Ruling PF Secretary General Davies Mwila has expressed anger and dismay at the action of the Lusaka City Council who have demolished and destroyed stalls at Luburma market commonly known as Kamwala Market.
Over the weekend, several traders woke up to a rude shock to find their stores destroyed and their stock looted by Council police officers alleging that they are illegal stalls.
But Mr Mwila has since summoned Acting Lusaka Mayor, Ms Chilando Chitangala to his office to explain why the Council had gone ahead to demolish the market structures without giving the traders prior notice so that they could remove their merchandise from the stalls before the Council could move in to erase the structures.
Mr Mwila has said that the PF is angered and saddened by the action of the Council as it has jeopardized the very core of the traders’ survival and livelihood.
Mr Mwila says that while as a Party, the PF does not support illegality, it is extremely wrong and insensitive for the Council to destroy and loot people’s property and he has since demanded that the Council compensate all the affected traders whose goods have been destroyed or looted.
The PF Secretary General said it is heartless and in fact criminal for the local authority to destroy and loot people’s merchandise.
He has demanded for the immediate investigation of what transpired and who was involved in the looting.
Mr Mwila has asked for calm and restraint from the affected traders as the Party and Government look at corrective measures to help them.
This is according to a statement issued by PF Deputy Director- Media Antonio Mwanza.
One day we will wake up to a shocking realization that it is little children who all along have been at the helm of power.
why are they destroying things and only in Lusaka? Where the president live?
Look at that, looks like Syria.
well said mr mwila thanks a billion, nothing wrong with authority giving warning.
I thought the Ministry of Local Government should be dealing with such cases and not the SG of PF. The SG’s part is with managing the party and not the city. Where is the separation of power? The Local Government minister should have surmoned the Mayor and not this man.
. . . .”Mwila says that while as a Party, the PF does not support illegality, it is extremely wrong and insensitive for the Council to destroy and loot people’s property”. In this instance, Mr Mwila thinks the Council is obligated to give notice to who deliberately break the rules.
This is criminal. You can’t just destroy and loot people’s property without warning. The City Council will need to compensate these poor people, and the deputy mayor needs to get fired. And who is the mayor again? I hope it’s not that lazy sleepy guy that was in office during the recent deadly Cholera outbreak. Both of them need to be kicked out of office for incompetence. Shame on them.
kekekeke..tiye nayo..demolish illegal structures..period..
Words fail me.
And this is why we can never have clean streets like in Rwanda because of politician interference by empty tins like PF Secretary General Davies Mwila
Thats not the point, these people should have been asked to pack their belongings when the day ended.
What do you think would have happened, illegal building is just that …PF would have interfered like they did in Ndola where that State House Minister personally went there.
@Kaluba are you sure that they were not warned. The Kaponyans never list to warnings. Right now Zambia Railways is warning people who have built on their land to remove what they can salvage but nothing is happening. Wait and until things have been destroyed – even the PF fimofimo will cry foul. Look at how people resisted to move from the streets – Army had to be called in. Even opposition parties had all sorts of theories. Talk about the phone in programme but now everyone is happy with a clean city.
Get out
@Jay Jay, the City Council means well. But they still needed to warn these poor people. Something like ” we give you 7 days to remove your merchandise and vacate the premises you’re occupying illegally. If you don’t comply, you’ll lose them, as we’ll move in to demolish the illegal structures by such and such a date.” If they don’t comply, then they would’ve no one to blame but themselves. WARNING is the issue. It’s okay to enforce the law, but you’ve to be considerate and humane at the same time. That’s professionalism. You don’t just act like soulless, heartless machines. Even God warns people first, before he punishes them. The City Counsel should not be discouraged because of the backlash this time. They’re doing the right thing by enforcing the law. But they need to…
(Continued)… WARN first, before acting.
Tulekwatako uluse: When these people were building where was the Mayor, Town Clerk, City Engineers who should have told them not to build at a wrong place. Could it be that this place is for some special people known by the Mayor. Be kind to your brothers and God will be kind to you. You should have settled amicably. Very sad indeed.
Kaunda yeee sosa sosa chalo chilekunfwa
This is criminality. prosecute whoever was involved.
Pf secretary general is allowed to summon the mayor of Lusaka? Didn’t know he had that much power. Anyway I somewhat agree with him. Why not allow the illegal traders to pack up the property before destroying the stalls? Two wrongs….
These fooools take this same corruption of power abroad where the summon opposition leaders in those countries.
@ banda… mayor is a PF member, nothing wrong in summoning this wrong doer.
If the stalls were there illegally then it is okay and the PF SG should not interfere with the duties of the council
Sad that this was poorly handled. But there must be a clear distinction between a political party and Government. Why should a local government official be accountable to a political party secretary general? We don’t want a return to “The party and its government”. The person who should be summoning the Mayor is the minister of local government or the president. Mwila is NOT a government official. please.
Why the president, why not those fellas who drive SUV’s all over town!!
This is the same PF thug who was urging his caders to steal council plots and take over public spaces ……this Congolese thinks he is the government…..total lawlessness under the corrupt theif lungu.
Mr Mwila is the Secretary General of the Patriotic Front and not the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government and Housing.
Is Mwila a civil servant or a political cadre?
THATS THE WAY HON MWILA….NO WONDER YOU ARE A PEOPLES MAN ….
OVERZEALOUS FOR NOTHING…..THE ISSUE SHOULD HAVE BEEN HANDLED IN PROPER AND AMICABLE MANNER…….
I HEARD LUSAKA MINISTER ON QFM THIS MORNING CONFIRMING THAT HE WAS PRESENT WHEN THEY WERE DEMOLISHING STALLS.. LUSAKA MINISTER AND MAYOR SHOULD BE REMINDED THAT WE A PRO-POOR PARTY.
HON MWILA SIR SUMMON HIM ALSO…..
BRAVO BA SG !!!!!!
It buffles me as to think where the council was when people were building the stalls. I believe the affected traders had the approval of the council.
An illegal building is just that so how do traders have approval from the council…
Heartless and foolishness at prey. Surviving in Lusaka is hard these day then some council official with a fat bank account orders the demolition of shops without warning or even giving the guys a chance to get their stuff.LIFE
THERE ARE SOME ILLEGAL HOUSES BEING BUILT BEHIND LIBALA SECONDARY SCHOOL. COME AND DESTROY THEM ALSO.
WHY HAVE THEY BEEN ……………………
carderism at its best. Does the mayor report to PF secretary general? The traders are in the wrong but should have been allowed to pack their belongings
First and foremost in as much as I understand that the council has authority to demolish illegal structures they should have given the traders an ultimatum…and where were they when illegal structures were being put up?? And what powers does Davies Mwila have to summon the mayor..government operations and party operations are separate what if it was the UPND SG summoning the mayor over the same
Who the hell is PF secretary Genral to summon a Government official, for what naimwee, you are a political party fye period, don’t mix party with Ubutekoo… u can vent yo anger elsewhere, not ati ba Mayor come.. if u want him to cum to you, call him or her in her PF member capacity, not ati ba Mayor come here….we have a Govt to run, and if those people knew what was good for them, they wouldn’t even dare construct another illegal market, it shall b brought down, whether Niba PF or shani ukoo…
This is the same PF thug who was urging his caders to steal council plots and take over public spaces ……this Congolese thinks he is the government…..total lawlessness under the corrupt theif lungu.
PF is a challenge. The same council approved those structures. The people who were part of the demolition squad shud b charged with treason.
Does the PF general secretary has the authority to summon the mayor?
from the pictures above it looks like looting exercise by the council for the following reasons
1 No prior warning was given according to the article.
2. Owners should have been allowed to pack their belonging if they refuse then its their fault
3. The SG has the right to complain and caution the Mayor because he was sent by the part to represent their policy so for those of you who the SG has no power you are wrong The part in power is the government so basically you cant separate the two.
Sometimes I’don’t understand the reasoning of this Government. We failing to answer some fundamental issues as Government. The questions are why are people building illegally, or why are people selling in the streets? The day a Government will answer these questions with honestness then the solution for this problem will found otherwise this is the issue of being reactive and not proactive
please read the rules of the game… just dont call yourself a business without understanding basic by laws…whats illegal is illegal…..i was fined K300 coz i was driving in a 60 zone at 70 km…maybe i should also have been given prior warning that there is a speed trap ahead i could have reduced my speed, I mean all these days I have been doing 140km on the same stretch.. sure the must by some consideration … please ba Mwila summon the IG
Mayor do your duties professionaly do not fear anyone. Clean the city of Lusaka. Come to SOS where someone has built a wall to frontage of the road.
The PF SG knew all along what was about to transpire. All this summoning of the mayor etc etc is all part of the grand scheme of things and public relations gimmick just to make sure pipo don’t rise against the party.Nuthing will come out of this and it will die a natural death in a few days time.
I also failed to understand why the SG summoned the mayor, even though he is a PF member… what if the mayor is from the opposition. if the mayor performed ultravirus, let those responsible act.
Davies has summoned the wrong person, these demolitions are superintended by Bowman. Besides Davies is supposed to go to the Mayor and the other way round. Davies is answerable to his Party while the Mayor was elected by the people of Lusaka, including Kadansa’s Party. It’s not like summoning Chikwelete, Davies must respect the Mayor
The SG of one criminals party has no right to summon and question the MAYOR who is elected by the people, let the relevant ministry do that NOT a political party. How do u compensate when u dont have records what was inside before looting?
Just follow the law and nothing of such nature will happen to your building. You cant have a dirty town at the expense of votes. Clean up the town. PF SG please leave the mayor alone to do his work. Do your job too by cleaning PF which is in a mess too.
Party Secretary General vs The peoples elected mayor, who is above who?
Violation of powers at its peak. Can someone explain the role of the Secretary General of the party and the role of the Mayor of the city.
Who reports to who?