BY MOSES MUGUGUNYEKI
SHURUGWI residents are up in arms with Shurugwi Town Council over poor service delivery and the general running of the local authority.
The residents expressed their dismay through a petition, which is being spearheaded by the United Shurugwi Residents and Rate Payers and would be handed over to acting town secretary Francis Charamba as well as council chairman Walter Gwinji.
“We write this petition as combined Shurugwi residents to express our displeasure on poor service delivery by your council with specific reference to the following issues,” read the petition signed by United Shurugwi Residents and Rate Payers interim chairperson Tembo Boisen.
Local Government minister July Moyo was copied the petition.
“Water provision has been a problem for the past four months despite the fact that we have received good rainfall,” the petition says.
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“We see no genuine effort from your office to rectify this problem as it has been perennial over the years.
“Of much concern is the health risk you are putting us at since we are resorting to using unclean contaminated sources of water.”
Residents expressed dismay over the poor state of the roads in the mining town, which in the past used to get support from local mining firms.
“Some roads in the CBD [central business district] and residential areas are virtually impassable, which renders refuse collection efforts on your part a nightmare,” reads the petition.
Residents also complained about the MIPF deal, which they believe benefitted the local authority’s top management.
“It has come to our attention that council sold a piece of land to MIPF and the proceeds were clandestinely diverted to benefit council management in an underhand deal that openly flouted local government management and corporate government ethics,” said residents.
“The Urban Councils Act clearly stipulates that proceeds from sale of such land should be channelled towards capital development projects or equipment procurement to enhance service delivery.
“You, however, decided to buy luxury vehicles for management which do not benefit the ratepayers in any way except to satiate the unquenchable thirst for luxury, glitz and glamour being exuded at town house.”
“We remain unaware of any agreed and minuted correspondence from previous council deliberations on allocation of funds from the past immediate year(s) budget(s) that could have justified the unsanctioned move to procure offensively luxurious state-of-the-art GD6 SUVs models.”
Residents said they want council to sell the vehicles and use the money to improve service delivery.
On the 2022 budget consultations, residents said council deliberately left out wards 5, 11 and 12 during budget engagement meetings.
“We are reliably informed that the unapproved budget without contributions from residents and the business community was fast-tracked and bulldozed for approval to the Local Government ministry,” residents said.
“This clearly demonstrates on your part unacceptable disregard of protocol tantamount to arrogance and despising of the same community that keeps council afloat through rates paying.”
Residents said they wanted to know the circumstances that led to the resignation of the former town secretary Solomon Siziba.
Siziba unceremoniously resigned in November last year after serving the local authority for 15 years.
“We demand that a forensic audit be done as soon as possible while the outgoing town secretary is still on notice so that any would-be irregularities are unearthed before he receives any otherwise unjustified golden handshake as part of his exit package,” said residents.
Boisen said they would soon handover the petition to town secretary Charamba, who could not be reached for comment yesterday.