‘Stop running council like personal entity’
SOME Kitwe City Council (KCC) officials have been accused of running the local authority like a personal entity where no one is consulted on matters that affect residents.
Patriotic Front (PF) Lubwa ward councillor Godfridah Chulu made the accusations yesterday following the local authority’s decision last week by to slash maize and vegetables in fields and gardens of small-scale growers in Mwaiseni Township.
“It is unacceptable for some individuals to run the council like it is personal property where they don’t need to consult anybody when carrying out operations which affect the lives of the people,” Ms Chulu complained.
Mwaiseni Township residents whose maize and vegetables were slashed last week, protested at the residence of Ms Chulu, saying the produce slashed by the council, was their only source of income.
Addressing the affected residents at her home, Ms Chulu said the council was making the PF unpopular because it was being run by individuals “who think they are so ‘educated’ and did not see it fit to consult other councillors”.
Ms Chulu explained that she was not aware about the operation to slash people’s maize and vegetables in her ward because no one had informed her about it.
“I have been in the council for some time and I think if there is any operation to be carried out, you first inform the councillor about it. Even before that, you discuss these issues before you can move in, but what is happening at the Kitwe City Council today, only heaven knows why.
"You cannot go into somebody's ward without informing him or her and start slashing maize and vegetable fields for whatever reasons.
“If at all these peasant farmers broke the laws, they should have been warned that next year they should not grow crops because we will slash them down, but what happened is very sad," Ms Chulu said.