Africa-Press – Zambia. Minister of Community Development and Social Services Doreen Mwamba says the social cash transfer programme should not be politicized. Ms Mwamba said this in response to the accusation made by the Patriotic Front Former Kabushi Member of Parliament Bowman Lusambo, who threatened to report her to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) if she goes ahead to distribute social cash transfers to thousands of poor people in Kabushi.
Mr Lusambo also cited that the move by Ms Mwamba as being aimed at influencing the outcome of the upcoming September 15th, 2022 By-Election as he insisted that taking advantage of the by-election to distribute cash payments is an act of electoral corruption.
But Ms Mwamba emphasized that her visit to the Copperbelt is not a campaign trail, but simply fulfilling her mandate of ensuring that social protection programmes are equitably distributed across the country, whether there is an election or not.
She added that the wheels of government should keep running with or without elections, as health services or schools are all running in Kabushi and social cash transfers are part of regular government services which should run as scheduled.
Ms Mwamba has however reminded those accusing her of campaigning, that parliament being on a recess gives her an opportunity to monitor social protection programmes across the country as the Minister of Community Development and Social Services.
“Social cash transfer is paid every second week of the second month. (Bi-monthly), this is a routine payment schedule and Social Cash transfer by definition, should be timely and regular, therefore, it should be paid as scheduled without fail or any delay as doing so would make beneficiaries backslide into poverty,” Ms Mwamba explained
Ms Mwamba has since clarified that her job is to simply witness the systematic disbursements of scheduled payments by technocrats and not personally conduct the payments.
The Minister has however expressed disappointment in the manner some selfish individuals want to disadvantage by wanting to delay those that are supposed to get the funds all in the name of politics.
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