PP officials accused of hijacking development committees

Using their political muscles, ruling People’s Party die-hards in Mulanje are dissolving existing Village Development Committees replacing them with their own members.

The development comes barely three weeks after some People’s Party followers in Blantyre’s Ndirande Township hijacked and booted out 103 newly recruited water attendants from 80 water kiosks.

PP Nachimango District Secretary Mr. Bright Tsogola admitted to Zodiak Online they are replacing all the VCD’s in the area.

There are fears that this will compromise implementation of activities under the local development fund-LDF as this is against decentralization regulations.

“Apart from that the tendency by the party die-hards is also crippling implementation of Emergency Recovery Programme (ERP),” said one official who sought anonymity.

Asked to comment on what the ruling party die-hards are doing, Mulanje District Commissioner Mr. Jack Nguluwe said he reported the matter to his authorities.

“I have already reported the matter to Capital Hill for policy direction,” he said.

But Minister of Irrigation and Water Development Richie Muheya, the only Minister from Mulanje in the PP government, said it was not true that development activities are being affected because PP supporters are dissolving VDCs.