Maravi

Chief Musungwa nods re-alignment of Itezhi-tezhi

Chief Musungwa nods re-alignment of Itezhi-tezhi
By Fredrick Mwansa in Itezhi-tezhi
Fri 17 Feb. 2012, 12:01 CAT

SOME chiefs in Mazabuka and Itezhi-tezhi districts have disassociated themselves from a statement made by chiefs Mukuni and Chikanta that they are opposed to the government's decision to transfer the administration of Chirundu and Itezhi-tezhi districts to Lusaka and Central provinces respectively.

Chief Musungwa of the Ila people of Itezhi-tezhi said that it was wrong for chiefs Mukuni and Chikanta to make a blanket statement that chiefs in the province were opposed to the re-alignment of the district to Central Province.

Chief Musungwa said that the move by the government to re-align the district was a blessing to the district which had been reeling with administration problems due to its geographical location.

Chief Musungwa also dispelled statements that the move to re-align the district to Central Province was aimed at separating ethnic grouping of the Ila and Tonga people from Southern Province.

"There is no separation that will take place; we will still be here, it is only administration headquarters that will change. In Central Province, particularly Mumbwa district, it's Ila people who settled there. So what is the difference between Ila people of Itezhi-tezhi and Mumbwa?" chief Musungwa wondered.

Chieftainess Mwenda of Mazabuka said that chiefs Mukuni and Chikanta were entitled to their own opinions and wondered why they decided to include other chiefs in their own opinions.

"Southern Province chiefs include me, but I was not consulted," She said.
She said that every government had its own way of administering the country in a manner that is convenient to it and there is nothing political about the move.

Last week chiefs from Southern Province meeting under the Southern Province Royal Foundation rejected the re-alignment of Itezhi-tezhi and Chirundu to Central and Lusaka provinces respectively.

Meanwhile, opposition UPND councillors frustrated Central Province Permanent Secretary Edwin Zumbunu over the re-alignment of Itezhi-tezhi to Central province.

The hostile and uncompromising UPND councillors had arrived a few minutes earlier at the civic centre where they had a full council meeting.

Kaanzwa ward councillor Michael Hamasuki kept interrupting Zumbunu's speech before he could even explain what the re-alignment meant.

Itezhi-tezhi member of parliament Greyford Monde said that the move by the government to re-align the district was questionable, given that Choma, the new Southern Province headquarters, was nearer than Kabwe.

After realising that councillors were too political, hostile and would not listen to him, Zumbunu cancelled the address and called for another meeting the following day.

However, Luubwe ward councillor Steven Shaloba stood and said that it was not necessary to hold a meeting on the re-alignment of Itezhi-tezhi district because the President's pronouncement was not accepted in Itezhi-tezhi.

"We councillors in Itezhi-tezhi do not accept the pronouncement," he said.

Shaloba said that in a democratic country, the President should have consulted the affected chiefs over the matter.

But a resident of Banamwaze area in chief Chilyabufu's chiefdom in Itezhi-tezhi Felix Shanungu said that President Sata should have considered creating another province to be called Kafue to comprise Itezhi-tezhi, Mumbwa and Kaoma instead of re-aligning the district to Central Province.

Labels: CHIEFS, DISTRICTS, PROVINCES

posted by MrK @ 4:10 PM