Maravi

Govt freezes Chongwe CDF

Govt freezes Chongwe CDF
By Bright Mukwasa
Fri 01 July 2011, 04:01 CAT

THE government has frozen the Chongwe Constituency Development Fund (CDF) with immediate effect. And MMD Lusaka Province chairperson William Banda says the MMD will resort to any means at its disposal, including 'juju' if necessary, to ensure the party retains the Chongwe parliamentary seat.

In an interview yesterday, Chongwe member of parliament Sylvia Masebo said she received a letter from the Chongwe council secretary on Wednesday informing her about the government’s move through the Ministry of Local Government and Housing to freeze the CDF account.

Masebo said she was told that the account had been frozen in order to facilitate investigations into the utilisation of the 2009 and 2010 CDF allocation. This means that no transaction would be conducted on the account until after the audit verification was concluded.

But Masebo questioned the motive of the government’s decision, saying it would only affect the people of Chongwe who needed development.

“This is a desperate move by a desperate government to fix me. Why are they taking this measure a day after I announced my resignation from the MMD. It shows the bad faith and hatred I have been talking about, on their part,” Masebo said.

“In their narrow way of thinking, they think they are fixing or punishing me but what they don't know is that they are fixing the people of Chongwe who desperately need that money to improve their standards of living. Secondly, the government is fixing itself because this decision will backfire on them, the people will react.”

Masebo said the council had already made decisions regarding the use of the CDF.

“What is remaining is for the council to implement those decisions. And some of the projects we are undertaking include the drilling of boreholes in selected villages where villagers are still drinking water from wells and buying of culverts to fix bridges in some impassable areas to help school-going children, especially,” Masebo said.

She said among the intended projects was the improvement of the general school infrastructure in some selected schools.

“I am surprised that Dr Brian Chituwo and his advisors in the ministry could execute such a political programme against me which is just going to affect the people who are beneficiaries of those projects,” Masebo said.

“This money is not intended to benefit me as an individual, it is the people that need the boreholes to improve their living standards.

Dr Chituwo and his friends in government are so desperate to fix me that they have instructed the bank not to honour cheques that have already been issued on this account. Is this what they call auditing? Are they not supposed to audit after the expenditure?”

Masebo on Monday announced her resignation from the MMD following President Banda's continued hatred and undemocratic tendencies against her.

And William Banda says MMD would resort to any means at its disposal, including ‘juju’ to ensure the party retains the Chongwe parliamentary seat.

Addressing a handful of MMD cadres in Chongwe on Wednesday, William Banda said the party would campaign vigorously to retain the seat.

“I think we have all agreed that we shall all support Japhen Mwakalombe in Chongwe. Iwee basakuyofye (You Mwakalombe, they should not scare you). If it means using juju we shall do so,” William Banda said.

He said Mwakalombe, who had earlier vehemently denied habouring intentions to contest the seat, would win based on the ‘development’ MMD had delivered in the area’.

He warned MMD members not to attend any meeting called by Masebo.

“Masebo is no longer our member so if she calls for any meeting, if you go there I will discipline you. In whose name is she going to call you?” William Banda asked.

And William Banda said he is a smart guy and not the violent image portrayed of him by The Post.
“I am not the way people write about. Can you see the way I'm dressed? I am a gentleman. You can't break strong people easily,” William Banda, who was dressed in a suit said while beating his chest pompously.

He denied ever having harassed people at Frederick Chiluba's funeral as he was too senior a party official to be a ‘gateman’.

William Banda also warned that the moment The Post would write anything bad about him would be the time that he would march to their offices in protest because too many bad things had already been written about him.

He also called on MMD members to respect senior chieftainess Nkomeshya Mukamambo II as their mother and not to ever ridicule her.

Labels: CDF, CHONGWE, MMD, SYLVIA MASEBO

posted by MrK @ 3:52 AM