CHEWE Ndila, a PF councillor of Chilyapa ward in Mansa Central constituency, says the current government has not put the poor at heart, hence no one in the ruling party is talking about putting more money in people’s pockets.

And the Mansa Municipal Council has suspended Ndila from performing her civic duties for a period of six months.

In early May, PF media director Sunday Chanda issued a press statement indicating the ruling party’s Mansa Central constituency executive had suspended its Chilyapa ward councillor Ndila for bringing the name of the party into disrepute.

Chanda also stated that the constituency executive has since recommended that Ndila be expelled from the PF.

“Patriotic Front in Luapula’s Mansa Central constituency has suspended its Chilyapa ward councillor Chewe Ndila for bringing the name of the party into disrepute. Ms Chewe, who is aligned to Bahati MP Hon Harry Kalaba, was summoned to appear before the constituency executive committee on 30th April, 2018 but she stayed away without advancing any reason whatsoever,” stated Chanda.
“Mansa Central constituency executive committee has further recommended Ms Ndila’s expulsion from the ruling PF….The ruling party wishes to warn that truant members have no space in the Patriotic Front and they either change or will be shown the door.”
And according to a letter from the Mansa Municipal Council dated June 28, 2018, town clerk Sombo Kaela informed Ndila of her suspension.
“Be advised that council, at its sitting on Thursday 28 June, 2018 resolved to suspend you from performing your duties for a period of six months with immediate effect from the same date,” stated Kaela without disclosing the reasons for the suspension.
“Pursuant to Regulation 10 of the Local Government (Councillors) (conduct and code of dressing at meetings) Regulation 51 No. 140 of 1995 you are at liberty to appeal to the Minister of Local Government within 14 days from the date of the resolution should you be aggrieved by it. Further, pursuant to the Regulation 5 (2) of the aforesaid regulations, you are not to attend any council or committee meetings held during the civic year in which you stand suspended and shall not be eligible to receive any allowance.”

Kaela copied Ndila’s suspension letter to Luapula Province permanent secretary, Luapula Province local government officer, Mansa mayor and the council’s director of finance.

In an interview in Kitwe on Monday, Ndila pointed out that she was not surprised that she had been suspended because “earlier on [in May], I received a suspension from the PF”.

“So, now they are just trying to find means and ways of making me regret what I have done. But what I’m saying is that each and every person has got principles and my principle is to do that which is right. My principle is to put the poor first; we’ve drifted away from the manifesto that PF had – the manifesto that president Michael Sata left us with. We’ve not put the poor at heart – we are no longer talking about more money in people’s pockets,” Ndila said.
“So, even the issue of me going to the council, having money when people don’t have anything…No, I can’t do that because that’s not what I followed.”

She said she did not regret being suspended from the council.
“If you look at the objectives I had for my ward, they were about working together. I’m a woman and the person who suffers most is a woman. So, people were looking up to me to say ‘since she is a woman, she will help us.’ But with the policies of PF and everything that is happening now, no. I can’t work. So, I’m not even regretting. All that is there now is looking forward and seeing what happens. Let’s believe again that things can still change. So, the issue of me regretting is not there,” said Ndila.