ActionAid says creation of new district ill-timed

ActionAid Zambia says the creation of the new districts is both ill-timed and ill-advised given the number of challenges the country is going through and the fact that there is an impending by-election in Solwezi West.

ActionAid notes that the Presidential pronouncement creating the new districts of Mashindano and Kalumbila may be misconstrued as a political gimmick by the Patriotic Front government to win votes in the coming by-election.

Pamela Chisanga ActionAid country Director

It also notes that it is not responsibility of the mining companies to support development in the new districts as the President appeared to suggest, but that this still remains the responsibility of government, which currently, as noted, has a huge fiscal deficit and will not be able to support the new districts in any meaningful way.

ActionAid also notes that two of the mines Kalumbila and Lumwana will be in the jurisdiction of one of the new districts which will see the district perhaps raise more revenue while the Solwezi municipality will see a decrease in revenue, a move which will affect projects that Solwezi has planned.

ActionAid is also concerned that the Presidential declaration has not specified actual dates when the new districts will be operational, something which would create confusion and might result in the Solwezi Municipality abrogating its responsibilities to the communities in the affected areas and push the tasks to the “new district”.

It further notes that more confusion could be expected with regards to boundaries as it is not clear what will be the boundaries of the new districts.

ActionAid has since called on government to put on hold creation of additional districts and to put in place a clear strategy for the development of the new districts and that policy measures to address capacity constraints are attended to as a matter of urgency.

The organisation has further called on government to undertake a cost benefit analysis when creating new districts and to match the creation of new districts with available resources.