Power struggle erupts in Mushindano

Fri, 14 Apr 2017 11:17:28 +0000

By JACKSON MAPAPAYI

A STRUGGLE for power and authority between Mushindamo district administration and town council have erupted over who is in charge of the district – the district commissioner or council chairperson.

This follows recent attacks on the councillors by the district commissioner Benson Ngambo that the UPND-dominated council was frustrating Government efforts by intimidating civil servants.

Mr Ngambo said he was disappointed that the councillors were undermining the authority of Government which employed the civil servants to implement its programmes.

But council chairman Lackson Mulumbi has angrily reacted to the charges, saying the allegations were ‘‘unwarranted, unsubstantiated and frivolous’’.

Mr Mulumbi charged that the district commissioner had no powers to warn the councillors because they were ‘‘too senior compared to the district commissioner’’.

‘’The councillors are elected by the people and not the district commissioner. It is the people of Mushindamo that have given them the mandate,’’ he said.

He also said that it was worrying that the district commissioner would display ‘‘high levels of ignorance’’ on matters of the Local Government Service Commission.

Mr Mulumbi said there was a procedure of handling matters in any local authority including issues pertaining to council employees appointed by the Local Government Service Commission. ‘’And so, if he does not understand how procedures work, we remind him to read his circulars and if he doesn’t have a copy of the Constitution we invite him to come to this office and give him a copy so that he understands where his boundaries end,’’ he said.

He said he was ‘‘heavily disappointed’’ with the district commissioner’s sentiments and that he will not allow anyone to interfere in the operations of the council.

He said the council had the right to defend the integrity and dignity of the institution.

‘’We took an oath to protect and defend the Constitution and we will do that even if it is against someone as a district commissioner and the cronies that are working to destabilise the good works of the councillors,’’ he said. Mr Mulumbi also warned the district commissioner to ‘‘stay in his lane’’ and allow the council to operate in line with the Constitution.