TIZ calls for thorough probe of Siavonga District Council

TIZ calls for thorough probe of Siavonga District Council
By Allan Mulenga
Sat 18 Feb. 2012, 12:01 CAT

TRANSPARENCY International Zambia has urged local government minister Professor Nkandu Luo to ensure that corrupt allegations over Siavonga District Council are thoroughly investigated and the culprits brought to book. In an interview yesterday, Transparency International Zambia executive director Goodwell Lungu said corrupt practices in local authorities hamper service delivery.

"We call on Professor Luo, just as we did to the former local government minister Dr Brian Chituwo, not to narrow the probe to a few councils as the allegations are not confined to UPND-controlled councils alone, but need to be spread to PF and MMD dominated councils as well," he said.

Lungu urged the government to roll out the implementation of the National Anti-Corruption Policy to prevent the occurrence of such malpractices.

"TIZ recommends a much broader probe into malpractices in local authorities and we call upon all citizens to report such malpractices to relevant authorities in a bid to root out such bad practices. What has been reported may just be a tip of the iceberg. While this is a worthwhile undertaking, we would like to caution Prof. Luo to handle the matter professionally by avoiding the temptation of pursuing a political agenda which will not help to resolve the problems," said Lungu.

On Thursday, Prof Luo suspended Siavonga district council for allegedly corrupt activities with immediate effect .