Chronicle Editor
Patrick Chitumba, Midlands Bureau Chief
THE Zvishavane community is divided following plans by the council to sell its Town House to raise funds for the construction of a state- of -the -art, million-dollar civil centre.
There is a war looming involving councillors and residents association over the proposed move.
Local business people are reportedly jostling to grab it as it is in the Central Business District (CBD).
For a town that is seeking municipal status, councillors believe it is prudent that they relocate to a more central location along the Gweru road so as to be within the reach of most of their clients.
The proposed site is also spacious and other than having a three-storey building- it will have gardens.
For the deal to proceed, the council which has a long-term vision to construct a new complex will be paying rent for the premises to the new owner on a mutual lease.
The council seeks to sell the Town House to raise funds to construct the modern complex but for them to kick-start the construction of this new complex, they have to raise the funds by selling the current offices.
Town secretary, Mr Tinoda Mukutu said the value of the Town House is US$600 000.
Mr Mukutu confirmed that there is a lot of opposition to the proposal.
He said because they are eying municipal status, they needed to grow in terms of infrastructure development adding that council should take the lead by having a three-storey civic centre along Gweru road.
“There has been a lot of noise and much speculation about this issue and we will soon issue a statement. The position is that in line with the President’s Vision 2030, we are saying as Zvishavane Town council, we should not continue on this old squashed town house so we have identified a new place to construct a modern town house with modern facilities like a park along the Zvishavane-Gweru Road. The designs for the new town house are already there,” said Mr Mukutu.
He said the same voices against the project are the same which were against the Mandava Stadium refurbishment by Mimosa Mine.
“My council has in the past succeeded at Mandava Stadium as well as the new flea market which we worked on with Mimosa Mine. But there are people who don’t want to see development. We have a commission to consider Zvishavane Town Council’s application to be accorded municipality status. They are on the ground and we need to develop the town to meet the municipality status,” said Mr Mukutu.
He said plans are there for the three-storey civic centre and they are working on adjudication of bidders before the winner is announced.
“The plan is going on because we need to move with the times. This Town House which was a maternity clinic under Runde Rural District Council is no longer in sync with modern standards of a Town House. We need to attract investment and we must walk the talk,” said Mr Mukutu.
The deal is, however, being questioned with some councillors and residents’ associations saying there is no logic in selling their own structure and then paying rent for it.
In an interview, Zvishavane Original Residents and Ratepayers’ association chairperson Mr Kamino Simango accused council of corruption.
“They want to sell the Town House which is in the CBD to their friends and get kickbacks. We smell a rat as residents. They claim they want to change the face of the town. But why can’t they renovate this existing structure to standards they want instead of selling it. This is prime land which a lot of business people are already eyeing because it’s prime land and our leaders don’t see it,” he said.
Mr Simango said even if council finds a buyer who will pay US$600 000, they don’t have the capacity to construct the three-storey building with that money.
“You see; we have a leadership that has failed the residents. We have roads filled with potholes, sewer is flowing all over from burst pipes and we don’t have water yet they are prioritising a Town House. Why not look for investors to put service delivery first ahead of such capital projects? The Mandava Stadium, the new vendors market, are all from a leading mining company we all know – Mimosa Mine- as part of its social corporate responsibility. These leaders of ours are failures and want to leave the town without a Town House after disposing of it,” he said.
A councillor on condition of anonymity said if it wasn’t for the Mimosa Mine, the town would have been on its knees.
“We have a leadership crisis at this council and some decisions like selling the Town House were imposed. We are not supporting it. The arrangement is that council will strike a deal and craft a lease which will allow them to remain on the building, paying rent to the new owner until they complete the new town house. But we know they don’t have money for such a huge project,” said the councillor.
Online Reporter