Why Kasukuwere suspended Chitungwiza Councillors

The current problems facing Chitungwiza Municipality are as follows:

1.    Service delivery is virtually at a standstill with heaps of uncollected garbage, numerous sewer bursts and blackages, little or no water supplies, as debts to Harare City mount up with no payment plan in sight.  In addition, there is a complete lack of development control and little or no by-law enforcement.

2.    There is rampant abuse of Council and Stateland resulting in both Councillors and their officials cashing in on large tracts of land for personal gain.  Wetlands and land set aside for a cemetery have also not been spared as these have been subdivided and sold to unsuspecting home seekers.  These pieces of land have not been paid for.

3.    There is a flagrant disregard for the Management of Stateland Manual in allocation procedures with no referral to the Council waiting list, which is supposed to be the basis for all allocations.  Many stands are disposed of without proper documentation.

4.    Council is releasing land allocated before the said land is paid for and the same land is then resold at large profits to individuals by Council officials and Councillors.

5.    Councillors and staff have abused their offices to repossess stands from real beneficiaries.

6.    There is lack of systems which create a conducive environment for corruption.  Even where cases of corruption are exposed, disciplinary action has not been taken.

7.    The Council has, on several occasions resolved to disregard the urban Councils Act, including utilizing capital funds collected under the Estates account for the payment of wages to the detriment of servicing residential stands.

8.    Council chooses to defy/ignore circulars and directives issued, resulting in unnecessary expenditure.  An example is the recent resolution to increase Councillors unapproved travel allowances for a 24 hour period from the stipulated $95,00 to $300,00.

9.    The Executive is reluctant to advise Councillors who end up coming up with resolutions that are ultra-vires.

10.           Checks and balances are not in force since Councillors and officers are conspiring in their illegal activities, thereby prejudicing Council of millions of dollars.

11.           Communication with rate payers has completely broken down resulting in a continuous stream of persons coming to the Ministry offices to lodge complaints.  There is no other Council in Zimbabwe that has faced so many demonstrations, which have resulted in Council officials hiring security guards to protect them from angry residents.

12.           The Council is technically bankrupt and efforts to curtail unnecessary expenditure have been ignored.  The Council budget submission was turned down twice in 2016 and once in 2017 by the Ministry, in order to make corrections and to ensure compliance.

13.           The Council has a huge workforce that is not working as there are no resources to equip them.  Moreover, the workers have not been paid for the past 14 months.

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