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Walter Nyamukondiwa Chinhoyi Bureau
A storm is brewing in Chinhoyi Municipality over legal fees amounting to $40 000 that allegedly accrued after three councillors, including the mayor, his deputy and the town clerk, consulted a lawyer to set aside an arbitration award.
Some councillors and interest groups are now questioning the process, amid allegations of impropriety.
According to documents in possession of The Herald, council agreed to engage a lawyer to mount a challenge against an arbitration award to workers sometime in 2011.
The process, councillors now allege, was mired in controversy as they were not involved.
“We were told that some councillors had settled for a lawyer from Harare, but it soon emerged that the same lawyer was used by one of the councillors to sue the same council that he represents,” said one of the councillors.
The matter was brought up in council on September 2, but an invoice shows that the process to engage the lawyer started on September 1.
The invoice shows that mayor Mr Test Michaels, his deputy Mr Derick Matapuri, Cllr Simba Kanzou and the town clerk attended 13 meetings with lawyers from Tawanda Moyo Attorneys. The lawyers charged $350 per hour and councillors are now questioning how the sessions amounted to $40 100 over a 15-day period. Chamber secretary Mr Abel Gotora, who advises council on legal matters, professed ignorance of the issue.
“I do not know the whole issue and I am not aware of the process that led to that arrangement,” he said. “It has since emerged that proper procedure was not followed to come up with a lawyer as an advert has to flighted before a successful candidate is short listed.”
Mashonaland West provincial Affirmative Action Group secretary Mr Kudzai Karoro said heads should roll as residents needed to get value for money. The matter has since been forwarded to the District Administrator for onward transmission to the provincial administrator and subsequently to Local, Public Works and National Housing Minister Dr Ignatius Chombo.
Online Reporter