When did the role of Town Clerk change to that of Sewer superintendent?
How can the whole learned Local Government Service Commission (LGSC) suspend a Town Clerk for failing to unblock choked sewer line?
Though, Councils are shareholders of the water utilities within their jurisdiction, individual CUs operate independently and without inference from the shareholders.
Sewerage and water systems are purely managed by the water utility company in a given region.
Not so long ago, water in Lusaka was found contaminated after the Lusaka Water and Sewerage Company (LWSC) neglected its distribution system to rot thereby allowing germs to infiltrate the distribution of water.
Why didn’t the LGSC suspend the Town Clerk in Lusaka, for the failures of LWSC in the same way they have today suspended the Kabwe Town Clerk, Ronald Daka, over a blocked sewer which is the responsibility of Lukanga Water and Sewerage Company?
To hear that Mr Daka has been suspended over for ‘underperformance’ over a blocked sewer, which isn’t his responsibility is laughable.
Clearly, the LGSC is misdirecting its efforts and responsibilities.
At the moment Councils almost countrywide are stressed with huge wage bills after the same learned LGSC went rampant recruiting workers in incomparable with what they can pay.
The grants from Government to cushion these wage burden comes like rains in the Sahara desert and many more Town Clerks must prepare for suspensions.
Failure to fully support these Councils is not the only shortcoming of LGSC – this institution has also lapsed to competently and fairly recruit its workers.
At one time in Chingola, UPND member Derricky Chilundika questioned the integrity of the same learned LGSC when it recruited Grade 12 school leavers as Fire fighters from Lusaka and sent them to Chingola Council as though Chingola lacks Grade 12 school leavers.
Sighs of LGSC’s own failure are visible for all to see.
The dumping of waste at the entrance of Kabwe Municipal Council is not the first in Zambia neither is it the last.
It started with Nyimba Town Council workers who set the trend when they dumped garbage at Council Office on December 13, 2018.
From the space of less than 13 months, the LGSC has over employed such that Councils now live hand to mouth and others it is grant to wages.
Currently, Kabwe Municipal Council has seen its monthly wage bill shoot from K1.6 million to about K2.6 million within the same period under review.
Like many other Councils in Zambia, Kabwe Council has been under intense heat and trekking from Court to office to save land which the elite want to own at the expense of the poor.
The battle of Mayors verses Members of Parliament is real, such that Mayors are still operating without condition of service and now Town Clerks who thought they were neutral and couldn’t get involved in the fight are becoming victims of stray bullets.
Mr Daka is a victim of stray bullets, in the political fights that have rocked the Kabwe Council.
He may be underperforming in one way or another but again accusing him of sponsoring PF cadres to beat protesting Council employees doesn’t make sense.
How much does a Town Clerk earn to sponsor cadres to beat the entire unionized workforce?
Obviously when unionized employees are protesting for delayed salaries even management celebrates knowing they will benefit.
