The Livingstone City Council has terminated the contract of Town Clerk Dras Neves and sent acting director of finance Kamwata Pongo on forced leave, in a raging battle that has defined the local authority in the tourist capital for the most part of the last 12 months.
Her contract termination was announced yesterday at the Civic Center as workers ululated in jubilation, others chanting”Prayer
Answered!”slogans.
But Ms Neves has said the decision announced yesterday by Livingstone Mayor Aggrey Njekwa was illegal because, according to her, the mayor had no power to end her contract.
Mr Njekwa, who addressed the protesting workers after the full council meeting yesterday, said the town clerk’s contract had been cut short while the acting director of finance would proceed on forced leave to pave the way for investigations.
This follows the sit in protest that the unionized workers carried out since Monday.The protest by unionised workers had by yesterday worsened and taken a new twist, with soldiers temporarily taking up the responsibility of cleaning the streets that were heaving under the weight of garbage.
The workers found seated outside Livingstone Civic Centre premises as their protest entered day three vowed to continue pushing for the removal of the town clerk and Mr Pongo.The workers demanded for the removal of the Ms Dras Neves on account of irregularitis and misplaced priorities.
During the protests the workers claimed that they have not been paid their salaries yet the Town Clerk was busy making trips to the U.S
using the Council’s resources.
Zambian Army soldiers were found cleaning various roads that included Senanga, Kuta Way, Akapelwa as well as the bus and taxi ranks.
Ms Neves in an interview accused the unionised workers of attempting to destabilise the commencement of the voter registration exercise, which was expected to start at the civic centre yesterday.
She said the workers had not shown any maturity in their complaints, adding that the unionised workers such as council police and cleaners were getting new uniforms which had not happened in the last 10 years.
But Zambia United Local Authorities Worker’s Union Livingstone branch chairperson Geoffrey Sianga disagreed with Ms Neves, saying she should respond to specific concerns raised instead of diverting people’s attention by bringing in issues of political nature.
Mr Sianga said the protests had nothing to do with any political influence as the unionised members were non-partisan and were fighting for their rights.
He said whether the protests were legal or not legal, unionised workers would not be scared of being dismissed, and that they would only report for work if Ms Neves and Mr Pongo were removed.
After the mayor’s announcement, Ms Neves said she would not recognise the decision to terminate her contract because it was beyond the mayor’s mandate.
Former Acting Town Clerk,Mr Clement Chisanga takes over from Ms Neves with immediate effect.
In hope the mayor’s move is not cover up his dirty tracks. There is too much corruption at the local government level hence lack of basic services delivery.
Councillors are just over zealous, who has the powers to hire and fire.Where is the Service commission.You cant have mayor firing a principal officer when he is an interested party.I have no confidence in these councillors they all have Agendas and when they find a Town Clerk who stands up to them then they fire.The Livivngstone mayor has a very bad language, his vocaburary is always firing.Leave the Lady alone
too much controversy surrounding this beautiful coloured lady. sexual accusations of her forcing herself onto the laps of a muzungu councillor. let her go but problem is she cannot practice law she has no experience. she has to look for a job. she was also legal secretary at FRA and again her perfomance was terrible
But Ms Neves has said the decision announced yesterday by Livingstone Mayor Aggrey Njekwa was illegal because, according to her, the mayor had no power to end her contract.As far as i know the Mayor of a city is the boss and has all the rights to fire any city employee including the Police Chief. But in Zambia too much politics and everyone wants to benefit by stealing from the poor.She must have done some big damages at the city council.Next move she will be a MMD, PF or the other party i don’t but i know it’s leader by HH.
The so called clean MMD controlled council.
She is useless,let her go.
Ba Dras Neves naba Kamwata Pongo sure imwe! I am a zambian but this is the first time ukumfwapo amashina ayo…Hope they wont turn out to be chinese finally finding their way mu kamfulumende!
Livingstone council as usual too corrupt and bickering always at the expense of beautifying the tourist capital.It sucks!
thats UPND controled livingstone council. ubuchende namayo uyu ne nyele
MMD has failed to manage councils.
@shazza it’s like you have a lot about this woman can you give us enough so that we know her very much. The other thing is about now the local leadership at the council. Does it mean that livingstone has no lozis to govern the city, I know of my former school mate aggibri and the former mayor farra!
@ Shazza, number 3… You have hit the nail on the head… A spade should be called by it’s rightful name… Dras Neves Maria Sanana was a disaster when she headed the Legal Department at Food Reserve Agency from 2005 to 2008.. She was a perpetual under-performer and lamentably failed to provide Legal advice to the Agency. She instigated the retrenchment of four brilliant Engineers who were at the prime of their careers, all in the name of company politics. What goes around comes around.
@3 Is she the one who sat on my former school mates laps and apologised later. Well @12 she’s fond of bring politics into work places, hey!
Too bad, saw her on TV the other day telling the reporters that the strike by workers was politically motivated, probably to solicit for protection from Brian Chituwo.Is the Local Government Service Commission operational? If not, too bad, she was employed by the council(Councillors) and in the same way Councillors can terminate her contract.She should consult Ali Simwinga , Kitwe TC who by the way, is the LONGEST serving TC on how he has managed to network with Councillors. They even extended his contract after he retired.
viva workers demands..thats the way to go!
Key point in this article soldiers were cleaning roads to maintain were the city employees had left of for the moment. Inshort the livingstone city council is the only operational one in the whole of Zambia. In Lusaka all the do is eat sleep and show up for ten minute stints at their office buildings.