Dedza Council chairperson turns to kabaza for revenue

Dedza District Council new chairperson Stanley Manase has pledged to ensure that motorbike taxi operators (kabaza) pay their operational fees.

He said this in an interview on Tuesday after defeating his opponent councillor Francis Chimpikiso.

In the election, Manase received 11 votes against 10 votes for Chimpikiso.

Manase said the council needed more revenue to improve service delivery to communities.

He expressed confidence in his revenue-generation strategies, saying, “if a vegetable vendor can pay market fees, why not a kabaza operator?”

“The district has over 3 000 kabaza operators. If all pay their fees, we can collect much money to help run some services,” said Manase.

Dedza Depot Motorbike Taxi operator’s chairperson Lapukeni Bula appealed to the council to adopt a collaborative approach rather than force, in implementing the regulation.

“For the past three years, we have been operating at a loss because of the introduction of tricycle taxi operators, so we approached some council officials and requested to be exempted from paying the fee,” he said.

Bula said kabaza operators previously paid about K10 000 per year as an operational fee.

Dedza district commissioner Thomas Chigwenembe congratulated Chimpikiso on his victory.

He also wished Joseph Kwenda all the best for being elected vice-chairperson.

Chigwenembe expressed hope that the new team will enhance the council’s operations in many areas.

“They have consistently demonstrated diligence and produced reports in their subcommittees. I am confident they will maintain this dedication and we, as the secretariat, pledge our full support to them,” he said.

In random interviews, residents welcomed the proposal, saying it would boost the council’s revenue.

John Chitengu, a market user, said everyone plying trade in the district ought to pay fees