Dear editor,
THERE are things happening at a government grant-aided hotel in Lusaka that require the immediate attention of the Ministry of Tourism and Arts.
The conditions obtaining at this hospitality institution leave much to be desired.
This institution has been running without a board of directors since 2011.
This has created a situation where there is no body to oversee how management is running the affairs of the institution.
Despite the injection of money into the hotel through government grants there has not been any improvement.
There have been cases of sexual harassment, one of which was even reported by the media but the perpetrator has gone scot-free simply because he is a Zambian manager.
Nepotism is still rampant with promotions being based on ethnicity, not qualifications and experience.
There is no accountability in the management of the institution’s resources and procurement of goods and services, which was even cited in the Auditor-General’s report.
The Ministry of Tourism and Art should no longer just watch. It must intervene and carry out an audit of all government owned hospitality institutions in Lusaka.
It will not be difficult to know which of them is being mismanaged and where nepotism has become a culture.
Could the management have some connections somewhere for it to be immune to censure or investigation by the government?
We are appealing to the Ministry of Tourism, the Anti-Corruption Commission and Drug Enforcement Commission to take an interest in what is happening at this hotel.
There is so much evidence that it will not be difficult to unearth the maladministration. There is need to supervise and monitor the operations of this public institution.
DISAPPOINTED WORKERS,
Lusaka.