State House defies court order

The State House has defied a court order restraining it from going on with plans to transfer over 22 household staff from State residences, Weekend Nation can reveal.

State House on June 7 2014 wrote Sam Boniface, George Chitokoto, S. Nangwale, D.Maolera and 20 others informing them of their immediate posting from State residences.

However, the letter which we have seen and was signed by director of State Residences, a Mr. L. Palani, failed to indicate new work stations for the transferred staff.

The letter whose reference number is 2/1/26 informed the staff that their services at State residences were no longer required.

“The exigencies of the service require your immediate post from State residences, you are therefore required to surrender your identity cards as soon as possible and report to your new duty station,” reads part of the letter.

According to the complainants, government intended to deploy the staff to Ministry of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare which they say is not under their job description.

The staff obtained an injunction at the Industrial Relations Court, restraining State House from posting them to unknown work stations without following procedures.

“An order of interim injunction is hereby granted for seven days pending interparty hearing restraining respondents [State House] whether by themselves, their agents, servants or whosoever acting from posting the applicants to unknown work stations of the State residences without following proper procedures and further that they be at liberty to work at their current workstations and/or not to vacate their respective houses until determination of the matter or until further order of the court,” reads part of the ruling by the Industrial Relations Court.

The court further ruled that the respondent (State House) should address the issue of new work station before posting the applicants and that the respondents should make proper house arrangements for the applicants before posting them to the said work stations.

But according to three complainants, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the State House has defied the orders by the court as it has currently started transferring some of the concerned staff.

According to some complainants, the State House has so far evicted eight staff members from Mtunthama and Sanjika State residencies.

The evictions, according to our sources, are being conducted by the State House officials in the company of security officials.

Weekend Nation

can reveal that Violet Nyirongo, Magret Kazembe, Stella Mwembera, Henley Kambanje, Arab Diastone, Sam Boniface, George Chitokoto and Paul Banda have already been evicted from their homes.

State House press secretary Fredrick Ndala said arrangements for the removal or posting of State House staff depends on how someone was recruited.

Ndala said if someone was recruited from the private sector his or her contract can be terminated at anytime while for someone on secondment from another government department, he may be posted back.

But according to our sources the staff currently being evicted are career State House employees.