HH Moves To Deal With Zamtel, Appoints Working Group

President Hakainde Hichilema has started the process of dealing with the future of state run telecoms firm Zamtel after appointing a Technical Working Group.

The Group is expected to address the Technical and Strategic support to the implementation of the turnaround strategy for Zamtel.

The team is also expected to make recommendations and suggest appropriate solutions for the way forward.

According to a leaked appointment letter addressed to Mr Noel Nkhoma, the adhoc committee will soon be inaugurated by Technology and Science Minister Felix Mutati.

“Please nite that your participation in this Technical Working Group is cardinal as it will help in repacking some of the issues as well as coming up with reconnect and approaches solutions for the way forward,” the letter signed by Siazongo Siakalenge, Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet read.

But people close for the matter has revealed that the decision to set up a Technical Working Group is a mere smokescreen as the decision to private ZAMTEL has already been made.

“They are simply trying to hide behind semantics, the truth is that they are selling Zamtel and they just to use the so called Techinicak Working Group to validate their position,” the source said.

The source said government is aware that Zamtel only needs recapitalization to compete on the market but will not release the funds and allow the entity to deteriorate as a way of justifying its selling.

This article originally appeared on Lusaka Times