SATA

By BRIAN HATYOKA-
THE Local Government Association of Zambia (LGAZ) and Alliance of Mayors and Municipal Leaders Initiative for Community Action on HIV/AIDS at Local Level (AMICAALL) have recommended that five per cent of the Constituency Development Fund should go towards the response to HIV/AIDS activities.
The two bodies recommended that the current revision of the CDF guidelines being undertaken by the Ministry of Local Government and Housing should include a minimum provision of five per cent of the CDF to go towards HIV/AIDS activities.
This is according to the Livingstone Declaration passed at the just-ended 58th LGAZ annual conference and 11th AMICAALL which was held at Chrismar Hotel in Zambia’s Tourist Capital last week.
The five-day gathering, which attracted cities as well as municipal and district councils across Zambia, was held under the theme “50 years of Local Government, Treasuring the past, reflecting the present, shaping the future.”
Delegates also recommended that the current CDF administrative cost accruing to local authorities at the rate of K20, 000 should be revised to the original 10 per cent to enable adequate project supervision and monitoring.
“We are inspired by Government’s continued resolve to harness national resources in an effort to boost and sustain a functional local government system.
However, the Government should expedite the revision of the Rating Act in particular the part relating to levying mining machinery and equipment,” the declaration reads.
Delegates also asked the Management Development Division and Decentralisation secretariat at Cabinet Office to provide more information on the implementing modalities for the new organisation structures for city, municipal and district councils.
They also urged the Ministry of Finance to operationalise the provisions of section 136 of the Mines and Mineral Development Act of 2008 relating to mineral royalty sharing in order for local authorities to benefit from the mineral resource.
Delegates further asked the Ministry of Local Government and Housing to urgently issue a circular to local authorities to restore the abolished crop levy.
“Further, we reject the intention by the same ministry to abolish Personal Levy and instead the ministry should revise the annual threshold from K15 to K100,” the declaration reads.
Speaking in an interview at the end of the conference, LGAZ president Mulenga Sata urged councils across Zambia to promote a clean and green environment.
Mr Sata said there was need for councils to plant more trees and use solid waste to generate sustainable energy for street lightening and other projects.
He also called for the localisation of the Local Government Service Commission (LGSC) operations.