Exposed: Council boss blows thousands on bling
Chiredzi Council, which is struggling to deliver standard services to its 300 000plus residents, is in the eye of a storm following revelations that the local authority could be pampering its executive managers with hefty salaries and obscene allowances.
Residents of this agro-economy based town have, for years, have been complaining about poor service delivery by the council, which appears to have failed to provide potable water, sanitation, roads and decent health services.
There has also been an outcry by residents recently, supported by elected town councillors, over ostentatious demands by top management who are seeking to get council to buy luxury vehicles for them this year, even if they must borrow to fulfil these demands.
An investigation by Truth Diggers, revealed how managers of the town live in the lap of luxury, while residents have reached a point of giving up on growing even subsistence vegetable gardens because there is virtually no water.
Truth Diggers also used the town’s 2023 budget for the investigation, which managers sought to override, along with other confidential documents.
Truth Diggers is Alpha Media Holdings’ investigative journalism unit.
At the centre of the residents’ ire was the appointment of Wesley Kauma as substantive town secretary last year despite being charged for misconduct.
In 2019 government threatened to dismiss the entire council. Kauma, then town engineer, was dismissed in February 2020. That same month, Kauma made a dramatic comeback to his position.
He was appointed acting town secretary in October 2021, subsequently being elevated to town secretary last year.
Hefty salary, allowances
In October 2023, he became substantive town secretary.
However, residents who spoke to Truth Diggers said there was discontent in the town and residents were angry with the huge allowances and salaries that the council offered Kauma in his contract as new town secretary.
According to a copy of an employment contract written and allegedly signed by him, Kauma is said to earn what appears a modest monthly salary of US$3 484, but the accompanying allowances are jaw dropping.
When Truth Diggers called Kauma, he offered a tour of the town to disprove some of the allegations, but became evasive and even angry. He disowned the contract as “fake”.
“I earn just US$100 per month… (the council) chairman can explain how much I earn. It is like I am now in court under cross examination…as if I have a criminal case,” Kauma said, adding that instead of focusing on these “trivial issues” the reporter should travel to Chiredzi and report on many projects “that promote vision 2030”.
He said it would be unreasonable for government to approve the kind of remuneration that was stated in the contract in our possession.
In distancing himself from the contract, Kauma said he was actually employed by the Local Government ministry and not Chiredzi council.
But the ministry refuted this, saying like all other local authorities, Chiredzi employed its own managers, including the town secretary.
Kauma is no stranger to controversy and has hogged the limelight for the wrong reasons after making newspaper headlines for allegations of corruption, fraud and incompetence during his time as engineer for Chiredzi town.
The main source of his problems was failure to deliver water to the residents of Chiredzi.
At one time Kauma was suspended from work after a huge public outcry over his failure to provide potable water for the town.
When Chiredzi council proposed to purchase vehicles for management in its 2020 budget, the Chiredzi United Residents and Ratepayers Association (Chirra) voiced strong objections against Kauma being one of the beneficiaries.
Then chairperson of the residents association, Jonathan Muusha, was quoted as saying: “Incompetence should not be rewarded. The town is dry most of the times and we wonder what the engineer is doing. We will not reward someone who just comes to work to warm the chair and do nothing.”
When contacted by
Truth Diggers, Muusha said there had been positive developments since his last criticism.
“We are waiting for the new councillors to deliver and we will support them to enable us as Chiredzi to attain the municipal status,” he said.
“As Chirra, we applaud the government of Zimbabwe for availing devolution funds that bought a yellow machine, tractors, and a building (early child development, ECD) centre at Tshovani.
“On water we appreciate there is now an engineer for water, which is a big challenge.”
Under pressure from the residents, council reportedly suspended Kauma with reports saying the residents were demanding an investigation into the engineer’s qualifications citing alleged incompetence and abuse of council property and resources. TO PAGES 8&9