Marondera Central MP Ray Kaukonde’s donation of sewer pipes worth over $16 000 to Rakodzi High School has reportedly unsettled council officials who were now living in fear of being associated with the ruling Zanu PF party’s former provincial chairperson.
by Jairos Saunyama
Marondera mayor Anthony Makwindi (Zanu PF) could neither confirm nor deny that the council had received pipes from Kaukonde, but instead referred this paper to the President’s Office for confirmation.
“I am not at liberty to discuss this issue over the phone, but I can refer you somewhere where you can get confirmation. You can confirm with the President’s Office,” Makwindi said.
Both Kaukonde and Marondera town clerk Josiah Musuwo could not be reached for comment yesterday.
But council sources told NewsDay that Kaukonde donated the equipment at a time government was threatening to close the school over poor sanitation, but officials at Marondera Municipality were reluctant to publicise the gesture for fear of political victimisation.
Kaukonde intervened following reports that more than 3 000 students at Rakodzi High and Tapfuma Primary schools were at risk of contracting diseases as raw effluent from a burst sewer pipe was being discharged into the school grounds.
That followed a directive by the Health and Child Care ministry for the school to immediately rectify the problem or shut down.
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Kaukonde, a former Mashonaland East Provincial Affairs minister and Zanu PF provincial chairman, lost both posts last December after President Robert Mugabe’s wife accused him of aligning himself to ousted Vice-President Joice Mujuru’s faction.
“Kaukonde did a good thing and donated some sewer pipes worth more than $16 000 last month. The pipes are currently at Rakodzi and will do much in alleviating the sewer problems there. The reason why the council is not revealing the source of the money is that no one wants to be associated with Kaukonde though they need assistance,” a council official who declined to be named said.
“Kaukonde is the MP of this town and it is his duty to assist anytime for the development of the constituency.”
