PF SUFFERING AT GRASSROOT LEVEL - MAXWELL CHONGU
THE Patriotic Front is suffering at the grassroot level while the party leadership is being cheated by officials who wanted to cling to power that everything is ok, a PF diehard, Maxwell Chongu has said.
Mr Chongu said the party had disintegrated at the grassroots because many leaders were championing personal interests at the expense of the party.
“Those people refusing to lift suspensions are the ones who have put people who are doing nothing in positions. They want them to be there so that they can vote for them at the general conference,” he said. All suspensions, Mr Chongu, said must be lifted with immediate effect to build the party because the grassroots are getting weaker.
Mr Chongu said PF needs to reconcile members and bring back members who were on suspension if it was to become stronger.
The party, he said, should learn from Luanshya and elsewhere where it lost because it was divided internally and could not mount an effective campaign.
He warned that it would be ‘deadly’ for PF to face the August general elections with a divided front.
Mr Chongu said people who could help grow the party were being kept at bay to safeguard their own interests.
He said calls by PF Lusaka province chairman, Paul Moonga for suspensions to be lifted should be supported by all well-meaning party members.
“We cannot be pretending that everything is fine when not. That is what led to PF losing the Katuba and Roan constituency seats. It’s because of divisions so this should not be allowed as we go to the August elections,” he said.
Mr Chongu said PF should
learn from the outcome of the Katuba and Roan elections to focus on growing the party.
He said the ruling party needed both old members and those serving suspensions to have it easy in the August elections.
CHONGWE Mayor Geoffrey Chumbwe, has ordered a stop to the demarcation of plots in Kanakantapa farm bloc.
Mr Chumbwe, who visited the area after complaints from residents, said the demarcation by the surveyors was improper as the plots were of incorrect sizes.
He made the order yesterday after he met residents who presented their complaints during a meeting.
The residents stated that they welcomed the demarcation, but raised concerns on the way the exercise was being done.
Mr Chumbwe was with Kanakantapa councillor,
Hildah Musopa.
He noted that there was no coordination between the community and those doing the exercise.
According to him, this had led to the misunderstandings between the two parties.
Mr Chumbwe said the plot sizes needed to be resolved before the exercise could continue to prevent more disagreements between surveyors and community.
“I will make sure that the delimitation exercise is temporarily halted as we find a way forward,” he said.
Mr Chumbwe assured the community that they will be protected, stating that the whole process was in their best interest.
MOVEMENT for Democratic Change (MDC) Matero Constituency aspiring Member of Parliament Captain Charles Musenge has bemoaned the piles of refuse at the Chunga dumpsite likely to pollute ground water, land and the air.
Capt. Musenge said the dump site which lacks proper management is now a health risk especially to the individuals occupying residential settlements nearby who are likely to already suffer some ailments owing to the refuse and its foul smell. He said part of the solution to the problem would be to woo investors that can set up a recycling and fertiliser manufacturing plant because the same waste which is disposed of and left for scavengers to pick can be a serious source of income generation.
“The piles of refuse at this site is frightening and pollution is threefold as all ground water, land and air are under constant pollution.
“To make matters worse, the dumpsite is now surrounded by residential properties which are not serviced with piped water and they depend entirely on the same contaminated ground water,” Capt Musenge said. He said with a visionary leadership in the constituency, specialists would have been identified to make use of the garbage, recycling all of it and reproducing bio-mas, paper, plastics and fertiliser among others. He said this would have in return helped Matero residents find gainful activities and further avoid feeding the ground with garbage which most likely contain industrial chemicals.