Govt appoints team to resuscitate Kadoma

management and councillors have failed to properly run the affairs of the council.
The city’s operations are shrouded in secrecy with the Mayor Councillor Peter Matambo not aware how much his senior officials earn and council’s total salary bill.
There is also bad blood between management and councillors.
Local Government, Rural and Urban Development Minister Ignatius Chombo, announced the decision after a day-long meeting with Kadoma councillors and management at his Makombe offices last Friday.
“We are putting in place a resuscitation team for Kadoma.
“The team should be at work beginning next Wednesday (today),” he said.
Clr Matambo requested the meeting after he was incensed by reports that some councillors were meeting Minister Chombo directly without his blessings.
He felt the councillors were jumping the gun and were misinforming Government on issues in Kadoma.
The councillors on their part said Clr Matambo was not accommodative hence they found a “willing ear” in Minister Chombo.
A number of issues were discussed among them the payment of secretive allowances to select councillors, the illegal payment of the mayor’s school fees and allocation of commercial stands to select councillors and the secret pay roll for senior managers.
Clr Bothwell Pasipamire, said the council was corrupt and alleged that Clr Matambo connived with senior managers to do illegal things.
“The mayor is on the forefront of corruption,” he told the meeting.
He alleged that the mayor had in December last year used over 250 litres of fuel when service delivery vehicles had received less than 20 litres each.
“There is no service delivery in Kadoma,” he said.
He appealed to Minister Chombo to suspend town clerk Mr Malvin Dondo to pave way for investigations into the operations of Kadoma.
But Minister Chombo said a resuscitation team whose terms of reference would be drawn up this week would be appointed instead.
The team would have powers to carry an audit.
“The Ministry should probe the secret pay roll and the whole of Kadoma City,” said Clr Pasipamire.
But Mr Dondo defended the salary perks to senior managers saying they were approved by the full council. Local Government Secretary Mr Killian Mpingo, said it was absurd that councillors were denied information relating to the salaries and benefits of senior managers.
Special interest councillor Fani Phiri, agreed with Clr Pasipamire and Clr Sibanda that there was need to appoint a probe team for Kadoma given the issues raised and the unconvincing responses by management.