‘Probe Intercontinental undervaluing separately’

ANSWERS must be provided why Intercontinental Hotel in Livingstone worth over US$ 26 million was sold for US$6 million, A PF official Lemmy Bwalya has said.

And a former leader at the Hotel Catering, Tourism and Allied Workers Union of Zambia (HCTAWUZ) says the establishment of a privatisation commission of inquiry is long overdue.

Mr Bwalya said recent protests by Intercontinental Hotel and Rainbow Lodge former employees was a clear indication that there were more questions to be answered by people who were entrusted with the privatization of State assets.

He said demands to know what happened to the trust fund Livingstone should not be ignored because only a few ‘selfish’ individuals were benefiting from the fund.

Mr Bwalya called on investigative wings and citizens to develop interests in clearly understanding what happened during the sale of the two big institutions.

“Why was a hotel worth over US$26 million sold five times below its value? Someone must be made to account for what transpired,” he said.

Mr Bwalya said the failure by UPND president, Hakainde Hichilema, who was chairman of the privatization to declare interest during the sale Intercontinental Hotel, must be looked at critically.

Meanwhile, former HCTAWUZ President, Mubiana Sitwala, said the privatisation inquiry should be established quickly so that details pertailing to illegality could be brought to the fore.

HCTAWUZ is the union which represented former Mosi-oa-tunya Intercontinental Hotel employees before it was privatised.

Mr Sitwala said former employees of the privatised public assets and all those who were affected during privatization needed to get justice.

He said in an interview with the Daily Nation that there had been a lot of talk about the matter, hence the urgent need to set up an inquiry without any further delay.

“There has been accusations for and against privatisation so the privatisation inquiry will provide a legal process. At the moment, people are simply accusing each other because they don't know the truth,” Mr Sitwala said.

And former HCTAWUZ Southern Province senior organising Secretary, Martin Mwaangala, said the privatisation of the Rainbow Lodge, Mosi-oa-tunya Intercontinental Hotel and Eagle Travel has brought suffering to many families in Livingstone.

Mr Mwaangala suggested that overnment should repossess the assets which were sold through the flawed privatisation process.

Meanwhile, former Sun Hotel HCTAWUZ Branch vice chairman, Jones Mutowa, said the privatisation inquiry was the only way to resolving the impasse.

Mr Mutowa said it was sad that some of the negotiators and consultants manipulated the process and the outcome of the privatisation went in their favour.