Parliamentary inquiry on maizegate extends mandate to next week: Zambia Co-op had no maize to supply to Malawi
Officials from Parliament’s inquiry on the procurement of Zambia maize say the probe on maizegate has been extended up to next week, a week long extension.
Co chair of the committee Dr Joseph Chidanti Malunga said the inquiry was supposed to run up to Friday but there is unfinished business to tackle.
“We have to recall some of the people we already interviewed,” he said.
Some of the people to be recalled include the Admarc CEO Foster Mulumbe and the director of public procurement Paul Taulo.
The Agriculture Committee of Parliament in conjunction with the Public Accounts Committee are holding the joint inquiry following reports that Agriculture minister George Chaponda and Admarc CEO Mulumbe were allegedly involved in suspicious under dealings in the procurement of maize.
Each member of parliament sitting on the inquiry gets K50000 a day as sitting allowance and will get money for wear and tear of their vehicles.
On Friday, deputy chair of Public Accounts Committee was accused in social media of asking irrelevant questions to Agriculture ministry principal secretary Erica Maganga as some people wondered if he was not getting the questions outside the room through whatsapp.
The members of parliament were also accused of wanting to hear what they wanted to hear from Maganga by giving her unnecessary pressure after she had eloquently and ably answered the questions.
Meanwhile, Malawi News reports that Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (Admarc) did not do any due diligence on possible suppliers of maize from Zambia as it has emerged that the Zambia Cooperation Federation (ZCF) which it approached after cancelling a contract with Kaloswe Couriers did also not have the grain.
ZCF instead relied on scouting for the maize and some of the suppliers that have supplied the maize so far are local companies from Malawi.
The paper quotes a local supplier that Admarc’s decision to buy from Zambia surprised some local companies who wondered why they were sidelined when they had stocks of maize right here in Malawi.
ZCF jumped into the supply of maize deal even when they knew they did not have the maize because the company wanted to raise money to raise operational funds for the federation.
Quotes reported in Zambia media on ZCF Director General James Chirwa confirmed that the federation had no maize and that it had only bought 8 000 metric tonnes of maize from small scale farmers by October last year.
The federation had nodded to export 100, 000 tonnes to Malawi.
“You see we have gone into this maize purchase and maize sale also…a very painful decision that we had to make, we were to buy the maize and sell it so that we can raise operational funds for the institution to be able to buy the maize to feed into the milling plants,” Chirwa was quoted.
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AKUFUNA MA ALLOWANCES CHOCHITIRA EXTEND NDICHIANI NDIYE KUTI MUNGANENE KUTI REPORT LIMENE APEREKE LIKHALA LOONA . SANAKOZEKERE HOW CAN SOMEBODY SAY NOW WE WILL GO DEEPER. WHY THIS TIME THAN BEFORE. STUPID PEOPLE MUKAMAYANKHULA NGATI WANTHU MBAVA ZOTHA NTCHITO . K50000 ALIYESE KUGAWANA MKHOBIDI IFE TIKUVUTIKA .SIMUTITHANDIZA TIMAYESA NDINU ANTHU OTHANDIZA NOKHA NOKHA NANU MUKUDYERA KUNJA .TILI KUKUONANI 2019 POSACHEDWA.
Kkkkkkk A Malunga zoona kulolera kupusitsidwa ndi Mbuli ?? Maybe that’s where you belong !! That’s your level !!
Here we are, all together as we sing our song joyfully…. we will always be. The establishments are chewing our money, extending and reextending self_enriching inquiries, yet we clap hands, oh my God!
We await findings and conclusions. But remember, it is dangerous to try to lean against a wall that is too far. I now realize it is only the presidential inquiry that will come out with professionally crafted findings. Zikumveka Zokha tsopano. You did well to have an open inquiry anthu adziwa zofooka zambiri.
not we willl dig deeper .when???????? wat about if you say we are digging deeper.muudikila 2019????????????? comon
Shame shame and shame. One day the demonised Chaponda will be carried shoulder high. What I know is that it doesnt matter how many demons Lucifer recruit. The truth is that Lucifer has never , and will never win a battle. All those loudmouthing mbwenumbwenus and big dancers will curl their tails between their thighs. DPP is not a briefcase party as others. The greatest looser, I hope will be one Laza who has been so overzealous as if there is any substance in the story. I think being in an opposition is a curse. They started with Lunguzi claimed… Read more »
Why should someone want to steal from the poor suffering people just for the sake of making money, Malawi seems to be so much married to corruption all their language is corruption this vice is equivalent to witchcraft. How do you take away from the dyeing poor with no means to survive.
Could you also investigate the maize that Admarc bought locally (Blantyre, Lilongwe) between August and October 2016. This maize was initially delivered at the markets by local settlers at MK8,500 per bag, and it was paid for Tapiwa Mutharika, it was then resold to Admarc at the same markets to Admarc for MK 11,000 per bag.
All transporters and settlers who brought thus maize, know this.
Dr. Chidanti Mulanga, you are dealing with formidable group of people. The best is to drop the inquiry because it is a waste of time and resources. How come the CEO for ZCF said the organization was only involved in issuance of export permit to facilitate movement the maize while ADMARC looked for private traders, and you are saying ZCF signed a contract to supply maize knowing it did not have enough to maize. These two statement are very different or “Nyasatimes” is telling us lies as usual. All they need is; to explain whether the due procurement process and… Read more »
kufuna kupitiliza kudya ma allowance basis. Mbuzi za anthu.