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Mr Makunde

Lovemore Meya and Nyemudzai Kakore
Chitungwiza Municipality has set aside $5 040 travelling and subsistence allowances for the five-member independent tribunal that will deal with corruption allegations levelled against suspended councillors today. Town clerk Mr George Makunde told the caretaker commission running Chitungwiza that the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing had appointed the independent tribunal.

“Please be advised that the case of the 25 suspended councillors for Chitungwiza Municipality shall be heard before the independent tribunal from July 27 to September 29,” reads part of the letter.

“In this case, there is need to prepare travelling subsistence’s allowance for the members, fuel, as well as stationery, inclusive of bond paper, counter books and pens.

“The members are Mrs Virginia Mudimu (chairperson), Mrs A Karonga, Mr L Muzondo, Mr T Chin’anga (secretary), Mr L Dzivamakwara (recorder or translator), Mr G Wanyuji and Mr Muchini. The travelling and subsistence allowances rates shall be as per circular number 12, 2016 given referenced HC/7.

“For avoidance of doubt, the rates are as follows; out of pocket allowance $10 per 24-hour period, unproved breakfast $10, unproved lunch $20 and unproved dinner $25.”

Mr Makunde had to seek the commission’s approval on Tuesday, saying they had since prepared a budget.

“What we have done chairman (Mr Madzudzo Pawadyira) in preparation is that we need to have a meeting with the tribunal to agree on the logistics,” he said.

“First of all, fuel allocation, secondly, how we are going to pay their subsistence allowances as per the letter and also their other requirements.

“The hearing will be here in the council chambers and as a temporary measure, we have set aside 100 litres of fuel from the day they are commencing. We have been advised that there will be five people, each person a vehicle and possibly two others are going to combine.

“We have also set aside their subsistence allowances as unproved breakfast $1 680, unproved lunches $3 360 and the total is $5 040. For unproved dinners and out-of-pocket allowances, these will be processed as when and necessary and claim forms shall be devised for use.”

Suspended Chitungwiza councillors will answer to corruption allegations involving allocating themselves 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.

According to letters written to all the councillors, they will appear before the tribunal in the council boardroom.

The letters specified that all the councillors were entitled to legal representation of their choice at the hearing if they so wished.

Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Cde Saviour Kasukuwere suspended the entire council of 14 MDC-T councillors, including the 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.

All of them challenged their suspensions, prompting Minister Kasukuwere to engage the services of the Judicial Services Commission to appoint a the tribunal to carry out disciplinary hearings.