adminMidlands Correspondent
THE Gweru City Council might soon destroy hundreds of tuck shops that are sprouting in the city. The idea was presented at a council meeting where councillors moved a motion to demolish emerging tuck shop structures in the city following concerns that the city was fast becoming a “tuck-shop community.”
Sources told Chronicle that finance committee chairperson who is councillor for ward 11, Clr Albert Chirawu, moved a motion during a full council meeting to have the tuck shops destroyed.
“The motion was seconded by other councillors who noted with concern that Gweru was fast becoming a tuck shop community. There are tuck shops all over the suburb and this is worrying the city fathers,” said the source.
The source said Clr Chirawu has since written formal letters to all tuck shop owners in his ward informing them of the development.
Clr Chirawu is scheduled to meet all tuck shop owners in his ward today where he is expected to tell them of the council’s intention to destroy the sprouting tuck shops.
Chronicle is in possession of one of the letters which tuck shop owners received from Clr Chirawu.
“Notice is hereby given to you all tuck shop owners in Ward 11 to attend a ward development meeting to be held this Saturday, December 14, 2013, at 9am at our factory shells. This was a request made by residents in the community as well as myself the ward councillor. Your attendance will be of great importance as we embark on a programme to take an inventory of the tuck-shop population in our community. I recommend that we the owners and not workers attend,” read one of the letters by Clr Chirawu.
Tuck shop owners who spoke to Chronicle yesterday said they were worried that Clr Chirawu wanted all tuck-shops in his area destroyed as they were now a threat to his own business.
“He (Clr Chirawu) owns a grocery shop at a shopping centre in his ward and this is why he is working towards destroying all tuck shops which are a threat to his own business,” said one tuck shop owner.
Another tuck shop owner said: “These councillors are greedy and their move to destroy our tuck shops should be shot down.”
Repeated efforts to get a comment from Clr Chirawu were fruitless as his mobile phone was not reachable.
Online Reporter