. Nonde

By JAJAH COULIBALY –
LABOUR Minister Joyce Nonde has announced that Government will be left with no choice but to close down the Horse Shoe restaurant in Lusaka if workers continue giving contradictory stories to investigative agencies.
Mrs Nonde told Hot FM in Lusaka yesterday that workers at the Horse Shoe were giving contradictory statements to investigative agencies.
Horseshoe restaurant has been condemned by organisations like the Human Rights Commission which charged that horseshoe management was racist.
The commission which carried out its own independent investigations found out that the management was in tendence of using abusive language to erring indigenous Zambian workers.
Transparency International Zambia (TIZ) information officer Charles Chulu recently charged that it  was saddened by remarks coming for the Labour Minister Joyce Simukoko calling for the arrest of the whistle blower Mika Mwambazi for allegedly ‘alarming the nation’.
“As an organisation that believes in protection of whistle blowers, we strive to promote adherence to the provisions of the Public Disclosure Act. As such we feel that the minister acted in bad faith to disclose personal information of a whistle blower whose identity is supposed to be protected under this act,” he said.
This is according to a statement issued by Transparency international Zambia Information officer Charles Chulu.
It is unfortunate that such remarks are coming from a parliamentarian and a former unionist who is a law maker and understands its provision and the penalties that come with disclosing a whistle blower who is entitled to make a protected disclosure.
Mr Chulu said the Minister’s actions were a clear deterrent to would be whistle blowers who may have important information relating labour and other issues. Such people may now opt to remain silent for fear of being victimised.
Recently, Social media was awash with stories to close down the Horse Shoe for alleged racist remarks towards a Zambian worker.