Storage fees for council up

Blessings Chidakwa

Municipal Correspondent

A Chitungwiza resident, who has been keeping road equipment worth thousands of dollars belonging to Chitungwiza Town Council in his car park for the past three years, has hiked storage fees.

The equipment, a pothole cutter and compactors at Macheka Grounds car park in St Mary’s was placed there by Chitungwiza’s roadworks team that was carrying out repairs along Rufaro Street sometime in 2017.

This was despite the fact that council’s head office, which has ample space for the equipment is nearby.

Interestingly, the state-of-the-art machines are lying idle, while the local authority’s officials have been using picks and shovels to repair roads.

Mr Knocks Charakupa, who was initially demanding $13 000 from council in storage fees, recently wrote to the local authority advising it that the sum was now $16 904.

“The letter serves to inform you that the invoice number 597/20 which was submitted to you in February has been reviewed upwards due to inflation.

“Invoice number 597/20 which was raised for storage and security of road surfacing machine was charged at $13 000 has been reviewed to $16 904. May you please assist in expediting the payment process,” read the letter.

Acting Chitungwiza town clerk Dr Tonderai Kasu said he tasked council to investigate.

“The only thing that has delayed the conclusion of the investigation is that we were on a national lockdown situation,” he said.

“I expect that the investigation will be concluded soon, at which point, as council, we will be well informed to make decisions on this issue and appropriate action will be taken.”

Chitungwiza Residents Trust (Chitrest) director Ms Alice Kuveya said they also received a request from Mr Charakupa to assist him to get his storage fees.

“As residents we are worried why council has put its equipment on someone’s property for this long.

“What was the motive of leaving the equipment there for all those years when we have potholes all over town, what were they using all these years to repair the roads?” she said.

“We want to see action being taken immediately, we cannot allow the ratepayers’ money to pay for the storage as if council does not have its own storage space.

“We understand the council received the invoices from Mr Charakupa, but they are quiet we don’t know what they are planning, but as ratepayers we have the right to                                                                                  know.”