said Mundubile. “Our appeal is that if you know of certain politicians like Brian Mundubile who is a contractor, don’t pay him. Don’t pay Brian but pay the other people that are not connected to politics. In trying to persecute Mundubile other people should not be sacrificed because I am a politician. I am a contractor, I am not even hiding. If there is a problem, they should say ‘for political reasons, we will not pay this one’. But what about the poor women and youth who are trying to make a living out of this sector?”
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