Maravi

PF fires C/belt, East leadership
By Staff Reporters
Sun 04 Aug. 2013, 14:00 CAT

THE Central Committee of the PF has dissolved the party leadership in Eastern and Copperbelt provinces. The party has also dissolved the PF Masaiti district leadership on the Copperbelt. Vice-President Guy Scott announced the development during the PF central committee meeting held in Lusaka yesterday.

Sources that attended the meeting said the provincial leaderships in Eastern and Copperbelt had been dissolved because of their failure to advance the causes of the party and the poor results recorded in the recently held by-elections in Chipata Central and Kafulafuta.

"Well it was a proposal from President Michael Sata and the central committee of the party unanimously agreed that the two provincial executives be dissolved and they were dissolved immediately. The party through its leadership has been tasked to reorganise these two provinces, including Masaiti district on the Copperbelt, to ensure that there is formidable leadership. There were too many divisions on the ground in Eastern Province while on the Copperbelt, it's generally poor leadership that's why they've been dissolved," sources said.

And in an interview yesterday, PF secretary general Wynter Kabimba said the committees had been dissolved because of in-fighting among the members.

Kabimba said apart from the Eastern and Copperbelt provincial executive, the Masaiti District Committee had also been dissolved for the same reasons.

"It is felt that we must give…firstly for the Copperbelt provincial committee, it has been an interim committee. If you remember, in 2011, that's the only province where we did not hold the provincial conference. So we have never had an elected provincial committee in Copperbelt Province. For the Eastern Province one, there has been a lot of infighting. For the Kafulafuta Masaiti one, there has been a lot of infighting there," he said.

Kabimba said in Masaiti, investigations that had been carried out had revealed that the party structures in the area campaigned against James Chishiba during the July 25 by-elections which the PF lost.

"The question of loyalty to the party became paramount," he said.

Kabimba said the action taken against the committees should serve as a warning to other primary organs of the party whom he said should learn to respect the decisions of the Central Committee.

Asked when the new executive would be ushered in, Kabimba responded:

"Very soon, we cannot afford to have a vacuum in the places in these primary organs of the provinces."

Meanwhile, Kabimba said the PF would announce their candidates for the upcoming September 5 by-elections on Tuesday.

And Eastern Province publicity secretary Masuzyo Mwenda has accused some top provincial leaders of exhibiting double standards.

Reacting to the dissolution, Mwenda said it was unfortunate that leaders that they trusted had betrayed the party in the province.
He urged the PF members in the province to remain united.

"It's sad that some top leaders were not genuine. They exhibited some double standards and these are the people that we were looking up to. This is sad for the easterners, some people have betrayed the province," he said.

Mwenda said it was unfortunate that some provincial leaders were exhibiting double standards even during the just ended by-election in Chipata Central where the PF lost.

"You know others are already old, what of us young ones where are we going to go? What we were expecting was for the party to give us jobs but we didn't know that some people were busy destroying the party," he said.

Mwenda said some people, who were innocent like him, would now look up to God.

"I hope I will still bounce back at the provincial level when the new provincial committee will be ushered into office," Mwenda said.

And reacting to the development, Robert Mwewa who was the PF Copperbelt chairperson said the dissolved executive would continue supporting the party and would actively participate in all party functions as individual members of the party.

Mwewa said the party would continue to enjoy popularity on the Copperbelt because President Sata was working hard to develop the province.

"I am not surprised about this development. I believe this decision has been made in the interest of the party and it's all about consolidating the party and its activities on the Copperbelt. We still pledge our loyalty to the party, we still believe in the PF and what President Sata can do to develop this nation. As the outgoing chairman, I would like to thank President Sata for giving me an opportunity to serve as chairman of the PF from the time he appointed me. Let's all remain resolute, let's be united so that we move the party forward," Mwewa said.

And outgoing Copperbelt youth chairman Menyani Zulu said they were grateful to President Sata and the central committee of the party for the opportunity that they were given to serve the party.

"Others now can pick up from where we have left and continue with the progressive agenda of the PF. We'll continue supporting the party and in my case I will be campaigning for the PF wherever I will be as a member. My word is that let us remain united," said Zulu.

Labels: EASTERN PROVINCE, PF

posted by MrK @ 4:43 PM