Suspensions cripple council operations

Sources close to the developments unfolding at Gokwe Town House told Chronicle last week that the council was almost running on auto drive as it was incapacitated by                     suspension letters and counter-accusations of corruption and abuse of office.
The Gokwe Town Council is dominated by the MDC-T.
A team from the Ministry of Local Government, Rural and Urban Development was dispatched to Gokwe on Monday as part of efforts to arrest the rot that is now threatening to erode the smooth-running of the cotton growing town.
Council officials said the team was expected to have wrapped up its investigations by Friday.
Residents, through their association and councillors, want town secretary Mr Tapiwa Douglas Marongwe and council chairperson Councillor Darlington Mudondo suspended over alleged acts of corruption and abuse of office.
They allege, among many other things, that the two most influential individuals in the council were corruptly awarding themselves tenders to supply council with various items and services.
“As residents we are saying we will dismiss Mr Marongwe, if the ministry fails to decisively deal with him. We have the power to do that. Evidence is there in abundance that the chairman and town secretary are corrupt. Why is the ministry conducting the investigations without first suspending Mr Marongwe? Clr Mudondo admitted in his letter of defence that everyone was corrupt, so what more evidence does one need? The town secretary should just surrender the keys of the over-priced Toyota Virgo twin cab D4D that he is driving and step down,” said the Combined Gokwe Residents Association chairperson Mr Trynos Tazviona in a telephone interview on Friday.
“This is the only way of carrying out meaningful investigations. The investigations are just a sham because there is no way you can investigate a boss in the presence of his subordinates. His presence intimidates the workers who may want to give evidence. Both Marongwe and Mudondo should be probed while on suspension and report for duty only after their names have been cleared. That is the procedure in local governance and elsewhere when it comes to such cases.”
Mr Tazviona said the residents were prepared to literally drive out Mr Marongwe out of office if the ministry’s commission of enquiry fails to suspend him.
He alleged that Mr Marongwe was using council equipment that included a water bowser, tractor and workers to construct his own shop at Gokwe Town and renovate his house.
Mr Tazviona further alleged that residents were unhappy with Mr Marongwe and Clr Mudondo whom they accused of working in cahoots to corruptly award themselves tenders to supply            council with items through their “briefcase” and existing companies.
Clr Mudondo on Wednesday hit back by alleging that Mr Tazviona and some members of his executive were pushing a personal political agenda in trying to get rid of him.
“Tazviona is an interested party. He is an aspiring candidate for ward 5 and is a known Zanu-PF cadre. The whole thing is political. The treasurer of the residents’ association, Jonah Magwada, is an MDC-M member. They have never met residents. They only hold caucus meetings and they have never held elections and were thus not elected into office,” he said.
Initially, Clr Mudondo was elbowed out of the system, albeit briefly, through a vote of no confidence passed by councillors, only to be recalled primarily for the purpose of suspending Mr Marongwe.
Only the chairperson can suspend the town secretary in line with the Ministry of Local Government, Rural and Urban Development statutes.
Chronicle is in possession of copies of documents confirming the suspension of town secretary, Mr Marongwe, by council chairperson, Clr Mudondo, and that of the chairperson who was rendered powerless by a vote of no confidence advanced at a full council meeting by his fellow MDC-T councillors.
Mr Marongwe’s suspension letter, dated 13 February 2012, written and signed by Clr Mudondo, cited abuse of office in the procurement of additional street lighting material, which did not go to tender at a value of $62 000, among many other things.
Part of the letter reads: “According to the Urban Councils Act Chapter 29-15 Section 139 subsection 3 (a), you are being advised by the office of the chairman that you are temporarily suspended from your duties to pave way for investigations to be done on the following allegations:
l Abuse of office in the procurement of additional street lighting materials which did not go to tender at a value of            $62 000.
l Agreement to buy an alternative to Kariba fittings without going back to the procurement committee as resolved.
l. Buying of a second-hand Toyota Virgo D4D and varying it from the tendered amount of $38 000 to $52 000.
l Overdue delivery of a paid-for NP300 Nissan by the same company, Big Valley . . . .”
However, Clr Mudondo said the suspension of Mr Marongwe and the vote of no confidence passed on him by his fellow councillors were nullified soon after the ministry sent a team to investigate the council.
He said the investigations were going on well and denied all the corruption allegations levelled against him by the residents.
“No one has been suspended because investigations have to involve everyone, including the town secretary, management and residents associations, among other stakeholders.
“These are not the first such investigations into the        operations of the council, we had the police and the PA’s office coming to investigate us. Some of their findings are still to be announced.
“I also want to point out that there are no business links between Big Valley and myself. I am equally pained and worried by the delays in delivery of the Nissan NP300. Big Valley won a tender after responding to adverts.
“There is also no truth in allegations that I used my companies to gain business from the council. My companies are not briefcase companies and have been in existence since 1993, well before I thought of becoming a councillor.
“If I was really corrupt, I wouldn’t be struggling. As you saw at my premises, I am struggling and most of my commuter omnibuses are off-road owing to mechanical challenges,” said Clr Mudondo.
Mr Marongwe refused to comment on the allegations levelled against him, preferring to talk when the team appointed by the minister had concluded its investigations.
Chronicle also has a copy of a letter signed by the acting Provincial Administrator for Midlands, Mr Shepard Marweyi, nullifying the suspension of Mr Marongwe.
“Please be advised that this development has been overtaken    by the ministry’s intervention in the spirit of taking corrective measures in your troubled council . . . . You are advised                         to stop this development and wait for the Minister to go        through his corrective measures for your council. Thus until such a time the Minister decides on the matter, the suspension                   of the Town Secretary has no basis and therefore null and void,” reads part of the Acting PA’s letter.
Mr Marweyi, however, declined to comment and referred further questions to his bosses in Harare.