Chitungwiza residents give council ultimatum

Sunday, 14 August 2011 18:53

BY PATIENCE NYANGOVE CHITUNGWIZA residents last week gave the city council until August 31 to rescind its decision to award senior council employees hefty allowances and the purchase of top-of-the- range cars that cost over US$500 000. The awarding of hefty allowances and purchase of the cars was in defiance of a directive by Minister of Local Government, Rural and Urban Development, Ignatius Chombo, on May 31 2010, that prohibited all local authorities from awarding salary and allowance increments. A letter in possession of The Standard dated August 10 2011 written by the Chitungwiza Residents Trust, claims that the decision early this year by senior council employees to award themselves allowances for gym, domestic servants, home telephone, school and sports clubs, among other things, was illegal. The local authority also bought a brand new Toyota Land Cruiser V8 worth US$170 000 for Town Clerk, Godfrey Tanyanyiwa, a Toyota Prado for the director of health, Mike Simoyi, worth US$120 000, a Toyota Hilux Virgo for Alfonse Tinofa, the director of works, worth US$80 000 and a Toyota Fortuner worth US$80 000 for the director of housing, Jemina Gumbo. The trust said the council was wasting money on a few individuals’ allowances and cars yet service delivery remained poor. “We note that these unnecessary and unbudgeted for allowances and perks are being awarded to the Town Clerk, chamber secretary and departmental directors at a time when service delivery has been neglected in Chitungwiza,” the residents said in the letter. “We demand that you rescind the illegal resolution at your next full council meeting this August, failure of which as residents, we will be left with no choice but to seek redress from the Minister of Local Government as provided for by the Urban Councils Act. “If the option fails we reserve the right to take legal action against you as the Mayor of Chitungwiza and the council.” The residents trust also threatened to mobilise for mass action if no action was taken by the mayor Philmon Chipiyo. Chipiyo yesterday said he was not aware of the ultimatum, claiming that Tanyanyiwa had not told him anything about goings on at council. Efforts to get a comment from Tanyanyiwa were fruitless as his mobile was not reachable.