Staff Reporter| The City of Bulawayo has made a passionate plea to churches in the City to pray for divine intervention to save the city from the wreath of Local Government Minister Saviour Kasukuwere.
City Councillor for ward 18 Concilia Mlalazi made the plea at the burial of a Bulawayo City Council Accounting Officer in Bulawayo yesterday.
Councillor Mlalazi told more that 2 000 mourners that included senior City Council officials that Minister Kasukuwere is out to dismiss the entire council in order to block development in the city particularly the proposed Egodini Mall.
According to the Councillor, Minister Kasukuwere is frustrating the project which should already have been started because he wants to bring in contractors from Harare at the expense of locals.
“How can someone block such a massive development for the city just because they want contractors and employees to be people from Harare,”: she said.
Addressing the various church leaders who were at the grave site, Councillor Mlalazi implored on the clergy to seriously pray for the City Councillors as Kasukuwere has sent an investigative team to investigate the council with a plan to suspended the entire council.
“I know that Bulawayo pastors are a deep praying lot. Please pray for us, we need God to protect us against the Ministry,” she said.
Councillor Mlalazi further told the gathering that Minister Kasukuwere’s investigating team has in just two weeks cost the council over $30 000 of residents fund that could have been directed to service delivery.
“They are staying in very expensive hotels and claim huge amounts of money for their subsistence while doing this unwarranted investigation,” she said. “They are claiming a breakfast allowance of $75 while they are sleeping in hotels that provide them bed and breakfast,” added the councillor amidst inaudible comments from the mourners.
Ministry of Local Government despatched a crack audit team to investigate issues of irregularities in allocating residential and commercial stands by the City’s Councillors following mass complaints from the residents of the city.
The Local Government Board also blocked the construction of the Egodini Mall to pave way for investigations on allegations of corruption in the awarding of contractors of the mall.