Public works participants shut council offices over pay

Participants of Climate Smart Enhanced Public Works Programme from Senior Chief Sitola in Mchinga on Monday sealed the district’s council offices over delays to pay their wages.

The development comes after district councils in the country have started paying participants who took part in public works in January and February this year. 

The activities, which seek to restore degraded landscapes and restore soil fertility, include afforestation, making contour ridges, digging deep trenches and constructing check dams in rivers.

While participants in other districts in the country are receiving their wages, at least 5 000 participants from 10 traditional authorities where the programme is implemented in Machinga are yet to receive their January and February wages.

As a result, hell broke loose on Monday when participants from Senior Chief Sitola flocked to the council’s offices to demand an explanation.

One of the concerned workers Macdonald Makanjira faulted the council for the delay in paying their wages.

He said: “We want the money to buy food because floods washed away our maize crops which were already mature.

“The authorities promised to pay us early March. We understand other beneficiaries from other districts have received their money.”

Chinguni Ward councillor in Machinga Likwenu Constituency Davies Weja said the people worked tirelessly for 24 days in January and February and deserved to be paid.

But Machinga district commissioner Lucia Chidalengwa said the concerned workers will be paid this week.

“We consulted the National Local Government Finance Committee and they promised to start the disbursement of wages anytime from today [Monday],” she said.