Siliya unaware of Ministers negotiating Zambia’s debt in China

Chief Government Spokesperson, Dora Siliya says she is not aware that President Lungu has assigned five cabinet Ministers to travel to China to hold strategic consultations with Chinese authorities, financial institutions and companies doing business in Zambia to discuss the debt restructuring programme.

Earlier this month, Presidential Press Aide, Amos Chanda issued a statement to the effect that President Lungu had assigned Finance Minister Margaret Mwanakatwe, Foreign Affairs Minister Joseph Malanji, Housing and Infrastructure Development Minister Ronald Chitotela, and National Development Planning Minister Alexander Chiteme to renegotiate Zambia’s Chinese debt.

But speaking during a press briefing in Lusaka, Ms Siliya said as far as she is concerned she is not aware of the team which is expected to travel to China.

Meanwhile, Ms. Siliya says the Zambian Government through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has engaged the South African Government over the programme dubbed ‘The Globe’ which featured two Zambian nationals where they accused the government of deploying soldiers in Barotseland who are said to be raping girls.

Ms Siliya says the host of the program was somehow inciting the people of western province to rise against the government.
She states that it was unethical for the SABC to air such a divisive program.