Privatisation probe needed
T HE questionable privatization of national assets including the Intercontinental Hotel in Livingstone should not be allowed to fade without a probe because some handlers might have illegally benefited at the expense of poor Zambians, a Lusaka businessman, Chrisantius Changwereza has said.
Privatisation documents for Intercontinental Hotel indicate that Sun International of South Africa, with a bid of US$ 5. 65 million for the hotel, was the lowest bidder even if it was offered the hotel while a private company incorporated in Zambia, Victorial Falls Travel Bureau, with a bid of US$ 20 million was sidelined.
“People must know why this decision was made and who could have benefitted from this out. We should not ignore such a thing because this is the genesis of such of the economic issues government and the citizens are dealing with today,” Mr Changwereza said.
Mr Changwereza said the several calls for the
privatisation of national assets to be investigated should be considered.
He said in an interview that colossal sums of money that might have been lost through the process should be recovered.
Mr Changwereza said it was highly questionable why they highest bidders were sidelined in preference for the lowest buyers in the process.
He also wondered how some people who were given the mandate to handle the privatization process ended up being shareholders in the properties sold.
Mr Changwereza said it was clear that something fishy transpired during the privatisation process and that it was important to get to the bottom of it.
He said a probe into the matter would also end the suspicions that had been making rounds with regard the privatization of national assets and even help clear some people if they are innocent.
“This fight must not be allowed to die out, if there was foul play in the privatization process, it must be exposed and any money illegally benefited recovered,” said Mr Changwereza.
And a PF official and former Mandevu constituency secretary, Lemmy Bwalya also demanded for an investigation into the privatisation of national assets.
Mr Bwalya said handlers must be brought to book once it’s discovered that the process was mishandled.
He said in a separate interview that there were many unanswered questions surrounding the privatization process and how people become very rich in a short period of time.