admin“Since my official vehicle SDX AAK 6565 is no longer reliable, I am advising you that at the moment before councils buys another official vehicle for me, I will be using the kombi when going to my meetings,” said Clr Zhou in a memo addressed to the town secretary, Mr Max Mugandani.
He recently took the minibus to Harare for the second time to do MDC-T party business without the authority of the town secretary.
“We arrived with the minibus from Chiredzi three weeks ago after conducting council business. He then took the keys from the buyer and instructed the driver to get the minibus and take him to Harare.
“When the town secretary heard about it, he phoned Zhou who is said to have told the secretary that he had left a letter with his personal assistant,” said a source.
Contacted for comment Mr Mugandani confirmed that the chairman had indeed taken the minibus to Harare without his authority.
“I can confirm that he took the minibus to Harare and as I speak to you the kombi is still with the chairman. We do not know when it will be returned. I have advised the district administrator. I am, however, the custodian of the council property,” he said.
The Zvishavane District Administrator, Mr Ngonidzashe Zindove, confirmed the incident.
“The town secretary phoned me while I was in Shurugwi attending the Tongogara Community Share Ownership Scheme at Unki Mines which was launched by the President. The chairman also wrote a memo to the town secretary saying he would not return the vehicle until the council buys him a new car. The town secretary is the custodian of council property and all what is happening is very disturbing,” he said.
An MDC-T councillor said what Clr Zhou did was wrong.
“The chairman has refused to release the minibus until he gets a new official vehicle.
“There was no party meeting in Harare, and at his level he does not attend national party meetings in Harare but only at provincial level and the meetings are held in Gweru.
“That is gross abuse. He boycotted the rally on Saturday two weeks ago which was addressed by the Speaker of Parliament, our national chairperson Lovemore Moyo at Mandava Stadium. As far as
I am concerned there was no party meeting in Harare,” said the MDC-T councillor on condition of anonymity.
Residents in the town are at war with people from Maglas ward which falls under Clr Zhou over the purchase of a new vehicle.
Clr Zhou, who calls himself “mayor” for the small mining town, wants the latest Ford Ranger vehicle which is going for $46 000 at Croco Motors. A council resolution was passed in September and a team went to Harare with him to identify the vehicle. This has already caused divisions in the MDC-T led council which has only one Zanu-PF councillor. Three MDC-T councillors are also against the idea of buying the chairman a new vehicle.
Under normal circumstances the residents have to be consulted first and when they agree, the council then processes the transaction after going through the normal tender procedures.
A consultative meeting was held three weeks ago and it is alleged some people had been hired to support the idea. During the meeting when minutes were read and before they could be passed as a true record, some people were heard shouting “ngaatengerwe mota hapana izvozvo ndiye mayor weZvishavane”.
The utterances prompted other MDC-T councillors, including the management which comprises finance director, George Jongoni, to walk out of the meeting.
A ministerial approval is required before an executive mayor is bought a vehicle but the Zvishavane Council chairman is not an executive mayor since the town does not have a municipal status.
Zvishavane Town Council recently bought a new Isuzu twin cab for the finance director and they are still to procure a vehicle for the town engineer who is still to be confirmed. It is the procurement of these vehicles that has prompted the chairman to demand a new vehicle since he feels he is a head of department.
“He is calling himself an HOD because he claims to be the mayor yet he is not. He has already made himself an identity card. As it is he is driving an SDX twin cab which was purchased last year. The ministry must come to our rescue and stop the rot which is taking place at Zvishavane Town Council,” said Mr Peter Mudzviti, the Zvishavane Residents and Ratepayers Association chairman.
“The people who want the car to be bought stay in Maglas suburb and do not pay any rates to the council. Vachatengera Zhou wacho motokari nemari yemine nekuti ndivo varikuti ngaitengwe (They will buy him the vehicle with funds from the mine since they are the ones making noise about the car).
“We pay the rates and let them go ahead if Shabanie Mine is going to provide the council with the money. Why does Zhou need a car? Who is he? He is not a mayor but just a chairman for the town council. If the car is bought we will definitely stage a demonstration. He is running the council alone without the input of other councillors.
“Arikutidzipa pahuro. We have already passed a vote of no confidence in this man and we sent letters to the Local Government (ministry), the district administrator, provincial administrator, permanent secretary and the minister and we still await action to be taken,” said a disgruntled Mr Mudzviti.
Online Reporter