By Isaac Zulu
Kabwe mayor Patrick Chishala has overruled a council resolution to have a new mayoral Ford Ranger vehicle purchased for him, saying the council must instead buy a heavy duty tractor for garbage collection in the district.
Speaking with Daily Revelation, Chishala said he was was elected to serve the people and not to be served, adding that he could not afford seeing garbage piling up in the town while driving in a new vehicle and that he would continue using the one which has been used by his predecessor in the last five years.
Justifying his decision to rule against the special council meeting’s proposal to procure a mayoral vehicle for him, Chishala said that his primary objective is to serve the people of Kabwe who elected him into office, and as opposed to leading a luxurious life.
“I have declined to have a brand new vehicle in this year’s budget for Kabwe Mununcipal Council. Yes, during the special council meeting, and the budget approval, it was proposed that a new mayoral vehicle be bought for me. But looking at the priority areas in our district, I thought that was not of primary concern for me,” explained Chishala in an interview, who is the current Kabwe Mayor. “So, I decided to rule against the proposal to buy a new mayoral vehicle this year and, subsequently, proposed that the money allocated for the procurement of this brand new car be channelled towards buying a heavy duty tractor, which will be used for garbage collection in Kabwe district.”
Chishala said that many people across the country, including his close friends have been questioning him why he had to arrive at such a decision, but his response has always been that he was elected to serve the people and not to be served.
“Yes, you are right many people, including close friends have asked me why we had to make such a decision and my simple answer is that I was elected to serve the people and not to be served. I was voted into office to serve the people and not for me to concentrate on leading a luxurious life; as a primary issue. My primary objective is to address the concerns of Kabwe residents,” said Chishala.
The Kabwe Mayor explained that he is concerned about the indiscriminate disposal of garbage in the district, which he said is posing a health hazzard to residents in the area.
“I cannot afford seeing garbage piling up in communities while I am being driven in a new luxurious vehicle. By the way, I was even shown the vehicle the Kabwe Mununcipal Council wanted to buy for me, it is one of the latest Ford Rangers on the market. And I know the current mayoral vehicle has been used for more than five years and it has started giving us problems, but the plight of our garbage matters a lot, and it is a matter of urgency,” said Chishala. “My primary concern is that the garbage that is piling up in our communities is a health hazzard and if we are not careful, we might just start recording some outbreaks of waterborne diseases. We need a health community, health human resource, a health nation in order to ensure enhanced productive and production. My priority is to ensure Kabwe clean, green and healthy. Together we can make Kabwe the Kabwe we want.”
