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The Clergy in Kabwe district have given Kabwe Central Constituency Member of Parliament, James Kapyanga, and his Bwacha counterpart, Sydney Mushanga, votes of no confidence.
The clergy say the two Members of Parliament are a great let-down to the district, alleging that they have done nothing to represent their electorates since assuming office in September, 2011.
They said they have on several occasions contacted the duo to meet them so that they could raise their concerns with regards to the district’s development but that the two Parliamentarians have always shunned their calls.
United Church of Zambia (UCZ), Rev, Emmanuel Bwalya, told ZANIS in an interview this morning that he has on several occasions tried to seek audience with the Members of Parliament so that he could indicate his concerns but that they have always shunned his calls, claiming they are very busy at Parliament.
Rev Bwalya said this has been very difficult for him to understand because he never at once called them when Parliament was in session but that they had consistently given the same response even when Parliament was not sitting.
‘’Our MPs for Kabwe are very busy people such that you cannot even contact them. It is either they are attending a committee meeting or attending to various issues at Parliament, even when the house is not sitting. I just wonder whether they are attached to Parliament as officers or they have constituencies to run, he said.
And Pastor Casey Kalaso of Christian Discipleship Church observed that development has lagged behind in Kabwe for so many years because Members of Parliament have forgotten their essence.
Pastor Kalaso said it is regrettable that despite so many people that have gone to Parliament to represent Kabwe, the district has continued to be one of the least developed areas in the country.
He said there is not much to talk about in Kabwe because most of the once lucrative companies, such as the Mulungushi Textiles, have shut down despite the district having representatives in Parliament.
‘’What is more painful is that we have always had representation from the ruling party but despite this, our town has continued to record very little development, ‘’he lamented.
Pastor Kalaso said he could not say much about the current Members of Parliament because he has not seen them do anything to benefit the people of Kabwe in terms of development.
He said he has been waiting eagerly since the last general elections to see what the two Parliamentarians had in store for the residents but that up to now they have not done anything tangible development-wise.
‘’I would not lie that I have seen any change in the district since the last election, because apart from the roads, which are not even properly done, the district has remained the same. It is like we have no representatives at all,’’ he complained.
‘’For instance in terms of infrastructural development, what is there to talk about? We still have one supermarket, Shoprite, and we still have no street lights. Our town is still as dark as ever and the contractor working on our roads is a total let down. Up to now, no single road has been completed or done to standard, so what is there to talk about in terms of development in Kabwe? he added.
And United Church of Zambia Rev, Mukuka Mwelwa, has urged Mr Kapyanga and Mr Mushanga to be proactive and emulate their friends in other constituencies across the country.
Rev Mwelwa said the two should realise that they are not at Parliament on their own accord, but that they are there because they were elected to be there by the residents of Kabwe.
He said they should strive to bring development to the district as per their promises during the election campaigns.
‘’You see these people made a lot of promises during the election campaigns but after electing them, we have not seen any fulfilment of those campaigns and we are just wondering whether they are the same people or not,’’ he wondered.
Rev Mwelwa said he is disappointed that despite the trust and confidence that the people of Kabwe had in them, the duo have decided to forget their mission and have no regard for the people that put them in power.
He said this is a lesson to the residents of Kabwe that next time they should listen attentively to the manifestos and vote for deserving candidates rather than people who will forget about their supplications after elections.
Meanwhile, Lighthouse Rev, Boston Mwebela, has appealed to President Michael Sata to investigate the on-going road works in Kabwe.
Rev Mwebela said he is concerned about the manner in which the roads are being constructed in the area.
He said apart from the works done on Buntungwa Road in the central business area of the district, the rest of the works being done are below standard.
He appealed to the Head of State to verify whether the works that are being done in Kabwe are in line with the specifications in the link Zambia 8000 project because what is currently obtaining may not stand a test of time.
‘’I have gone round the district and really, I am not so impressed with the works being done on our roads because it is very different from the works that have been done in other districts. I just don’t know whether the problem is with the contractor or the Road Development Agency,” he said
Rev Mwebela also raised concern over the operationalisation of Kabwe Municipal Council.
He said the local authority is very passive and that if the situation is left unattended, the district will continue to record no development at all.
He said while other districts are thriving, Kabwe’s development is diminishing because the local authority does not know how to go about service delivery.
The Reverend appealed to the Ministry of Local Government and Housing to act immediately because the council is not doing anything in the district.
‘’If we are not careful, we will soon see small district councils like Chibombo taking over the municipality status because it seems to be heading in the right direction than our council,” he charged.
Rev Mwebela said Kabwe Municipal Council requires a general turnover if the district is to benefit and that appointing authorities should consider reshuffling the staff to ensure proper service delivery that will benefit the people.
