Maravi

(LUSAKATIMES) Masebo suspends Chadiza District Council

Masebo suspends Chadiza District Council
October 24, 2008

Local Government and Housing Minister, Sylvia Masebo has suspended Chadiza District Council. The move comes barely two days after Acting President, Rupiah Banda, ordered Ms Masebo to address the water crisis that has faced Chadiza for the past three weeks. The minister has also suspended all grants to the council until competent people are put in office to run the affairs of the council.

Ms. Masebo said the Local Government Ministry will send an auditor to carry out investigations on how the council has been using funds meant for service delivery to the community.

The minister asked the police to guard the council premises until the auditor arrives so that no documents are tampered with.

She further said a qualified Council Administrator will take over the running of the council during the period the council will be on suspension.

Ms Masebo ordered that a special full council meeting be held on Monday to consider the move she has taken.

On the water crisis, Ms Masebo said officials from her ministry will be in Chadiza on Monday and ensure that water supply is stored before the end of next week.

Ms. Masebo who was in the company of Eastern Province Deputy Permanent Secretary, Eurariah Syamujaye, and Provincial Local government Officer, Alex Bwalya, said the Council has failed the people of Chadiza district.

She said Chadiza District Council lacked qualified personnel and management did not seem to know what was expected of them.

The Minister wondered why unqualified people were holding management positions when the country had a lot of university graduates roaming the streets.

Ms. Masebo was incensed at the council management’s inability to answer her questions about how the council had spent government financial grants meant to improve water supply.

She complained that Chadiza District Council’s failure in service delivery was painting a bad picture about her ministry, when the ministry was constantly giving the council money to help the community.

And Chadiza Central Member of Parliament, Allan Mbewe, thanked the minister for suspending the council saying the move was long overdue.

Mr. Mbewe said Chadiza council was standing in the way of development because it was not interested in seeing the district develop.

Mr. Mbewe said he was bound to fail if the current council management continued in office as no development would come to Chadiza.

He said it was embarrassing that Chadiza council was one of the few councils that had not received the Constituency Development Fund on account of not having done retirement of the previous allocation.

ZANIS/ENDS/HH/CMM/EB.

Labels: CHADIZA, COUNCILS, SYLVIA MASEBO

posted by MrK @ 6:35 PM