Online Reporter
Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Zimpapers Writer
BULAWAYO City Council (BCC) councillors have raised alarm over deteriorating internal controls and rising corruption after 285 drums of bitumen, valued at over US$82 000, mysteriously disappeared from the local authority’s Kelvin North depot.
The missing bitumen, along with nine drums of Stable 60 worth US$2 142 and 20 drums of MC30 valued at US$6 480, was reported to Western Commonage Police Station on June 6.
According to the local authority, a litre of bitumen costs US$1,45, Stable 60 US$1,19 and MC30 US$1,62 per litre.
During a tense full council meeting on Wednesday, Ward 26 Councillor Mpumelelo Moyo described the developments as alarming, alleging sabotage of service delivery.
“Such leakages should be avoided at all costs. Tar is essential, and the city badly needs it for our damaged roads,” said Clr Moyo.
Echoing his concerns, Ward 21 Councillor Tinevimbo Maposa demanded a comprehensive progress report, warning that silence and delays were eroding public trust.
Proportional Representation Councillor Melisa Mabeza, went further, describing the incident as symptomatic of a deeply compromised system.
“Of late, there have been reports of theft involving council property and security staff. This could indicate that the Chamber Secretary’s department is overwhelmed. Security personnel may also be lacking in discipline,” said Clr Mabeza.
Deputy Mayor Edwin Ndlovu described the lack of internal oversight as “shocking”, stating that most departments, including security, were operating without effective supervision. He recommended that the matter be referred back to committee level and resubmitted with detailed findings.
The bitumen theft is the latest in a string of corruption scandals to hit BCC, painting a bleak picture of unchecked abuse of public resources.
In a separate incident, senior ambulance services supervisor Mr Peter Dube was dismissed after being caught siphoning more than 7 000 litres of diesel worth over US$10 000 from city depots. Dube was later arrested by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) on 107 counts of fraud and theft. The offences occurred between August 2022 and November 2024.
Earlier this year, BCC uncovered a fraudulent hall booking scheme involving Spirit Embassy Ministries, which used duplicate receipts to defraud the council of over US$2 000 in unpaid booking fees.
The church allegedly colluded with clerical officer Mr Busani Nyoni, who is now on the run, repeatedly using the same receipts to book the Large City Hall.
An internal audit revealed further irregularities dating back to 2023. Mr Somerai Charamba of Spirit Embassy admitted to informally paying Mr Nyoni in cash, bypassing official booking procedures in exchange for undisclosed US dollar payments.
