.KAMBWILI

By MOFFAT CHAZINGWA –

GOVERNMENT has expressed disappointment with councils for not maintaining roads being constructed at colossal sums of money.
To this effect, the Government has directed town clerks to ensure that a budgetary allocation is set aside for road maintenance.
Chief Government spokesperson Chishimba Kambwili cited the newly constructed industrial road in Luanshya, which has already developed potholes and is run down because of neglect.
The minister said this when he called on Kitwe District Commissioner Chanda Kabwe, on his continued tour of media houses on the Copperbelt.
“Make sure that the township roads we started constructing are maintained. All town clerks wake up otherwise heads will roll because I cannot accept to see things deteriorating,” Mr Kambwili said.
Later when he toured Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) Kitwe studios, Mr Kambwili issued another directive to managements of all public media houses to have part-time employees engaged on full time basis because Government would not accept casualisation.
Managements of public media have three months to address the problem of part-time employees.
He similarly appealed to private media institutions to consider improving the conditions of service for their employees.
Mr Kambwili said his plan is to sell off or demolish the existing ZNBC Kitwe studios and Mass Media Complex and instead build modern structures because he feels the two facilities have outlived their time.
He also said talks had advanced between his ministry and the Embassy of Turkey over an agreement that will allow ZNBC learn how that country effectively manages television levy.
At the Times Kitwe office, Mr Kambwili reiterated his commitment to making sure that challenges affecting the company are addressed.
Times Printpak Human Resource director Getrude Kabezia said inadequate furniture and vehicles were some of the challenges affecting operations.
Zambia Daily Mail Kitwe offices, Radio Icengelo, Faith Baptist Radio, Yar FM, Flava FM and Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS) Kitwe office were among the media institutions Mr Kambwili toured.
Meanwhile, the minister directed district commissioners and town clerks across the country to ensure that they bring down all political campaign billboards and posters.
He said political campaign billboards should be pulled down within three days because people cannot be politicking all the time.
“We can’t be in the political mood all the time. I am directing district commissioners and town clerks to pull down political campaign billboards across the country and I am giving them three days to do this,” Mr Chishimba said.