DEFENCE PERMANENT SECRETARY COMMENDS ZAMBIA NATIONAL SERVICE
LUSAKA, Zambia, Saturday 26th April, 2025
Ministry of Defence Permanent Secretary Mr. Maambo Haamaundu has commended the Zambia National Service (ZNS) for the role it has played in stabilising the supply of mealie meal on the market.
Mr. Haamaundu says ZNS’s decision to offload its Eagle Mealie Meal on the market has helped keep the price in check and make it available to the common Zambian.
Speaking when he paid a courtesy call on the ZNS Commander Lieutenant General (Eng) Maliti Solochi II in Lusaka, Mr. Haamaundu said if ZNS didn’t participate in the supply of mealie meal, the price of food would have gone up.
“If ZNS was not in the maize business, the price of mealie meal would have not been in the reasonable range. Your involvement has kept the price of mealie meal in check,” said Mr. Haamaundu.
The Permanent Secretary also commended the Zambia National Service for setting up milling plants in Choma, Mpika and Lusaka.
He said the investment in milling plants is a forward-thinking plan which should be encouraged because ZNS is now involved in various stages of the maize value chain.
Mr. Haamaundu urged the ZNS to invest more in storage facilities to avoid wastage of harvested crops.
And the Zambia National Service Commander Lt Gen (Eng) Solochi thanked government for supporting the transformation of the service.
Lt Gen Solochi said ZNS has grown with the opening of new directorates and units which cater for all avenues of life such as research, agriculture, health, infrastructure development and many others.
“Since government changed the position from ZNS Commandant to ZNS Commander, we have developed the Zambia National Service in all spheres. At first, we were only limited to one discipline because a Commandant has a particular field but now we are operating in various disciplines,” said Lt Gen Solochi.
He asked for the Ministry of Defence to continue supporting the ZNS as it plays its developmental and security roles in the country.
Issued by:
Paul Shalala (Mr.)
Principal Public Relations Officer
MINISTRY OF DEFENCE