Protesting UPND youths suspended
UPND youths who protested against the appointment of Francis Hasalama as Kapiri Mposhi District Commissioner, have been suspended from the party.
The youths led by Kapiri Constituency Information and Publicity Secretary, Chisanga Kalonde last week staged a protest to reject the appointment of Mr. Hasalama on the basis that he was not a resident of Kapiri Mposhi.
The youths who thronged the District Commissioner’s office to air their grievance, demanded the appointment of a local person, whom they said would better understand challenges in the district.
But in the turn of events, Constituency Chairperson Davy Ngwelela disclosed in an interview that the party had resolved to suspend the youths who instigated the protest for three months citing gross indiscipline.
Mr Ngwelela named the suspended youths as Youth Constituency Chairman, Marley Mukatuka, Vice Women Chairperson, Clemetina Ndashe, Constituency Information Publicity Secretary, Chisanga Kalonde and Trustee Ronance Siwale.
Mr Ngwelela said the party was in support of Mr Hasalama as DC for Kapiri Mposhi stressing that the youths went against the position of all the party structures in the district that endorsed President Hichilema’s appointee for position of DC.
Mr Ngwelela urged all members of the party to follow laid down procedures to air their grievances unlike always taking to the streets to protest before exhausting all channels of communication.
“It is indiscipline that the youths went on to protest before exhausting channels of communication and against the position taken by the party to endorse President Hakainde Hichilema’s decision,” Mr Ngwelela said.
He said during the three month suspension period, the affected youths will not perform any party functions nor get involved in any party activities.
Meanwhile, Mr Ngwelela has implored youths in the district not to pre-occupy themselves with protests but leverage various opportunities the New Dawn government has provided under the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) to improve their lives. – ZANIS
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