KWEKWE — Kwekwe City Council reportedly splashed over $11 000 on legal fees in the last three months of 2011 at the expense of service delivery.
According to an incomes and expenditure report for October to December released by the local authority, the Shadreck Tobaiwa-led council spent $11 322 on legal fees.
In October alone, council paid $6 582 to its lawyers Wilmot and Bennet and a further $4 740 was paid out in December.
Councillor Weston Masiya castigated council for its skewed priorities, arguing the money could have been spent on road maintenance and refuse collection.
“The money we are spending on legal fees is just too high. We are supposed to have our own legal advisor in the form of the chamber secretary . . . instead this money should be channelled to critical areas like road maintenance or refuse collection,” argued Masiya.
But, chamber secretary Lucia Mkandla defended the high legal bill saying most of the money paid out to Wilmot and Bennet was for conveyancing fees which she said could not be avoided.
