adminPatrick Chitumba Midlands Bureau Chief
THE government has set up a four-member tribunal to preside over a hearing into allegations of gross misconduct, incompetence and mismanagement levelled against suspended Gweru councillors. The Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, Cde Saviour Kasukuwere, has appointed State counsel in the office of the Attorney General, Lixon Chikumbirike to chair the commission.
Other members of the tribunal, which is expected to complete its work in 45 days, are Godwell Khosa, Stephen Chakaipa and Justin Uladi who will be the prosecutor.
Addressing a press conference in Gweru yesterday, Engineer George Mlilo, the permanent secretary in the Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Ministry, said the ministry had intervened to bring normalcy to Gweru and the first hearing would take place in the next seven days.
“The tribunal is here and according to procedure, invitations will be dispersed to councillors on scheduled days to come and present themselves and normally they are given seven days in advance. So counting from today (yesterday) there will be a tribunal,” he said.
“The tribunal is supposed to operate within 45 days and we’ve already lost seven days. So we’ve got three weeks to go and it’s our prayer that in the next three weeks, the whole business will be concluded.”
Eng Mlilo said the route they had taken to suspend the councillors in order to investigate was normal and those found innocent would resume their duties.
He said the tribunal and the commission were coming in after an audit carried out by the ministry in July unearthed serious anomalies regarding council operations and financial management.
Said Eng Mlilo: “The turmoil affecting smooth operations of council affairs and service delivery stemmed from non-payment of workers’ salaries for a period now exceeding four months and arrears in statutory obligations by the city and the resultant demonstrations by workers which led to deterioration of both service delivery and relations between management, workers and councillors.”
“In addition, various reports of corruption, abuse of office and unprofessional conduct by councillors and management were received by my office which led to the suspension of the initial three councillors who were later dismissed following findings of the investigations that the councillors were responsible through serious negligence and gross mismanagement, for loss of council funds and property whilst the other one was exonerated.”
He said the council, apart from contravening the provisions of the enabling legislative frameworks regulating operations of local authorities, defied nearly all ministerial directives and circulars and passed a number of resolutions ultravires the Urban Councils Act.
“This state of affairs led to the suspension of all the 16 remnant councillors subsequent to the expulsion of the other two. Over and above, the ministry appointed caretakers to operate as council in terms of Section 80 of the Urban Council’s Act, Chapter 29:15 with effect from August 17 to put in place necessary administrative arrangements for the purpose of ensuring that the operations of council continue,” said Eng Mlilo.
The commissioners Mark Choga and Parenyi Chomunorwa are led by chairperson and former Masvingo town clerk Tsungai Mhangami.
Cde Kasukuwere suspended the 16 councillors, including the mayor Hamutendi Kombayi and his deputy Artwell Manyorauta on allegations of gross misconduct, incompetence and mismanagement of council funds and affairs.
The suspensions came after a two-week audit by a probe team which was in the Midlands capital a month ago and whose findings are still to be made public.
The suspended councillors are from the MDC-T (13) and three from the ruling Zanu PF.
The suspensions came at a time when Cde Kasukuwere on August 4, fired two MDC-T councillors Albert Chirau (Ward 11) and Moses Marecha (Ward 5) over allegations of abuse of public funds, a development that is set to necessitate more by-elections.
One of the suspended councillors Kenneth Sithole (Ward 4) was given a final warning.
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