Connect with us

National

Commission of inquiry findings fail to be tabled as Victoria Falls councillors fight

Published

on

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI 

A special full council meeting meant to present the findings of a commission of inquiry set by the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works to investigate claims of corruption against Victoria Falls City town clerk Ronnie Dube failed to take off on Tuesday after the city’s mayor and councillors came to a standoff over who should preside over the discussions. 

Advertisement

Minister July Moyo set up the probe team late last year after resident’s activists and the mayor Somvelo Dhlamini levelled corruption allegations against the local authority’s management head.

Earlier this month, the ministry brought the findings of the report for adoption which was meant to be tabled to a full council, but failed after Dhlamini was confronted by ward various councillors accusing him of breaching the law. 

“You can’t chair the meeting when you are an interested party,” ward three councillor Lungile Nyoni charged first.

Advertisement

This was after Dhlamini had asked his deputy mayor Patricia Mwale to pray ahead of the meeting. 

“You are misleading the council and you can not chair also because of your court case,” he added.

“You are supposed to sit there as the residents because you are an interested party because that’s what was said by the minister regarding this matter. ” 

Advertisement

The two exchanged some harsh words as the mayor demanded to be provided with an act that prohibits him from chairing the meeting despite being the complainant into Dube’s allegations. 

“Which law?”Dhlamini quizzed. 

“I said come with the law and if it’s there, I will listen to your reasons…

Advertisement

“I am supposed to chair this and discuss it with the chamber secretary’s office because I have to know what we are talking about.”

Moments after, the argument was paused after Nyoni suggested that he  should call the minister to give him a go ahead to chair. 

Dhlamini and Dube then stepped out of the board room to call Moyo, but came back to report that he was not answering his mobile phones. 

Advertisement

Dhlamini then insisted to go ahead with his decision to chair or temporarily adjourn, but again was interjected by ward one councillor Tonderai Mutasa who advised him that it was against the law as he was an interested party. 

Mutasa’s sentiments were also echoed by ward 11 councillor  Edmore Zhou. 

“So if we are saying we are adjouning the meeting because the mayor said we have to and at the same time you are saying he is not supposed to chair the meeting, surely for me it doesn’t balance,”Zhou said. 

Advertisement

“We are here with the residents, we need to do the correct things and if we are saying the mayor is not supposed to chair, he doesn’t have the power to adjourn the meeting so that’s why residents can not take us serious because we won’t be doing the right thing and in accordance with our the law, so he should do the right thing. “

“I will not step down,” Dhlamini charged. 

“I will never. ” he added. 

Advertisement

Zhou then went on to quiz why Dhlamini had stopped attending some committee meetings that have nothing to do with the report’s findings. 

However, other councillors wanted the meeting to proceed with Dhlamini chairing, on condition that he signs down as they were worried about wasting the resident’s time and council expenditure to host such meetings. 

Following the back and fourth which led to some resident’s activists to get agitated, Dhlamini announced that the meeting will be adjourned to allow the minister to respond together with a supporting act on why he should not chair. 

Advertisement

Dube and Dhlamini have been in the eye of a storm since the arrest of Dhlamini in October on allegations of fraud emanating from the acquisition of a housing stand from the local authority.

Dhlamini was arrested shortly after a group of war veterans and members of the Hwange Residents Association raided the town clerk’s office and force marched him out

The group said they wanted Dube to step aside to allow for investigations into allegations of corruption levelled against him to be concluded first.

Advertisement

Few days after, war veterans from Matabeleland North convened a meeting that was attended by over 300 residents to discuss the corruption allegations against the local authority. 

Victoria Falls Combined Residents Association (Vifacora) executive member Trymore Ndolo told the meeting that they had information allegedly showing how Dube and some councillors ‘corruptly’ sold commercial prime land known as Stand Number 8300 which was earmarked for a water, hygiene and sanitation project, was sold for US$4 million instead of US$14 million that was agreed to by a full council meeting.

The report was meant to address its findings on such allegations among others. 

Advertisement

After the meeting, Vifacora chairperson Kelvin Moyo expressed disappointment in the capacity of some officers and councillors. 

“We are very much disappointed in what ended up happening, I think all counsillors when they are getting to council they know what they are expected to do, the rules and procedures of the law, but it wasn’t so because there was unparalleled ignorance that was displayed by some of the officers and counsillors,”he said. 

“As residents, we feel that we are shortchanged in terms of the rate of which the service delivery in concerned because we were hoping that the findings were going to be presented at the end of the day so as residents, we should look at the capacity in understanding issues and adjudication so much so that it can all come to the benefits of the residents.”

Advertisement

The town clerk also called on the minister’s intervention.

“This stems from the fact that the moyor has a pending case in court and the minister (Moyo) issued a circular in February 2022 directive which stated that all council officials with pending cases should remain barred from council and this is the same interpretation which we have,”he said. 

Dube revealed that the authority has written three letters to the minister seeking clarity on the matter, but none has been responded to. 

Advertisement

“Going forward, we are going to consult again this time indicating that this scenario will render council dysfunctional.” 

 

Advertisement
Continue Reading
1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. Natasha Queale

    January 19, 2023 at 1:36 pm

    Dear Valued Customer,

    Are you tired of trying every weight loss solution on the market with little to no results? Look no further! Exipure has revolutionized the weight loss industry with our all-natural, scientifically proven products.

    Our weight loss supplements and meal plans are designed to help you lose weight in a healthy and sustainable way. By suppressing your appetite, increasing your metabolism, and helping you feel full, our products make losing weight easy and effortless.

    We invite you to visit our YouTube channel to learn more about our products and hear success stories from real customers who have seen amazing results with Exipure.
    https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUyqTXe1dSbyveBg6pBQu5_SsM8C6CSQx

    Don’t wait any longer to achieve your weight loss goals. Try Exipure today and start feeling and looking your best.

    Best regards,
    The Exipure Team.
    Website: https://exipure.ltd/

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

National

Zimbabwe road traffic fatalities rise to 20 amid recent accidents

Published

on

BY STAFF REPORTER

The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) has confirmed that the death toll from recent road traffic accidents has tragically escalated to at least 20 individuals in the past few days. This surge in fatalities has raised serious concerns regarding road safety across the nation.

Advertisement

In a statement released today, the ZRP detailed a fatal accident that occurred early this morning at the 246-kilometer peg along the Mutare-Masvingo Road, near Mutendi Complex. A Dragon bus, carrying 20 passengers and traveling from Beitbridge to Mutare, collided with a haulage truck while attempting to overtake. The bus driver swerved back into his lane upon noticing an oncoming vehicle, resulting in a devastating sideswipe that caused timber from the truck to pierce into the bus. Eight people, including the bus driver, died at the scene, and four others were injured in the crash. The injured were transferred to Masvingo General Hospital for treatment.

The ZRP emphasized the alarming trend of road accidents in their statement, noting

that these incidents were predominantly caused by reckless overtaking. “Most of the accidents recorded recently have been due to overtaking errors on the part of drivers,” police officials stated. “We urge all motorists to exercise extreme caution and adhere strictly to traffic regulations.”

Advertisement

This latest accident follows another tragic incident on August 28 involving a Toyota Fortuner GD6 at the 46-kilometer peg along the same road. The vehicle veered off the road and hit a concrete signpost, resulting in four immediate fatalities. This number subsequently rose to six as two more victims succumbed to their injuries after being admitted to Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital.

Additionally, on August 29, a separate accident on the Harare-Nyamapanda Road claimed the lives of seven family members when a kombi they were traveling in lost control during an overtaking maneuver, resulting in an overturn that killed five instantly and two more in the hospital.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

National

Tragic attack in Madlambuzi: Five dead as suspected mental patient goes on rampage

Published

on

BY WANDILE TSHUMA 

Police in Madlambuzi, Matabeleland South Province has are a suspected mental patient, Phamani Sibanda, following a violent rampage that left five people dead and two others injured on Wednesday.

Advertisement

According to the police statement, Sibanda (43) allegedly attacked seven people in the village using a Mopani log, a blunt object, and an unknown sharp weapon, targeting anyone who crossed his path.

The victims of this tragic attack have been identified by their next of kin:

Elliot Khupe, 101, a male adult from Bellas Village
Butho Tshuma, 97, a female adult from Bellas Village
Constance Sibanda, 66, a female adult from Bellas Village
Tiffan Surprise Ndlovu, 6, a female juvenile from Bellas Village
Catra Matsika, 72, from Central Village

Advertisement

In addition to the fatalities, two other women, aged 90 and 41, sustained injuries and are currently receiving treatment at Madlambuzi Clinic and Plumtree District Hospital.

The ZRP has underscored the pressing need for community awareness regarding mental health issues. “We implore the public to promptly refer mental patients to medical institutions for treatment and to actively monitor their behavior to prevent such violent incidents,” the statement elaborated. It encouraged community members to report any concerns to the National Complaints Desk at (0242) 703631 or via WhatsApp at 0712 800197, or to approach the nearest police station.

 

Advertisement

Continue Reading

National

US suspends visa processing in Zimbabwe, embassy says

Published

on

BY REUTERS

The United States has stopped processing most visas in Zimbabwe until further notice, its embassy in the capital Harare said on Wednesday, citing unspecified concerns with the government.
“We have paused routine visa services in Harare while we address concerns with the Government of Zimbabwe,” the embassy said in a post on X. It said the move was not a travel ban and that current visas would remain valid.
The government of the Southern African country did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
The pause took effect on August 7, according to a notice on the U.S. State Department’s website, which said it applied to all visa services with the exception of most diplomatic and official visas.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has restricted travel from a number of African countries, saying it is working to prevent visa overstaying and misuse.
Zimbabwe had a visa overstay rate of 10.57% in 2023, according to a U.S. Department of Homeland Security report.
Starting this week, the U.S. will require visa applicants from Zambia and Malawi to pay bonds of up to $15,000 for some visitor visas. The Trump administration has also paused visa processing in Niger.
Harare resident Angella Chirombo said her 18-year-old son had received a scholarship to do his bachelor’s degree at Michigan State University and had been waiting for a visa interview when the pause hit.
“He was supposed to be in school already. I paid for everything else and was waiting for the visa so I could buy tickets,” she told Reuters.
She said other parents were considering booking interviews at other U.S. embassies in Southern Africa, but that she wouldn’t be able to afford the travel.
“Now they are saying we can go to Zambia and Namibia. I don’t even have money right now and I don’t know where to get this money. They are so many students that have been affected.”

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2022 VicFallsLive. All rights reserved, powered by Advantage