By Collins Mwansa
On 2 October 2025, the Chongwe Municipal Council will hold its first full meeting since its reinstatement, following months of suspension. At this meeting, councilors intend to move a Motion of No Confidence in the Town Clerk a move they argue is essential to safeguard accountability, transparency, and service delivery for the people of Chongwe.
This motion does not emerge from a vacuum. It is the culmination of months of tension, administrative breakdown, and unfulfilled development promises that have undermined the confidence of both councilors and residents in the functioning of their local government.
The Background: Suspensions and Stalled Development
Earlier this year, the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development suspended the entire Chongwe Municipal Council including its Mayor and 21 councilors citing governance challenges. Compounding this, the planning and land administration authority of the Council was also suspended, creating a double blow to the institution’s ability to operate effectively.While the Ministry’s decision was framed as corrective, the consequences on the ground were profound. Planning approvals stalled, infrastructure projects slowed, and land allocation processes were left in limbo. Investors, residents, and businesses in Chongwe bore the brunt of this paralysis.Public frustration grew as visible development slowed and services became harder to access. To constituents, the suspension felt less like a corrective measure and more like punishment especially when urgent priorities such as road maintenance, market rehabilitation, and land management ground to a halt.
The Motion: Key Concerns from CouncilorsCouncilors argue that the Town Clerk has failed in their core duty of implementing Council decisions faithfully and transparently. They highlight several critical issues:
• Misinformation to Council: Deliberately misleading councilors on key matters, which even triggered their earlier suspension.
• Intimidation & Abuse of Office: Instead of constructive dialogue, councilors report humiliation and heavy-handedness when seeking accountability.
• CDF Mismanagement: Breaches in procedure for establishing the CDF Committee and a lack of transparency in project selection.
• Failure in Road Infrastructure Maintenance: Despite budget allocations and procurement of equipment, road conditions continue to deteriorate.
• Stalled Civic Projects: Priority projects like the Guest House, Fire Station, and New Market remain incomplete despite funding.
• Financial Mismanagement: Councilors allege poor stewardship of public funds and non-adherence to the Public Finance Management Act.
Together, these issues represent not only an administrative failure but also a betrayal of the values of integrity, accountability, and service delivery enshrined in the Constitution and Local Government Act.
The CDF Question: Uneven DevelopmentPerhaps the most politically sensitive issue concerns the roll-out of Constituency Development Fund (CDF) projects.Councilors and residents note that while some areas of the constituency have enjoyed accelerated CDF implementation and visible results, other wards have been left behind, with little to show for the funds allocated.This perceived imbalance whether the product of administrative bias, procedural lapses, or political interference undermines one of the UPND government’s flagship policies. Instead of uniting communities through equitable development, CDF in Chongwe has become a source of division, resentment, and disillusionment.
The Impact: Public Confidence at RiskThe suspension of Chongwe’s Council and its planning authority has had serious ripple effects:
• Service Delivery Delays: Road works, drainage projects, and community facilities remain incomplete.
• Investment Uncertainty: Land-related suspensions have discouraged investors and slowed local economic activity.
• Erosion of Trust: Constituents feel let down when promises of decentralization and empowerment do not materialize.
• Political Risk: Continued dysfunction risks costing the governing party electorally in 2026 if not urgently addressed.
Local government is meant to be the face of government closest to the people. When it fails, the entire democratic project suffers.
A Compassionate Appeal for Urgent ActionAs councilors move this motion, they are not merely challenging an individual. They are raising the alarm on behalf of the people of Chongwe who want services delivered, funds accounted for, and development felt across all wards.
We therefore appeal to the Ministry of Local Government and relevant authorities to:
1. Investigate the councilors’ claims with transparency and fairness.
2. Protect municipal functions during the process so that residents are not punished for administrative disputes.
3. Commission an independent audit of CDF and project accounts, making findings public to rebuild trust.
4. Facilitate reconciliation and strengthen governance capacity, ensuring councilors and technocrats can work together constructively.
Conclusion: Choosing Accountability Over Paralysis
Chongwe stands at a crossroads. It can either descend further into dysfunction and finger-pointing, or it can seize this moment to reset, recommit to accountability, and restore service delivery.
Citizens deserve leaders who are responsive, transparent, and united in putting community interests first. If corrective action is taken now, Chongwe can still turn this crisis into a chance for renewal but inaction risks entrenching mistrust and weakening democratic gains.
For the sake of the constituency’s development, national credibility, and political stability ahead of 2026, let action be fair, fast, and above politics.