RTC suspends engineer, cites incompetence

 

Lovemore Kadzura
Post Reporter

RUSAPE Town Council has adopted a resolution to suspend its head of Engineering Department, Engineer Charles Chindenga over allegations of incompetence, in a move that received mixed reactions from residents, who expressed reservations over it.

Engineer Chindenga was handed the suspension letter on Tuesday afternoon by Town Secretary, Mr Solomon Gabaza in the presence of eight councillors, which he reportedly refused to accept, prompting the local authority to deliver it via email.

The council on Wednesday convened a special full council meeting to ratify the suspension.

Repeated efforts to get a comment from Rusape Town Council chairman, Councillor Lovemore Chifomboti were unsuccessful, as he did not respond to calls from The Manica Post, and ignored questions sent to him via WhatsApp.

Repeated efforts to also contact Mr Gabaza as well as council spokesman, Mr Lloyd Makumana over the suspension drew blanks as they were not picking up calls and unreachable, respectively.

However, Engineer Chindenga confirmed his suspension, but declined to comment on the allegations against him or the purported toxic working environment at the local authority.

“I am sure you are aware of the history surrounding this situation,” said Engineer Chindenga, before declining to answer further questions.

Rusape Town Council has previously been involved in two incidents that led to Engineer Chindenga’s arrest over the past four years – only for him to be cleared by the courts on both occasions.

The Manica Post has it on good authority that the council is accusing Engineer Chindenga of incompetence after he allegedly distanced himself from road construction works on commercial stands mushrooming along the Mutare-Harare Highway, citing the need to adhere to standards required by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development.

Sources revealed that Engineer Chindenga’s reservations were not well-received by his superiors, and the works were subsequently transferred to the Planning Department for approval.

Notably, several councillors and council officials own stands along that stretch.

Engineer Chindenga is also being accused of failing to construct a drainage system in Vengere, where he allegedly cited lack of resources, and demoralised workforce due to non-payment of salaries.

“He is being accused of underperforming, and being the source of council’s service delivery challenges. Specifically, they claim he refused to approve road designs for temporary stands along the Mutare-Harare Highway. These stands have conditions set by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development for constructing parallel roads without direct highway access. He raised concerns that the stands were sold without factoring in road servicing costs, and advised that the council cannot meet the standards set by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development.

“Several councillors and officials own stands along the stretch, which may suggest conflict of interest and victimisation. When others were unwilling to take collective responsibility, Engineer Chindenga requested exclusion from signing the drawings, as Town Planning is now a separate department. Council agreed, and progress continued along the highway, indicating that papers are being signed.

“Engineer Chindenga has consistently raised concerns about lack of resources and materials for his department. It is on record that council is financially strained and struggling to execute projects. Unless they can provide evidence that they provided him with the necessary resources, and he still failed to deliver, it is unfair to solely blame him. What is undeniable is that service delivery is at an all-time low. Revenue collection is down, impacting council’s overall operations, not just the Engineering Department. For instance, refuse collection, which falls under the Housing Department, has been hindered by a lack of fuel and spare parts for the trucks,” said an inside source.

Residents fear that Engineer Chindenga’s suspension will spark a series of costly court battles, a familiar pattern for Rusape Town Council (RTC).

The council has a history of hastily terminating employees, only to lose cases in labour and criminal courts, resulting in substantial pay outs.

Mr Stanford Nyaundi said while residents welcome efforts to improve service delivery, they are concerned about the misuse of public funds to settle personal vendettas.

“Service delivery is indeed suffering, and council must take corrective action. However, we are aware of the workplace politics that have plagued the council for years. Employees have been fired on flimsy grounds, only for council to lose court cases and pay hefty settlements.

“We urge the council to follow the due legal processes, and refrain from using residents’ funds to settle personal scores. The numerous court cases are draining council coffers and compromising service delivery. Our councillors must also avoid being entangled in executives’ personal battles and instead prioritise protecting residents’ interests,” said Mr Nyaundi.