BUKALO – Urban and rural development minister Erastus Uutoni has called on local authority leaders to refrain from infighting and concentrate on development and service delivery.
Uutoni made these remarks last week during the groundbreaking ceremony to pave the way for the construction of 162 new houses at Bukalo in the Zambezi region.
He pointed out that internal infighting among leaders within a local authority is a stumbling block to development, and in the end, people will start blaming the government.
“To the leadership of the village council; Bukalo village council has been idle in terms of development for some time. Why, why has it been idle? Fighting one another, and you know it. My dear parents, my dear brothers, my dear sisters, my dear family members, why do we have to fight one another?” questioned Uutoni.
The minister applauded the initiative saying, “It clearly demonstrates collaboration and participation that remains a central thing to make our towns, particularly Bukalo, become friends of promises, opportunities, and offers of hope to the lives of our men, women, and children”.
He urged the developer to consider the needs of the low-income earners.
“You know, developers want to generate a quick income and they focus more on those who are at least earning high and forget those at the lower level. When you come to develop an area, you should also look at the lower income group of the society, so that they can also benefit.”
Zambezi governor Lawrence Sampofu called on the developers to ensure value for money.
“We have seen in other areas, after three months, things are already falling apart. Let’s get value for money,” pleaded Sampofu.
The developers Oasis Learning & Hamco Investment explained that the development project will be carried out in three phases. The first phase will see the construction of 162 houses, which will be followed by the construction of a service station in the second phase, and a shopping mall in the third phase.
As part of their corporate social responsibility, the developers vowed to rehabilitate a sports complex and construct a community hall.
– aronmushaukwa@gmail.com
* Aron Mushaukwa is an information officer for the MICT in Zambezi region