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clown.
“It is like a headless chicken. It’s a circus in which you, Mr Chairman, is the chief clown,’’ said the minister. Today, in the province of Mashonaland West lies Karoi town, famed for the epitaph of a witch deftly gliding on a broom.
The small witch remains indifferent when you arrive at this town from either direction but, hey, events in this town in the past few weeks seem to suggest that the witch has been active these days and casting spells and bestowing curses upon the town fathers.
Like bewitched men and women, the councillors in Karoi have been dabbling in stuff that this villager could best describe as a dearth in leadership qualities, underpinned by lack of knowledge and education.    
The councillors who should be representatives of the residents and the vanguards of good governance and accountability have been uncharacteristically lining their pockets and allocating each other commercial and residential stands at as low a price as US$12. Yes, US$12! Not even enough to buy two hens in the village.
If this villager was a councillor in Karoi and sells his two hens, he could easily buy a business stand. At this rate, which person should not be having a stand in Karoi, yet there are plenty of homeless people in this town? The roads in the town have developed potholes so big that one of these rainy days, residents could fish, yet the council spends its time chasing after vegetable and fruit vendors, after which the councillors and senior managers retire to plunder stands. 
This is a typical case of councillors who are not only greedy but exceedingly dangerous to both the electorate and themselves. Within their first three-year term, each of the councillors has an average of five stands and none of them bought at normal rate.
This villager wonders what mathematics this is when a business stand is cheaper than a bag of cement.  
On Wednesday, scores of residents demonstrated at the council offices, against the said corruption, poor service delivery and abuse of council money.
The residents, led by the Karoi Residents’ Association chairman, Mr Never Gasho, gathered in town from as early as 8am before moving to the council offices, where they blocked the main entrance.
The residents only reopened the main entrance after police intervention. The residents demanded the immediate resignation of councillors and senior officials. They handed over a petition with about 2 000 signatures to Hurungwe District Administrator Ms Tsana Chirau. Chanting revolutionary songs, beating the drum and dancing, the residents also slaughtered goats, cooked and intermittently had breaks for lunch and breakfast.
The demonstration was sparked by a story published by this villager that the councillors and senior officials allocated themselves residential and commercial stands for as little as US$12, which the councillors admit, but insist, is above board. It is fact not fiction that councillors in this bewitched town connived and allocated themselves residential and business stands for as little as US$12. Ironically, the MDC-T run council is making ordinary residents pay an average of US$1 000 per stand.
This villager can tell you on record that Clr Lavender Chiwaya bought business stand number 6270/3 in Chikangwe Township for US$12, through full council resolution 537/10. He was also allocated another infill 300 square-metre residential stand in the same location for US$72 (resolution 19/10/09). He is yet to get three other stands, already approved by the council!
This villager can also tell you that Clr Jackson Mbonga bought a business stand (number 6270) in Chikangwe Township for US$13, a commercial stand in Chiedza for US$26 (resolution 291/09) and three other stands for unspecified amounts of money (resolutions 425/09 and 956/11).
Clr Abigail Usai bought a service stand in Chiedza for US$26 (resolution 223/09). She also bought two other stands (2972 and 778) for unspecified amounts, through council resolutions. She is yet to be given two more stands already approved by the council. Clr James Manjinjiwa was allocated a 3 150-square-metre stand number 7894 (resolution 798/10) for US$787.
He paid US$400.
He was allocated stand 6270/5 for a tuckshop in Chikangwe for US$46, which he paid in full (resolution 723/10). Clr Manjinjiwa was also allocated three other stands (resolutions 341/09, 343,09 and 344/09).
Clr Naison Chigwende was allocated stand 6270/2 in Chikangwe (resolution 536/10) for US$16, which he paid. He was also allocated four industrial, commercial and low-density residential stands (resolutions 348/09, 349/09 and 19-10-09).
Clr Elijah Masakure got a residential stand for US$72 but has not yet paid (resolution 19/10/09) and four other stands (resolutions 941/11, 336/09, 337/09 and 338/09). This villager can also tell you that Clr David Mutambirwa got five stands, the biggest being an industrial stand (804, 4 750 square metres) for US$1 147, and a commercial CBD stand 7776 for US$72. He also got three other stands (resolutions 341/09, 864/10, 339/09 and 19/10/09).
What pains this villager is that Karoi Town Council chairman Mr Casmell Pemhiwa (MDC-T) told residents at an earlier meeting that there was nothing wrong, since everything was done above board with the approval of the Minister of Local Government, Rural and Urban Development, Dr Ignatius Chombo.
“The Minister of Local Government is aware of the channels being implemented by my council in terms of allocation of residential and commercial stands and everything undertaken is above board. Hence it is not proper for anyone to challenge the status quo. To my knowledge there is no abuse of stands allocation by my councillors,’’ Mr Pemhiwa recently told irate residents.
Pemhiwa . . . Pemhiwa . . . Pemhiwa . . . which minister would accept this nonsense?
Call him eccentric or what, Never Gasho is one character that never hugs a hyena to make peace. He seems to know that the hyena is not only filthy but will maul you, when you think you are giving it a warm embrace. Was it not this Never Gasho who gave Karoi Town three months’ salary to pay for its workers at the transition to dollarisation? Was it not the same Gasho who donated 20 tonnes of maize to Karoi Town Council to give residents to clean up Karoi under the food for work programme?
And, was it not the same Never Gasho who has built a house in Karoi that easily competes with the best houses in Borrowdale Brooke or Highlands?
Was it not the same Gasho, whom the council gave a certificate for the best contribution to the development of the town?
On Wednesday and only this last Wednesday, Gasho led the residents to protest against the council. In the resultant meeting that started at 3.30 pm and ended at 9 pm, Gasho heckled with the councillors and the District Administrator, Ms Chirau, gave the administrative impetus, which the councillors would, unfortunately, not comprehend.
This villager fell short of intervening and asking what qualifications the councillors had. The DA was clear that the councillors had plundered and offered correctional remedy but the councillors were not only daft but arrogant and ignorant.