Kitwe’s PF Mindolo ward councillor Faustino Mwape has been suspended from the party for six months to pave way for investigations into allegations that he was involved in the illegal allocation of land where houses were demolished.
Kitwe City Council has so far razed about 600 houses and structures in Kitwe’s Mindolo North after a combined team of council and police officers swung into action last week.
The residents have asked government to intervene in the matter before their children die of the cold.
Addressing a meeting at Kitwe City Council on Monday, PF Copperbelt provincial chairman, Stardy Mwale, told Mwape, who was part of the meeting, that he had been suspended from the party with immediate effect for among other reasons, the serious allegation that he was part of the group that was illegally selling plots to people.
“The letter will follow you; we have to investigate how many of you were involved in this, who was involved within the council on these serious allegations of selling plots. The other reason is insubordination. How many times did I call you councillor, asking you to come to the provincial office we discuss this issue of illegal plots in Mindolo? You never appeared yet you are being mentioned that you knew what was happening. Let this be a lesson to all of you honourable councillors,” Mwale said.
And Mwape in an interview dismissed allegations by some residents whose houses were demolished that he sold the plots to them.
“I don’t have any hand in this issue and it’s not my wish to be suspended but I will remain loyal to the party. I am one of the founders of the PF here. I will cooperate with whatever investigations because I have to clear my name,” Mwape said.
And in a statement released yesterday, Kitwe City Council public relations officer, Donna Mbalwe, said the exercise of demolishing illegally built houses did not come as a surprise to the squatters as they were warned by way of issuance of site instructions way back before the progression of the houses which were being razed.
“As Kitwe City Council we tried by all means to resolve this illegal move amicably but the squatters pretended to have a deaf ear on the matter and continued to allocate and build without the council’s consent,” Mbalwe stated.
She stated that the exercise had also served as a warning to other lawbreakers, especially the people who were allocating themselves land without proper documentation from the council.
Mbalwe stated that the demolition exercise, which included Chimwemwe East, Kitwe West and parts of Kawama and Bulangililo, would continue.
She stated that about 600 structures have been demolished so far.
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Kitwe PF Suspend Councillor
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