Lusaka: The Mayor of Lusaka, Chilando Chitangala, has described the late former Mayor of Lusaka, Fleetfort Chirwa, as a visionary leader who devoted his life to serving the people of Lusaka with dedication and passion.
Chitangala disclosed that, during the tenure of the Fallen Civic Leader, Chirwa spearheaded municipal diplomacy with some of the major cities in the world, which resulted in the naming of the Roads in Lusaka’s Kanyama compound as Los Angeles, whose name has now been changed to Kalusha Bwalya Road.
She added that it was also during his tenure of office as Mayor that the city of Lusaka twinned with the City of Los Angeles in the United States, adding that to this day, the Lusaka City Council still enjoys cordial relations with Los Angeles.
She explained that the late former Mayor also facilitated the twinning of Nairobi, which contributed to having great bilateral relations between the two nations.
She described the late Chirwa as a compassionate and selfless figure who showed great concern for the welfare of the people of Lusaka, whom he served with utmost diligence for many years.
Her Worship stated that Chirwa would be remembered for his unwavering commitment to the City of Lusaka and its people, adding that Civic Leaders serving today should leap from Chirwa’s passion for the grassroots.
Before becoming Mayor, Chirwa was elected as a councillor for Chinika Ward in the Kanyama constituency in 1967 under the United National Independence Party (UNIP) government. From 1967 to 1969, he became Deputy Mayor of the City of Lusaka, deputising the third indigenous Mayor, Watson Banda, post-colonial era.
The late Chirwa was later elected as the Mayor of the City of Lusaka in 1969 and served in the same capacity until 1973, and was later elected as a Member of Parliament for the Kanyama constituency.
Chitangala paid her tribute to the late Former Lusaka Mayor, Fleetfort Chirwa, at the valedictory service held in the Council Chamber, Civic Centre today, which the Secretary attended to the cabinet, Patrick Kangwa, Former Mayors, Councillors, Lusaka City Council Acting Town Clerk Engineer Liftery Ndaba, and Lusaka City Council Management among others.