LOCAL government deputy minister Nicholas Banda has told Mazabuka’s district commissioner and the town clerk to resolve their differences because they are affecting government’s delivery of services to people in the area.
Banda said he was disappointed by wrangles between district commissioner Eugene Munyama and David Kabanda.
Banda had travelled to Mazabuka to commission newly installed traffic lights in Mazabuka but could not proceed after Munyama together with some PF officials advised, saying there were flaws on the lights.
Addressing a meeting in Munyama’s office, Banda said management in Mazabuka needed to put its house in order.
Banda said the tension between the two officers was worrying.
He wondered how the people of Mazabuka would see development in their area if its top leaders were engulfed in squabbles and misunderstandings among themselves.
Banda said the misunderstandings were not in the interest of the people of Mazabuka as well as the party in government.
“You have decided to put me on the chopping board because of the problems which you as leaders have failed to solve. I personally didn’t expect to find myself in this kind of a situation altogether and all I can say is that the process I am participating in right now is politics playing between D.C and T.C,” he said.
“It is unfortunate that I will not be able to commission the first phase of the traffic lights and as I travel back, I will inform my minister who requested me to come over what I have found here. I am not a very happy person to come and integrate your disorganisation. Both of you have failed and all I can say is put you house in order. You have drawn us to come and hit a stone which to me is not prudent enough,” said Banda.
Earlier, Munyama accused Kabanda of not engaging his office in any developmental project that the local authority was embarking on.
Munyama said he was not even aware that a deputy minister would come into the district to commission the traffic lights.
But Kabanda said the biggest problem facing the local authority was that some PF cadres wanted to supervise council officials.
Kabanda, who threatened to resign if the trend does not stop, said it was unfortunate that the cadres were in the forefront opposing works that have been done on the traffic lights leading to the failure to commission the first phase project.
PF district chairperson Gift Hanziba said it was evident that Kabanda and his council deliberately wanted the government to fail.
He said the party in the district did not aim to oppose any projects but demanded that the local authority does the right thing which would not bring shame and embarrassment to the government.
“We are not in support of commissioning of the lights because the lights are not working properly and switch off anyhow. If we go ahead and commission the lights and later they all switch off, this same council, which is opposition, will tell the people that look at what type of projects your government is giving you. We know the council wants to please their masters in the opposition but we also have a master to please, so that come 2016, it will be easy for us to convince the people based on what we would have done,” said Hanziba.
And addressing the stakeholders that gathered at the civic centre where they waited for over three hours, area member of parliament, Garry Nkombo, warned the PF in the district to immediately stop supervising the offices of the district commissioner and the town clerk.
Nkombo said the PF officials had no mandate to interfere and extend their external force on the operations of the two offices.
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Mazabuka DC, Town Clerk Squabble Derails Commissioning of Traffic Lights
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