CITIZENS’ Coalition for Change (CCC) councillors in Chiredzi are pushing for the recovery of land stolen from Chiredzi Town Council by the previous councillors and management exposed in a recently released report by an investigation team appointed by former Local Government minister Saviour Kasukuwere in 2016.
MORRIS BISHI
The push for the implementation of the recommendations by CCC councillors is despite the involvement of one of their own, Gibson Hwende, the town chairperson who also received 46 stands in 2014 as part of his share when all councillors resolved to loot the local authority which is known for its bankruptcy.
The acting town secretary, Weisley Kauma, who was the town engineer between 2014 and 2016, is also implicated in the report, raising fears that the findings will not be discussed in any council meeting as the two men at the helm of council are beneficiaries of the corruption scandal.
A CCC councillor told The NewsHawks that together with his colleagues they were going to raise the issue at a full council meeting which was supposed to be held on Thursday, but the meeting was cancelled. He said the two men at the helm of council are implicated in the report and at this period they should be suspended to allow the full implementation of the report.
“We wanted to discuss the issue yesterday (Thursday), but the meeting was cancelled. Those who are supposed to chair meetings are involved in the scandal and as l see it the findings of the investigations are genuine. The implementation is also tricky since the ministry only released the report without writing to council giving us direction, but as elected officials it is our duty to recover what was stolen from the people,” said the councillor who requested anonymity.
Chiredzi town chairperson Hwende said he is yet to officially see the report and cannot comment on something which is circulating on social media.
“I am yet to see the contents of the Alpha Nhamo report. l cannot talk of what l am seeing on social media, this it is something which is not official. I am currently out of Chiredzi and will only comment after seeing an official document,” said Hwende.
Town secretary Kauma said council will do nothing with the report which was released seven years after investigations. He said there is a police report made against former town chairperson Francis Moyo by two residents and will only wait for the outcome.
“To tell you the truth as council we will do nothing about the report. We will not discuss its contents in any meeting since there is a police report made at CID Chiredzi by two residents against former chairman and we will only wait for the outcome,” said Kauma.
Boniface Mutemachani and Clemence Saidi, who are both Chiredzi residents, recently made a police report at the Criminal Investigations Department in Chiredzi and their lawyers Chadyiwa and Associates wrote a letter to the Officer-in-Charge in Chiredzi enquiring about the progress of the report and on Tuesday this week Chief Inspector Simango who is the Officer in Charge at Chiredzi Police station responded to the letter instructing the lawyers to request for the report details from CID Chiredzi.
Moyo told The NewsHawks that he is not aware of any police report against him and rubbished the corruption allegations, saying all they did as council was above board.
