THE opposition MDC-T has called on the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Local Government to investigate management at Kwekwe City Council following reports they siphoned nearly $1 million from the local authority’s coffers.
BY BLESSED MHLANGA
Speaking after meeting MDC-T councillors for Redcliff, Kwekwe and Kadoma, the party’s local government secretary, Eddie Cross said the adverse audit report, which was produced by Udcorp on Kwekwe City Council’s 2011 and 2012 financials deserved urgent attention.
“We have advised the councillors to lobby the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Local Government so the matter of $1 million reported missing is made a national issue and investigated thoroughly. This problem of financial mismanagement and the sum of money reported missing cannot just be ignored,” he said.
Cross’ comments come a few months after MDC-T councillors tried to push for the suspension of town clerk, Emanuel Musara to facilitate investigations, before the move was thwarted by their Zanu PF counterparts.
Cross said Musara’s links with top Zanu PF officials should not stop the councillors from roping in Parliament to probe the alleged scam.
“In Harare, we had the issue of the former town clerk, Tendai Mahachi and nobody thought he could be fired, but look now he is gone. We fired him when nobody thought he could be fired,” he said.
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Kwekwe City Council is yet to adopt the two audit reports of 2011 and 2012, with councillors insisting that investigations should be carried out to establish how the money was stolen.
The 2013 audit report, which was presented to the local authority in November, is also yet to be debated and adopted.
Cross said councillors, nationwide, should act authoritatively, as they now had more powers under the new Constitution to access all information held by their local authorities.
“The new Constitution speaks of devolution of power in local authorities and giving the ultimate power to councillors. They should, therefore, get any information upon request and deal with matter under them with more authority,” he said.
