Bulawayo councillors distance themselves from award fiasco

Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, his deputy Thokozani Khupe and Water Resources Management and Development Minister Dr Samuel Sipepa Nkomo for the prestigious award.
Outraged Bulawayo residents have rallied against the proposal, saying Mr Tsvangirai did not deserve the honour because he had not done anything for the city.

Councillors yesterday described the development as “inappropriate mischief done without the input of 21 councillors”.
In an interview, Clr Phinias Ndlovu (MDC-T) of Ward 14 said seven members of council’s general purposes committee overstepped their bounds to make the decision.
“There is a civic awards committee that is supposed to discuss such issues.

“It was improper for the issue to be discussed at the GP committee meeting,” said Clr Ndlovu.
He said council procedure dictated that the Town Clerk, Mr Middleton Nyoni, was supposed to announce a date for the mayoral review and councillors would then prepare CVs of people that they thought deserved civic awards.

“The CVs would be compiled and the civic awards committee made up of the mayor, his deputy, three councillors, the town clerk and other council officials would deliberate on the proposals and come up with names that would be passed by councillors, before awards are issued at the review (meeting).
“Names are not suggested before the date for the review has been announced,” said Clr Ndlovu.

He added that Dr Nkomo did not deserve the award despite being credited with bringing water to the city.
“The award is reserved for individuals who have used their own initiative or resources to make a positive difference to the city and its residents.
“Sipepa is a Government employee who used Government resources on a national programme to bring water to the city.

“You cannot compare him to people like David Ndoda who used his own resources to set up an orphanage from which scores of orphans continue to benefit every year,” said Clr Ndlovu.

A member of the GP committee who declined to be named said members of the committee threw out the proposal when the Deputy Mayor, Clr Amen Mpofu, presented it.
“We were all against it; even the mayor told Clr Mpofu that the GP meeting was not the correct platform to discuss the issue.
“It is frightening how the issue has got out of hand since then.”