Guest article: On 2nd October 2025,
Chongwe Municipal Council was expected to finally hold its first Full Council Meeting of the year. Instead, in a shocking last-minute twist, the meeting was postponed abruptly on 1st October indefinitely.
For councilors and stakeholders, this was not just a scheduling hiccup – it was another blow in a year marked by suspensions, dysfunction, and political wrangles.
A Year Without a Council Meeting
• No Full Council meeting has been held in 2025.
• The entire Council was suspended earlier this year, including the Mayor.
• The Council’s authority over land and planning was withdrawn, stalling approvals and discouraging investment.
This triple paralysis has left service delivery frozen, development projects stalled, and public confidence eroded.
Politics at Play?
Reports suggest that councilors planned to move a Motion of No Confidence in the Town Clerk at the cancelled meeting.
Shortly after, a group of youths – including a Ward Development Committee Chairperson – staged a protest condemning councilors and calling forward by-elections. Many observers believe this was a politically choreographed move, linked to growing tensions between the area MP and councilors (some of whom may challenge her in 2026).
If true, this raises troubling questions:
• Are councilors being silenced for exercising their oversight mandate?
• Has local governance in Chongwe been reduced to political survival games? The Consequences for Chongwe
• Stalled development: Roads, markets, housing and civic projects remain incomplete.
• Investor uncertainty: Land administration suspensions have scared away potential growth.
• Erosion of trust: Constituents see decentralization promises slipping away.
• Political risk: Governance failures risk weakening the ruling party’s standing ahead of 2026.
This is no longer just a local crisis – it’s becoming a national credibility test for decentralization.
What Needs to Be Done
1. Restore Full Council Meetings immediately.
2. Commission an independent audit and investigation into CDF, finances, and administrative decisions.
3. Reinstate land and planning authority to unlock stalled development.
4. Depoliticize local governance – councilors must operate without fear or propaganda wars.
5. Facilitate dialogue among councilors, technocrats, and political leaders to rebuild trust.
Final Word
Chongwe’s crisis shows how fragile local democracy becomes when political interests overshadow public service.
The government and UPND leadership must act decisively to restore accountability, functionality, and fairness – not just for Chongwe, but to safeguard the integrity of decentralization nationwide.
Anything less risks turning this local paralysis into a national loss of trust ahead of 2026.
#Chongwe #Governance #Accountability #Decentralisation #Zambia #UPND #LocalGovernment