Chronicle Editor
Michael Magoronga, Midlands Correspondent
Kwekwe City Council recently bought a tipper truck and a front-end loader for US$169 200 as it seeks to boost its plant and equipment in order to improve service delivery.
The tipper truck cost US$73 500 while the front-end loader cost US$95 700 and the money was from council coffers.
Presenting the equipment to Kwekwe City councillors before a full council meeting on Monday, Town Clerk Dr Lucia Mnkandla said the local authority was working on improving service delivery hence it was buying equipment despite its limited resources.
The council recently introduced a 50 percent discount to ratepayers who pay their outstanding water bills in USD as it seeks to increase cash inflow.
“This is what we have done as we seek to improve service delivery. This does not mean that things are going on well for us but we are squeezing the little that we have so that our residents can enjoy the best services,” she said.
Dr Mnkandla said the equipment will go a long way in ensuring that works like road repairs and maintenance are done timeously. Council used to spend a lot of money hiring equipment to do such works.
“We will now spend less money on repairing roads as we will be using our own equipment. We will continue buying equipment whenever we have enough resources,” she said.
Dr Mnkandla also took the opportunity to show the councillors the two ambulances that the local authority recovered from the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra).
The ambulances were donated to council by the then Mbizo Legislator Vongaiishe Mpereri but were confiscated by Zimra who argued that they had not been properly imported.
Former State House Director, Douglas Tapfuma who was accused of improperly importing the vehicles was subsequently convicted and jailed.
“We are grateful that we have received our ambulances back and this is a major boost to our health sector as we were now relying on one ambulance after others broke down,” said Dr Mnkandla.
The development comes at a time when Kwekwe is constructing a clinic in Msasa Park suburb to reduce distances travelled by residents to access health care services.
“People from Msasa have to travel to the city centre to access health care services hence the decision to construct a clinic there. We remain committed to address challenges faced by our residents,” said Dr Mkandla.
Meanwhile, during the full council meeting councillors urged management to prioritise buying a grader as it was an essential equipment for road construction and repairs.
“I am told we are still hiring a grader, which is one of the key equipments we need. I therefore urge management to seriously consider buying a grader,” said Councillor Joshua Tinago.
The same sentiments were echoed by Clr Erick Rukavhairo who said roads in his ward were not being serviced because council did not have a grader.
“I think let us prioritise buying a grader because most of our roads are in a bad state,” he said.
The town engineer John Mhike had earlier informed councillors that the council grader was beyond repair as it was almost 50 years old.
“The grader is down and those who used to service it for us have since failed to acquire the needed spares and have referred us to South Africa,” said Eng Mhike.
Online Reporter