The Patriotic Front government will not hesitate to flush out civil servants who were frustrating its efforts to implement developmental projects in the country.
Information and Broadcasting Service Deputy Minister Mwansa Kapeya said government has ambitious programmes to construct roads, schools and health centres which civil servants have to promote.
Mr. Kapeya, who is on a familiarization tour of media houses in Luapula and Northern provinces, said government was aware that some civil servants were frustrating government’s
development agenda.
He said civil servants were the engine of development hence they should implement developmental policies and programmes of government.
He said this when he toured the Provincial Offices of the Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS) in Mansa.
Mr. Kapeya has since directed the public media to explain its policies and programmes to the general public so that they make informed decisions.
He reiterated that government was in the process of equipping and recruiting more staff for ZANIS offices in all the districts of the country.
He however warned ZANIS officers against misusing the equipment saying government will not tolerate non performers in the service.
He said the public media were the mouth-piece of government in explaining programmes to people especially those in very remote areas who have no access to information.
He said the media can only explain government policies better if they were educated and informed on issue taking place in the country.
And ZANIS head of maintenance unit in Mansa, Saulosi Zulu, said the department was facing challenges that range from erratic funding, lack of equipment to low staffing levels.
Mr. Zulu said despite the challenges, ZANIS was performing its duties of informing the public on government programmes and that of providing services of the Public Address system.
He commended the deputy Minister and the PF government for its efforts of improving the operations ZANIS in the province.
Mr. Kapeya later toured the Catholic owned Radio Yangeni, KFM radio and the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation transmitters in Mansa.
Mr. Kapeya has since urged the radio stations to comply with the ethics of broadcasting and help government reach people in rural areas.
He warned that government will not tolerate media houses that were operating like political parties by always criticizing government without credible reasons.
He noted that some political parties were in the habit of criticizing government on various issues without concrete reasons and without offering solutions to the problems.
The Deputy Minister is tomorrow expected to feature on a special one-hour radio programme at Radio Yangeni where he has been invited to explain the removal of maize and
fuel subsidies.
Radio Yangeni Programmes Manager Mumbi Mumbi said people in the province, especially party cadres, have made comments on the subsidies while others do not understand what they mean and their implications