‘Retired’ wary over delayed reinstatement

By SENIYA BANDA SOME former civil servants have expressed concern over the reluctance by some permanent secretaries to implement the directive by President Hakainde Hichilema to ensure that they are reinstated after being dismissed and retired in national interest by the previous government. Recently, President Hakainde Hichilema indicated that a number of civil servants were retired in national or public interest whilst others were merely handed dismissal letters on grounds of being UPND sympathisers. But during his campaigns and also in his inauguration speech, President  Hichilema  had promised to reinstate all the affected civil servants, pay them all their lost salaries and most importantly, harmonise their seniority with colleagues they left behind. But former civil servants who spoke on condition of anonymity, have stated that despite President Hichilema‘s commitment to ensure that they are reinstated, there have been delay in fully implementing the instruction by authorities mandated to do so. They have stated that although the Vice President, Ms Mutale Nalumango, announced that a “platform” had been created for such individual civil servants to present their cases, but to date no one has been told the modalities of the  platform which ironically was not applied to the officials.  The former civil servants have questioned why only staff who worked in the police have been able to be reinstated which is not the case in other government departments. “Zambia Police were able to implement it over a month ago without the ‘platform’.  Police in September effected this presidential directive,  by reinstating Mr Siandenge, Mr Muyambango and Mr Shapa Wakanguma along with many others that suffered the fate,  but we are wondering why this has not been done in other government departments.” The civil servants have expressed their desire to seek the intervention of President Hichilema in the matter.