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Minister Kasukuwere

Nyemudzai Kakore Herald Correspondent
Suspended Chitungwiza councillors will tomorrow appear before a tribunal to answer to corruption allegations, involving allocating themselves vast tracts of land worth over $7 million.

The councillors are accused of being involved in the sale of land for personal gain and were exposed by an internal audit.

The hearings, to be conducted at the council’s offices, will end on September 29. According to letters written to the councillors, they will appear before the tribunal in the council boardroom.

“In term of Rule 1 (2) of the rules of independent tribunal as contained in the Fourth Schedule of the Local Government Laws Amendment Act of 2016, the independent tribunal has determined that you should answer to allegations levelled against you,” reads part of the letter.

“In accordance with the rules of the provisions of Rule 3 (1) of the aforesaid rules, you are required to appear for a hearing before the independent tribunal.”

The letter specified that all the councillors were entitled to legal representation of their choice at the hearing if they wish.

Interviewed councillors said the suspensions were “unfair” as Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister Saviour Kasukuwere based his charges on a “biased” audit report and said they were going to bring in their lawyers to prove their innocence.

Minister Kasukuwere suspended the entire council of 14 MDC-T councillors, including Mayor Phillip Mutoti and 11 Zanu-PF councillors.

Minister Kasukuwere said from the poor management exhibited, he had no alternative but to take stern measures “which should bring the municipality into line with norms and standards of sound local governance”.

After the suspensions, Minister Kasukuwere gave the councillors seven days to prove their innocence, with all of them challenging their suspensions, prompting him to engage the services of the Judicial Service Commission to appoint a tribunal to carry out disciplinary hearings.

The minister has since appointed a three-person caretaker council led by retired civil servant Mr Madzudzo . Meanwhile, Minister Kasukuwere has suspended three Harare councillors over allegations of flouting tender procedures in awarding a $13,8 million sewer deal to a local company, writes Innocent Ruwende.

Council awarded a contract to Energy Resources Africa Consortium (ERAC) for the rehabilitation of Firle Sewerage Works before the company was formally registered and, since 2011, proceeded to pay it millions despite not having signed a contract.

Councillors Urayayi Mangwiro, Wilton Janjazi and Paula Macharangwanda have been suspended over their involvement in the opaque deal. Minister Kasukuwere suspended the trio over misconduct allegations and has since appointed a three-member commitee to investigate the matter

The commitee is expected to “ establish whether council’s tender procedures were flouted in the award of the tender to ERAC for the rehabilitation of Firle Treatment Works in 2010 and, if so, which provisions specificially. Establish the specific tasks and/or levels of responsibility of each of the parties involved in council’s (then) tendering processes

“The investigation commitee will determine the degree of financial prejudice, if any, suffered by council as a result of the parties actions. Establish the councillors’ level of individual or collective liability in respect of the charges levelled against them and come up with implemantable recommendations,” reads the terms of reference.

The investigation team has been given five days to complete the task and present their findings to council within three days