…even to pick a dead dog, we have to inform the Mayor
By ALICE NACHILEMBE
Shocking revelations from Chingola Municipal Council is Councilors are being barred from seeing Council Chief Officers.
But Chingola Mayor Titus Tembo says the move is aimed at bringing orderliness in the way the council operate as each Councillor was trying to give orders to Chief Officers.
Last week, UPND Lulamba Ward Councillor Temani Banda revealed that since 2011, all UPND Councillors have never received ward fund despite the allocation in the annual budget.
This time, Mr Banda opens another lid where he reveals that all Councillors at Chingola Municipal Council have been barred from seeing Council Chief Officers (Directors) for anything.
He said for Councillors to meet the Directors they need to seek permission from either the Mayor or Town Clerk to access Directors and Chief offices at the Council.
Mr Banda said Councillors have been denied direct access to Chief offices and Directors instead they need to seek clearance for any follow up.
He alleges that PF Councillors together with the Mayor held a meeting in which a resolution was passed that Councillors should seek permission from the Mayor before they speak to Directors and Chief Officers at the Council.
Mr Banda also accused the Town Clerk of being part of the meeting where he later issued a memo to Council Directors over the same.
He said when a Councillor visits Directors offices they are shown a memo to get permission from Mayor or Town Clerk and when the Mayor authorizes he speaks to the Town Clerk then permission is given.
“But how are we going to help our communities when the Mayor and Town Clerk are busy and out of office? This means we have to wait for them when we need help even when I need to pick garbage in the ward I have to seek permission, even when a dead dog is dumped on the street I need the Mayor’s permission to speak to the health inspectors. This is too much.
“The Mayor and Town Clerk are the bosses who need to look into serious issues that come to their offices from the people,” he said.
Mr Banda said that the unfortunate part is that the people being punished are the ones who gave the Councillors the mandate to save them.
He said not much has been done by the leaders and 2021 is near, hence nothing to point out as been done by the leaders.
But Chingola Mayor said that there is a standing order which says the link between the Council and the Councillors is the Mayor and the Town Clerk.
Mr Tembo said the fear is that if everyone is giving orders then they might be a miscommunication, hence the standing order.
The Mayor has urged the Councillors to be bold enough to follow the right channels to air their grievances.
