By Stefanus Nashama

Samora Machel constituency councillor, Nestor Kalola, has dismissed recent claims that he has been absent from his office due to a missing key, labelling the reports as fabrications driven by political frustration from his opponents.
The reports, which circulated earlier this week, alleged that Kalola had not been showing up for work and had lost access to his office. However, the councillor refuted these allegations, explaining that the key incident was misrepresented and politically motivated.
 

“I did not lose the office key. I had an accident and the key was left in my car when it was taken to the garage for repairs. The person who ran to the media with this story is someone who once wanted to be a councillor but was rejected by the voters. He is simply bitter and frustrated,” Kalola said.
 

He clarified that during the period his car was at the garage, he continued to operate from the boardroom at the constituency office. He has since recovered his vehicle and resumed full office access.
“It is not always that I should be in the office. I attend meetings and community engagements. If I were not at the office, I was certainly attending to constituency matters elsewhere,” he added.
He further revealed that he had only been given one office key, despite the norm being three keys in total.
“I was only issued one key. The other two keys were already missing when I started. So when my car was taken in for repairs, I had no spare key to use,” he said.
 

He further questioned why the individual who spread the story did not contact him directly before taking the matter to the media. “Why rush to the media instead of calling me? My contact number has always been public. There was no need for such drama.”
Kalola accused his political detractors of attempting to score cheap points ahead of the upcoming regional and local authority elections.
 

“If there is something I have not done, it is because it was beyond my power. I serve the people. Let them judge me based on my performance. Of course, I can’t please everyone, but I have done the work,” he said.
Community members interviewed by Confidente rallied in support of Kalola, calling the negative reports unfair and politically motivated.
 

“Kalola is one of the best councillors we have had. He has addressed so many community issues. He does his best,” said Samuel Angula, a resident of Samora Machel Constituency. They echoed sentiments that the criticisms were part of a smear campaign in light of the approaching elections.