BULAWAYO deputy mayor Gift Banda has come under the spotlight again, with the Affirmative Action Group (AAG) Matabeleland Chapter accusing him of gross abuse of council resources.
BY NQOBILE BHEBBHE
The economic empowerment lobby group accused Banda of receiving council fuel to attend a week-long workshop in Beitbridge early this month, but failed to make the trip and refused to return the fuel.
The quantity of fuel involved could not be ascertained yesterday.
In a letter dated September 16 and addressed to the town clerk, Middleton Nyoni, AAG said it was worried about the “criminal misappropriation of council resources”.
“We are gravely concerned about the abuse of public funds that are occurring at the city council.
“Fuel and other allowances paid to councillors are solely for the purpose of serving the City of Bulawayo and its people. The apparent refusal by the deputy mayor, Gift Banda to return the fuel allocation for the attendance of the workshop held in Beitbridge in consideration of his non-attendance is mind boggling,” AAG said.
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“The deputy mayor opted to take allocation of such allowance with no intention of attending the workshop. This is clearly an act of fraud and corruption. Even more confusing is the indulgence by council in this criminal misappropriation of council resources.
“Such actions beg the question, if you are able to allow such small abuses of office and the system to take place, what more issues of land?
“Secondly, it is curious that the very same deputy mayor acquired stands in Hume Park under a company name and then goes on to demand entitlements as a councillor in his personal capacity. How are such abuses of office allowed to continue?”
Banda, who is also MDC-T provincial chairman, was not reachable for comment yesterday.
Banda recently accused the AAG of harbouring sinister motives against council following moves by the pressure group to have all the councillors dismissed over corruption allegations.
The AAG has raised a red flag over the way tenders were being awarded, charging that corruption and nepotism were at play.
