Solwezi West councillors in divided loyalty

Solwezi West Constituency residents have accused their ward councillors of not taking their plight seriously as they spend most of their time working in the mines where they have taken up jobs.

This came to light yesterday when the parliamentary committee on reforms and modernization, chaired by Solwezi West Member of Parliament, Humphrey Mwanza, conducted a community sensitization meeting with residents in the constituency on parliamentary reforms and modernization programmes.

Residents expressed dismay over the move by some named councillors of taking up jobs in the mines as this compromises service delivery effectively because of divided loyalty.

And speaking at the same function, Lupososhi independent Member of Parliament, Patrick Mucheleka, appealed to Solwezi West residents to make use of constituency parliamentary offices if their various challenges are to be fully addressed.

Mr Mucheleka explained that parliamentary constituency offices are non-partisan and, therefore, residents from all walks of life, despite their political affiliation, are free to visit them.

He said parliament has gone through a number of reforms, one of them being the introduction of parliament radio, which has brought parliament closer to the people.

The committee on parliamentary reforms and modernization is in North Western Province inspecting National Assembly offices and conducting public hearings.