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Patrick Chitumba Midlands Bureau Chief
Gweru City councillors recently decided to go with the Audit Committee’s recommendation to adopt a forensic land report without the approval of the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works.
Normal procedure is that local authorities should implement a resolution with written approval from the ministry.
The position was agreed on despite sharp differences between the councillors and management over the issue.
Council embarked on the land forensic audit in March last year, after indications it could have lost potential revenue in unscrupulous sale of stands, plan approvals and permit issuance by former councillors and personnel.
A final audit report was then sent to the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works for a way forward, but the ministry has not responded, prompting council to recommend implementation of the report.
The move is seen as a ploy to purge all employees allegedly aligned to the suspended town clerk Ms Elizabeth Gwatipedza.
Minutes of the ordinary council meeting seen by this publication show that acting town clerk Mr Vakayi Chikwekwe indicated he had received verbal communication from the ministry giving council permission to adopt the report and proceed to take action against implicated employees.
The director of engineering services Engineer Robson Manatsa, the report noted, stated that he needed clarification on the committee’s recommendation to adopt the forensic land audit report.
He said after the ministry sent the draft report, the town clerk made all heads of departments respond and it was surprising that in the audit minutes, there were no responses captured and the minutes only had a recommendation to adopt the report.
Engineer Manatsa told the meeting that this was an anomaly in the audit commitee’s recommendation. He said for the purposes of natural justice and audit standards, there were supposed to responses from those implicated.
Ward 1 councillor, Albert Chirau told the meeting that adopting the report was the prerogative of council and not any other body.
He said it was within the council’s powers to adopt the report without responses.
The councillor also stated that when the report was handed over by the Minister (July Moyo), it was not a draft report but it was the final copy hence the decision of council to adopt it would be justified.
He submiited that the acting town clerk Mr Chikwekwe was invited to the audit committee where he advised that the report was the final copy as approved by the ministry through a telephone conversation.
Chief internal auditor Mr Kizito Chitungo submitted that from an auditor’s point of view, the implementation of the resolution was supposed to come after written communication from the ministry.
Cllr Doubt Ncube argued that heads of department were only allowed to speak after given an opportunity to do so and the only officials to advise council in meetings should be the town clerk and the chamber secretary.
Mayor Cllr Josiah Makombe said council was going to implement the recommendations adding that those implicated would be given an opportunity to respond when the time came.
At the end of the meeting, the MDC- A led council adopted the implementation of the forensic audit without the Ministry’s approval.
Online Reporter