Maravi

Sata directs PF-controlled councils to elect mayors

Sata directs PF-controlled councils to elect mayors
Written by Patson Chilemba, Lambwe Kachali, Mwila Chansa and Zumani Katasefa
Friday, December 19, 2008 12:44:55 PM

PATRIOTIC Front (PF) president Michael Sata yesterday directed PF-controlled councils to defy the government's directive not to hold mayoral elections.
But local government minister Benny Tetamashimba said he does not recognise the election of Stephen Chipungu as new Kitwe mayor.

Commenting on PF councillors in Kitwe who defied the government's directive that mayoral elections be postponed but proceeded to elect Chipungu as the city's new mayor, Sata congratulated the councillors for obeying the law and not human beings.

“First of all, I wish to congratulate the entire party on the Copperbelt, its leadership and councillors for knowing their obligation to the people of Kitwe in particular and Copperbelt in general,” Sata said. “And I wish to appeal to civil servants like [Jennifer] Musonda [Copperbelt permanent secretary] that they should recognise the limitations of the law. But if they want to be tools of oppression, we shall include them on the list of those to be defied. PF is the strongest party and has the mandate of the people. We shall obey the law and not human beings. And this should be a reminder to Rupiah Banda, George Mpombo and Tetamashimba that when PF decides to quick march, we shall quick march.”

Sata said in view of the brave action taken by councillors on the Copperbelt, he had directed all PF controlled councils to immediately hold mayoral elections. He said should Tetamashimba attempt to dissolve the councils, PF was ready to wipe out MMD in the elections.

Sata said Tetamashimba should ensure that the government co-operated with councillors because they had the potential to make governance difficult. He urged councillors to get rid of council chief executives who might attempt to prevent them from holding elections.

“We are looking forward to Tetamashimba dissolving all councils so that when we come back, we can come back as one party. We are going to wipe out even the two councillors they have [in Kitwe]. We shall not even waste time by going to court,” said Sata. “We want a council that is for the Zambians and not Chinese. Divo Katete danced to the tune of Chinese. Why doesn't he go to China and become a councillor in Shanghai?”

But Tetamashimba said the said election was illegal and would not be recognised whatsoever. He said as far as he and the government were concerned, Katete was still Kitwe mayor until legitimate elections were held.

Tetamashimba said he was reliably informed by Kitwe town clerk Ali Simwinga that as far as they were concerned, mayoral elections had been postponed and that no one was allowed to hold any election.

“Who conducted the election? Who was the returning officer? I am sure you know that there is supposed to be a returning officer for any election. What PF is doing is trying to bring in anarchy,” Tetamashimba said.

On Sata’s directive that all councils should defy the postponement and hold elections, Tetamashimba challenged Sata to tell the nation why he did not hold elections for four years when he served as local government minister.

“Ask Sata, there were four years when there were no elections. Ask him also that ‘is it possible for a minister to use his powers to suspend an election?’ Ask [Wynter] Kabimba, he was town clerk, to say there was a time when there was no election of mayors for four years. And if he says yes, then ask him 'what did the minister do not to have elections for four years?'” Tetamashimba said.

He bragged that Sata was nothing to him and had no powers to challenge his decisions.

“Who is Sata to direct me? Who is Kabimba to direct me? I am working according to the law; I don't work from what Sata wants. Why don't they go to court if I am going against the law?” Tetamashimba asked. “The Minister of Local Government has powers to suspend an election and that power, he can only exercise when he has a Statutory Instrument issued. The town clerk for Kitwe has told me that there was no election and the same for Chingola and for now I don't know about any election anywhere. The mayor I know for Kitwe is Divo Katete. As far as I am concerned, there was no election.”

And Kitwe council public relations officer Dorothy Sampa said as far as the council was concerned, no mayoral elections took place on Wednesday.

Briefing the press at her office yesterday, Sampa said the procedure of an election was that nominations had to be filed and the returning officer, who was the town clerk in this case, had to declare them valid and a vote had to be cast.

“So such a process never took place and if such a process does not take place, really in our view it just means an election never took place. So this is the position of Kitwe City Council,” said Sampa.

Meanwhile, Nkana PF member of parliament Mwenya Musenge, who is also PF Copperbelt Province chairman, said the decision to hold mayoral elections was final and within the law.

Musenge said PF was now awaiting Chipungu's installation so that he could start performing his mayoral duties.

“As far as we are concerned, we have a new mayor and a deputy mayor. We will wait for Tetamashimba to install the new mayor. There was no cost involved in conducting elections so we didn't see any need to delay the elections,” he said.

Musenge said people were free to say whatever they wanted because they had jobs to protect.

“But one thing that we need to take into account is that this country needs people who are principled, who are mature; people who have integrity; who will be able to stand up and condemn when things are not right,” Musenge said. “In our case, we speak for the silent majority out there and we are trying to protect the Constitution of the land which we shall not allow Tetamashimba to manipulate or abuse it anyhow.”

Musenge said PF councilors in Chingola also conducted elections and voted for Simon Chanda as the new mayor.

“Actually, they were the first to conduct mayoral elections before Kitwe councillors conducted theirs,” said Musenge.

And Chingola's Chitimukulu ward councillor McDonald Mulongoti said 15 councillors who included two members of parliament, Dr Joseph Katema and Wilbur Simusa, turned up for elections.

“In total, we were 15, we formed a quorum and we decided to go ahead with the election,” he said.

Mulongoti said there were 27 councillors in the district, and that the election was also attended by MMD Kalilo ward councillor Lozati Manengu.

Mulongoti said the election took place between 10:00 and 12:30 hours on Wednesday and that nominations were done, although the town clerk refused to sign the nomination paper.

“The two councillors went through unopposed and there was no council chief officer during the election,” he said.

He said councillors condemned Tetamashimba for continually postponing the election.

“Sylvia Masebo [former local government minister] is better than Teta. Teta thinks he is very clever, councillors are actually annoyed with him,” said Mulongoti.

And newly ‘elected’ Kitwe mayor Steven Chipungu said his priority would be to ensure that the city became clean.

“The city is facing a lot of challenges in terms of garbage collection, and street lighting. Actually we need to make the city look clean,” said Chipungu.

Labels: BENNY TETAMASHIMBA, KITWE CITY COUNCIL, PF, SATA, STEPHEN CHIPUNGU

posted by MrK @ 12:44 PM