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Patrick Chitumba, Midlands Bureau Chief
The Government will soon finalise the issue of the 11 suspended Gweru councillors to bring progress to the city.
On November 30, the Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, Cde Saviour Kasukuwere, re-suspended the Gweru councillors including mayor Hamutendi Kombayi barely 24 hours after he withdrew an appeal at the Supreme Court in Bulawayo against a High Court order instructing him to re-instate them.
Responding to a question from MDC-T Member of the National Assembly for Mkoba Constituency, Mr Amos Chibaya in Parliament recently on the state of affairs at the council following the re-suspension of the councillors, Cde Kasukuwere said: “There are councillors who petitioned the courts last week and we said we would follow the amended Local Government Act which now empowers us as a Ministry to accept written submissions by suspended councillors as to what their position is,” said Cde Kasukuwere.
“We start at the level where the Ministry will look at each issue as it relates to every councillor. This is done by the ministry’s legal department. It is an easy task and if there are those who would want to have charges preferred against them, they will appear before tribunals.”
Cde Kasukuwere said he was also concernewd about the delays in concluding the issue of Gweru city councillors.
Asked why the other three councillors who were not suspended were not at work, he said it was not possible for the three elected councillors to run the affairs of Gweru since they did not constitute a quorum.
@pchitumba1
Online Reporter
Bongani Ndlovu