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Wallace Ruzvidzo Herald Reporter
Goromonzi West Ward 4 Councillor Tapiwa Murima (MDC-Alliance) is under fire for allegedly misappropriating food meant to cushion the elderly, the disabled and the less privileged.

This comes as President Mnangagwa is implementing reforms to eliminate the distribution and pilfering of food aid along partisan lines.

MDC-A presidential spokesman Nkululeko Sibanda confirmed to The Herald that they had received such reports and said the party would investigate the matter further.

“We have heard of such reports. Let me call him but if anyone has complaints they should let the party know. They can forward those complaints to me and I will pass them on to the party to investigate,” said Sibanda.

Sources close to the matter who spoke to The Herald on condition of anonymity for fear of victimisation said Murima was in the habit of giving food to his girlfriends and using the aid for campaigning at the expense of the beneficiaries.

“We are trying to safeguard the community and ward as the whole community is complaining about how Councillor Murima is handling the ward. He is abusing monies and grain meant for social welfare. There are people who are supposed to benefit from these grains but they are being abused for personal gains.

“He is giving business people who we cannot name right now but they are even in the welfare database and the evidence is there. Tapiwa is giving food to his girlfriends at the expense of the real beneficiaries; the elderly, disabled and less privileged are not benefitting,” said the sources.

Murima also stands accused of engaging in nepotism as he allegedly employed his relatives from Glen View and offered them positions in Goromonzi council.

The sources also added that there is no development currently taking place in Ward 4 save for empty promises from Murima.

“Tapiwa is also engaging in nepotism as he is employing his relatives into council positions who live in Glen View and have no ties to our constituency whatsoever.

“We have a bus terminus which was constructed by council but it was never formally commissioned and they have been taking monies paid for subscriptions by transport operators and vendors and using it for their personal gains.

“Out of 25 wards in Goromonzi West constituency, ward 4 is the highest in terms of money collections and also population yet there is no development taking place.

“There is nothing even a toilet in ward 4 yet it is a catchment area so we risk disease outbreaks,” said the sources.