Probe report on council graft out
THE Government has completed its investigation on corruption allegations levelled against the Bulawayo City Council and the report is set to tabled to the local authority for deliberations on Tuesday. Councillors have been summoned to the council chambers for a special council meeting where the report findings will be discussed with speculation that Local Government, Public Works and National Housing and Anti-corruption officials will immediately cause the immediate arrest of senior council officials and management. According to a notice sent to all councillors, they are expected at the council chambers at 2pm where the findings will be presented to them. “There will be a special council meeting on Tuesday 20 September for the presentation of findings of the Government investigation on the City of Bulawayo. All are expected to attend,” reads part of the notice.
Bulawayo Mayor Councillor Martin Moyo confirmed the meeting saying they had been informed that the Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, Cde Saviour Kasukuwere and senior Government officials would be in attendance.
“Yes, something like that will take place on Tuesday. I understand the minister and his senior staffers will be attending, I would suggest you call the Permanent Secretary for more information,” said Clr Moyo.
Contacted for comment, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, Engineer George Mlilo, however, said he could not comment on the said meeting as he was on leave. “I am on leave and it would not be prudent for me to comment on this matter, call me next week. Maybe I will be in office,” said Eng Mlilo.
Efforts to get a comment from Cde Kasukuwere were fruitless as his mobile phones were not reachable, however, posting on his official twitter account a couple of weeks ago he confirmed that his office was now looking at the report and would soon be implementing its recommendations.
“I will be dealing with the reports of several councils this week including Bulawayo. We will be vigorously addressing the corruption observed,” wrote Minister Kasukuwere.
The local authority has been at the centre of a number of corruption allegations levelled against both councillors and senior management since the beginning of the year.
The Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) initially raised the red flag over the rate at which councillors were allegedly grabbing land in the city leading to the Government sending an investigation team to get to the bottom of the matter.
The team was expected to investigate circumstances surrounding corruptly purchasing of a piece of land at Ascot Racecourse for the construction of town houses by the city’s Deputy Mayor, Clr Gift Banda.
Clr Banda was also in the eye of the storm regarding the upgrading of the Basch Bus Terminus commonly known as Egodini amid allegations that the Deputy Mayor was linked to the company — Terracotta — which had been awarded the $60 million project.