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Midlands Reporters
A budget consultative meeting convened by Kwekwe City Council was abandoned on Tuesday after residents rejected a bid to impose figures on them for the second year running.

The local authority’s management failed to turn up as previously agreed, but they sent two councillors to represent them.
Last year, council imposed a $26,2 million budget without consulting residents as is the norm and this year, there have been reports that the council is seeking to impose a $3 million budget on residents without giving them chance to air their views.
Tampers flared when residents demanded that management presents its figures.

There was a near fistfight when one of the two councillors, Mr Silas Mukaro lost his temper and confronted a resident, Mr Alex Homela, accusing him of trying to disrupt the meeting.

“Don’t try to disrupt this meeting while trying to push your personal interests which have nothing to do with the other residents,” said Mr Mukaro, as he charged at Mr Homela.

There was commotion as other residents interjected and accused council of taking them for granted.
“They are taking us for granted, why is it they send councillors and they do not attend the meeting themselves,” fumed one residents only identified as Mr Chuchu. “They have issues to answer.

We want to ask them and they answer us face to face go and tell them we refused talking to you.”
Residents interviewed said council should reveal the proposed budget first.

“Why are they keeping the budget a secret, yet it is supposed to be a public document?” said another resident, Mr Joshua Moyo.
“They should tell us the total figure and we will start from there. We will inform management that they should attend such meetings.”

Acting town clerk, Mrs Lucia Mkhandla could not be drawn into revealing the proposed budget.
Instead, she referred questions to acting finance director Mrs Rejoice Maweni, who chose to remain mum.