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Mr Mliswa

Fortunate Gora in Norton
Norton Member of Parliament Mr Temba Mliswa has taken the local authority to task over the inefficient use of funds allocated by the Zimbabwe National Road Administration .

Speaking at the official opening of a new mortuary at Norton Hospital last Friday, Mr Mliswa asked council why it had only used $310 000 of the $550 000 it was allocated by Zinara. He urged council to come clean on the how they used the remaining $240 000. On Friday, Norton Town Council commissioned new public toilets in the town.

“Government policies are made to develop the country. All these roads that are being constructed here in Norton are works of the Zimbabwe National Road Administration.

“I hope, District Administrator, you agree with me that Norton was allocated $550 000, but we did not use all the money, we only used $310 000. I am so amazed that we didn’t use the balance to repair roads when most of them are in this bad state.”

Zinara, he said, had disbursed more than $700 000 for Norton roads this year.

“The Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development, Cde Joram Gumbo, said MPs, the DA and councillors should conduct meetings and agree on the roads to be rehabilitated because it is not a one-man decision.” Mr Mliswa said the new dispensation has a bias towards development rather than politics.

“This new dispensation is very clear: it is the new economic dispensation, new political order, meaning things have now changed. Let us forget our own personal differences when it comes to development matters.

“The President said Zimbabwe is not for Zanu-PF, MDC, Zapu or any other political party, so I also say to you, Norton is not for any political party, but it is for Nortonians,” he said. Norton town secretary Engineer Best Maramba, however, said the local authority received $470 657 for the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme in 2017. She said council outsourced much of the road works to independent contractors.

“The rehabilitation work on five roads, all measuring 5,8 km, was outsourced through public tenders. After receiving bids from bidders who responded to our tender, the cost of covering 5,8km cost an average of $606 000, which left a deficit on the whole allocation. The Norton Town Council wrote a letter to Zinara requesting an upward review of allocation on 27 July, 2017 and was approved towards the end of November,” he said.

Eng Muramba said Zinara gave council $112 956 as an advance payment and the money has already been used up. Council, she said, was still waiting for $342 702 which remains outstanding.