Maravi

Rupiah directs Nyangu to reprimand William

Rupiah directs Nyangu to reprimand William
By Patson Chilemba
Wed 09 Mar. 2011, 04:01 CAT

PRESIDENT Rupiah Banda has directed MMD acting national secretary Chembe Nyangu to reprimand William Banda over demands that the MMD branch committee at Intercity Bus Terminus should be paying him K1 million every day. But Nyangu yesterday dispelled the assertion and claimed most of his staff at the MMD secretariat hated William Banda and were leaking incorrect information to the media.

However, well-placed MMD sources revealed that Lusaka Province MMD chairperson William Banda recently dissolved an elected branch committee at the Lusaka Intercity Bus Terminus and replaced it with his own favoured one.

“Those from the old committee are not even being allowed to enter Intercity. William Banda is demanding K1 million per day for his operations as chairman from the branch committee. He has brought in thugs who are not even registered voters,” the source said.

The sources said the dissolved committee complained to local government minister Dr Brian Chituwo over the matter.

The sources said Dr Chituwo in return conveyed the complaint to President Banda and MMD national chairman Michael Mabenga. “The President is very upset over the news and directed that William Banda be reprimanded or disciplined over his conduct,” the source said.

The source said that following the directive from President Banda and Mabenga, Nyangu met William Banda and some of his provincial executive officials on Monday. The sources said that during the meeting William Banda denied collecting money from the committee.

“The meeting heard that there was a plan by some executive committee officials to collect the money but William Banda is not a signatory to the monies. The meeting also heard that the former committee was dissolved because they were not attending party meetings,” the source said.

But when contacted for comment, Nyangu said he would not handle administrative party matters in the press.

“We know that William Banda has a lot of enemies at the secretariat. A lot of my staff don't support William Banda. Maybe it's because he worked with them there at the secretariat,” said Nyangu. “If there is any member at the secretariat who is leaking incorrect information, I am going to investigate to find out who is leaking information…why everything which goes on they leak. I will deal with that one.”

The Post was unable to contact Banda on his mobile by the time it went to press.

Labels: CHEMBE NYANGU, MMD, POLITICAL VIOLENCE, RUPIAH BANDA, WILLIAM BANDA

posted by MrK @ 2:17 PM