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Walter Mswazie Masvingo Correspondent
Outgoing Masvingo Municipality mayor Mr Hubert Fidze has said he is leaving office a happy man after making a lot of positive changes in service delivery for the local authority during his tenure.

In an interview, Mr Fidze said he could have wanted another five-year term, but he lost in the MDC-Alliance’s primaries together with his deputy Mr James Chiwara.

“I think I have played my part in local governance and my work is there for everyone to see,” he said. “I would have loved another five-year term, but I lost in the primaries, that was not possible.”

Mr Fidze said for the first time, Masvingo City Council collected more performance-based awards, including individual accolades, in the just-ended five-year term, surpassing all previous performances.

“We are the only council since time immemorial, who has managed to scoop 20 awards that also include two individual prizes that I won as the mayor,” he said.

“The Town Clerk also won the best manager of the year more than twice, courtesy of the council which worked as a united team.

“I have won best local governance leader award in 2018 and best communicator in local governance in 2016. Overall, since the commencement of our five-year term in 2013, we have done more than any other council despite the obtaining economic cartels.”

Mr Fidze said his council made sure that it kept contact with the residents at a number of platforms, including social media, giving them feedback on the goings on within council and on service delivery.

He said Masvingo was now one of the cleanest cities in the country and region as the outgoing council instilled a culture of cleanliness through anti-litter campaigns.

Mr Fidze said his council could have effectively addressed the poor road network, loss of water pumping capacity at Bushmead Water Works, refuse collection fleet, among other strategic areas.

“We worked as a team despite belonging to different political parties. We made sure that we all represented our residents.”

The outgoing Masvingo Council had four Zanu-PF councillors and six from MDC-T, including Mr Fidze and Mr Chiwara.

From the outgoing council, three MDC-Alliance councillors were re-elected, while four are new.

There are seven MDC-Alliance councillors and three Zanu-PF councillors who will represent residents in the council chambers this term.

Meanwhile, Three recently-elected MDC-Alliance councillors are eyeing the mayoral post in the country’s oldest                                                         town, with prominent Masvingo lawyer Mr Collins Maboke being the leading contender,  to land the coveted post.

He will have to contend with Ward 9 councillor Mr Babylon Beta and Ward 4 councillor, Mr Godfrey Kurauone.