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Herald Reporter
Chitungwiza Municipality has dismissed reports that it splashed US$71 000 on acting town clerk Mrs Evangelista Machona’s trip to Dubai, saying allowances were paid using Government approved rates.
Earlier reports said Chitungwiza spent US$71 000 on Mrs Machona and the local authority’s public relations officer Mr Lovemore Meya.
However, it turned out that only Mrs Machona travelled to Dubai and council said her allowances were nowhere near US$71 000.
In a statement, Dr Tonderai Kasu, who is the acting town clerk, did not state the actual figure that Mrs Machona got, but dismissed the US$71 000 as too high.
“It is not true that the council official that travelled to Dubai, Mrs Evangelista Machona, went together with council’s public relations officer Mr Lovemore Meya,” he said.
“The truth is, although Mr Meya was originally supposed to be part of the delegation, the numbers were then reduced and Mrs Machona travelled alone.
“Secondly, it is not true that Mrs Machona is being paid allowances of US$71 000 for this work-related commitment, that is a fantastically inflated figure which has no basis in reality.
“Mrs Machona is being paid allowances at standard Government rates, and her travel has been approved, both by the full council of Chitungwiza Municipality and the national authorities.”
Mr Kasu said the trip will benefit Chitungwiza a great deal.
“Mrs Machona is at the ongoing Dubai Expo in order to scout for potential investors for the many important projects to be implemented in order to bring growth, development and prosperity to the Chitungwiza community; such as construction of the Muda Dam, which will end Chitungwiza’s water shortages, construction of a state-of-the-art infectious diseases hospital, renovation of Chibuku Stadium into a modern world-class facility, construction of a multi-purpose complex that will also house the municipality’s new civic centre,” he said.
Mrs Machona’s trip, said Mr Kasu, was at the request and invitation of the national authorities and that it was in line with the Second Republic’s development thrust.
Online Reporter