State Media|Chitungwiza councillor for Ward 13 Kiven Mutimbanyoka (Zanu-PF) has urged Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister July Moyo to suspend all the town’s councillors citing poor service delivery.
Cllr Mutimbanyoka told state media that there was an urgent need for Government’s intervention and allow a commission to run the affairs of the council while investigations were being undertaken.
“I strongly feel that all the 25 councillors, including myself, should be suspended and the Minister of Local Government should put in place a commission to run the council for the next three months as prescribed in the Urban Councils Act so that we do away with the politics that is impeding service delivery.
“Such that at least our people can actually get the services that they are yearning for all the trust and confidence that the residents had in us are all gone,” he said. He said the processes leading to the suspension of the Town Clerk, Dr George Makunde, last month by Mayor Lovemore Maiko and the appointment of Engineer David Duma as Acting Town Clerk were illegal and suspicious.
He said under the circumstances, according to the law, chamber secretary was supposed to become the acting town clerk. Mayor Maiko appointed Eng Duma barely a few days after he was arrested by the police on allegations of corruption and abuse of office regarding land deals and the matter is still pending before the courts.
“At one point the mayor himself, Engineer Duma and Councillor Kudakwashe John were arrested together prior to them suspending the town clerk, but then why did the mayor rush to appoint Eng Duma, who has a case before the courts, and whose bail conditions prohibit him from interfering in council operations,” he said.
Eng Duma this week informed residents that regularisation of illegal properties had resumed. He also appointed a new chamber secretary, Mr Raymond Wenyeve, on the basis that the position was previously being held by a person who had no law qualifications.
“I think that after these guys realised that the game was up, the so-called acting town clerk and Mayor Maiko they are now sanitising their corrupt activities by intensifying the regularisation exercise and appointing an acting chamber secretary in retrospect.
“He has appointed a junior legal officer to the post of chamber secretary, which is not provided for in the Urban Councils Act.”
Cllr Mutimbanyoka alleged that the MDC-run council had illegally taken over managerial functions at Town House.