ENGAGE UPND OR ELSE…
…Lusaka mayor must handle cadres with care – ex-minister
By Thandizo Banda
LUSAKA Mayor Chitambala Mwewa must engage the ruling United Party for National Development (UPND) leadership if he wants to succeed in removing cadres from Intercity Bus Terminus and markets, former minister of local government Dr Charles Banda has advised.
In an interview with The Mast yesterday, Dr Banda said Mwewa should understand that no ministry, government department or local authority had the responsibility to manage political party cadres.
“Cadres belong to a political party and it is the party that manages them. Cadres found at bus stations and markets are not ordinary cadres but a sub system,” he said.
Dr Banda said the two offices that were responsible for the management of cadres in any political party were the secretary general and the national youth chairperson.
Mwewa is reported to have warned the ‘commander’ at Intercity Bus Terminus that he would lead a combined task force which will include the Zambia National Service (ZNS) soldiers to evict cadres from the facility and place it under the full control of the Lusaka City Council (LCC).
The operation is expected to include the removal of all makeshift stalls and stands from the terminus.
But Dr Banda advised him that if he wished to handle cadres in markets and bus stations, he should engage the two principal office bearers of the ruling political party who are directly responsible for handling them to avoid problems.
There are fears that a unilateral operation could face resistance and trigger violence.
“Otherwise, one is headed for a head-on collision with the party leadership,” he advised.
Dr Banda said the mayor’s job will be very easy if he had the blessings of the party responsible for those cadres and if the party officials will be alongside him during the exercise.
He reminded Mwewa that the problem of cadres was not new in Zambia’s politics, having been seen with UNIP vigilantes, MMD cadres, PF cadres and now UPND cadres.
“We hope the new mayor is not using an ordinary calculator to attempt to solve the puzzle,” Dr Banda said.
He said he did not want to remind Mwewa of his position over the same cadres a few years ago, but wished him success.
