Chief Communications Officer at the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC), Jessica Banda, has dismissed speculations that Anthony Bendulo, a young man who became a star witness in the presidential election case, has been fired. 

Banda clarified that Bendulo voluntarily terminated his contract, by handing in a letter of resignation. She further lamented that the departure of Mr. Bendulo was regrettable as he was a valued member.

Banda also dismissed assertions that Vincent Sikelo was also relieved of his duties for allegedly asking wrong questions. Social media indicated that Sikelo was Head of Government Contracting Unit (GCU).

“Sikelo was not head of GCU, he was one of the several directors in GCU. He has been redeployed within OPC, which is a normal process in operations of Government,” she said.

Banda further clarified that project implementation mechanism of the government is headed by the SPC who is currently Dr. Colleen Zamba pursuant to sections 16 and 17 of the Public Service Act 1994 (‘PSA’), which says the office of the Secretary to President and Cabinet (‘SPC’) shall be responsible for leadership, development, performance, and the overall management and administration of the Public Service. All controlling officers therefore report to the SPC in their duties. 

Banda further stated that one of the key functions of the office of the SPC is to undertake monitoring to enhance service delivery and the efficient performance of the service. Therefore, the SPC has to monitor performance to mitigate risks, and identify them at an early stage. This also included shifting officers around to achieve efficiency in operations by placing them in areas they would be expected to perform at their best.