Melo Media, Thursday, 16th November, 2023
During the recent Public Accounts Committee (PAC) meeting, concerns were raised regarding the mysterious disappearance of 753 GRZ motor vehicles. The current whereabouts of these vehicles could not be determined, leading to further questions and investigations.
The mysterious disappearance of GRZ motor vehicles has raised concerns as the Committee was unable to obtain information regarding the whereabouts of 1,002 vehicles. These vehicles were procured by various Ministries using their TPINs and had a total value of K464,930,734. The lack of answers regarding the missing vehicles is a cause for concern.
It was discovered that these vehicles were not properly recorded in the fleet management registers of various Ministries, Provinces, and Agencies (MPAs), and they could not be found in the Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) database. This has caused alarm and questions about the whereabouts and accountability of these vehicles.
The mysterious disappearance of GRZ motor vehicles has raised concerns, prompting the Ministry of Transport and Logistics Permanent Secretary, Mr. Frederick Mwalusaka, to appear before the Committee. He was summoned to address the queries mentioned in the Report of the Auditor General on the Accounts of the Republic for the financial year that ended on December 31, 2022.
The unexplained disappearance of a large number of GRZ motor vehicles has raised concerns among MPs, who are demanding answers as to how this could have happened.
The Chairperson adjourned the meeting for five minutes in order to confer with members. Despite the lack of satisfactory responses, efforts are being made to address the issue and find a resolution.
During a meeting, the Committee chairperson, Warren Chisha Mwambazi – Bwana Mkubwa MP, instructed officials from the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA), Ministry of Finance, former Controller of Government Transport, and Ministries involved in the procurement of the vehicles to provide information on the situation. They were asked to explain their knowledge of the unaccounted for vehicles.
The Auditor General’s Report suggests that private individuals may be using Ministries’ TPINs to acquire private motor vehicles, thus avoiding taxes. This poses a significant risk and calls for further investigation.
