BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI 

Victoria Falls residents have called for a lifestyle audit for councillors and the local authority’s management following allegations of massive corruption in the MDC Alliance-led city council.

The calls were made at a public meeting held at Chinotimba Hall that was convened by war veterans’ leadership from Matabeleland North on Friday to discuss the chaos at the local authority, which was attended by over 300 people.

Residents are agitating for investigations into the local authority following the arrest of mayor Somvelo Dhlamini a week ago on fraud allegations amid allegations that town clerk Ronnie Dube and other councillors were also involved in corrupt activities related to the parcelling out of commercial stands.

The Victoria Falls Combined Residents Association (Vifacora) claims that it has evidence that  Dube and some councillors sold a prime commercial stand number 8300 for US$4 million instead of US$14 million  before councillors and some senior managers shared US$400 000 that was paid as a bribe by the lowest bidder.

Vifacora secretary general Trymore Ndolo told meeting that the matter came to light when the MDC Alliance councillors started fighting among each other during the sharing of the spoils from the corrupt deal.

“They sold our land for US$4.2 million, how can land depreciate from US$14 million?” Ndolo queried.

“I’ll be clear and straightforward, some of the councillors came to us as Vifacora to report that they told us that when stand 8300 (comes up for discussion) we should agree to the sale as there was going to be bribery money and they surely got US$ 400 000 and this is why they have been fighting against each other”.

He said council also sold stand 1811 to a councillor without a resolution as per regulations.

“(Stand) 1811 is the size of a stadium and cannot be sold to a councillor, and that stand was valued at US$ 5 million,” Ndolo added.

“We protested even to the mayor at a full council meeting resolution where we were called to endorse its sale in bond (RTGS) and we’ve got all the information.

“The people, who were the masterminds (are known) and we queried how a stand worth US$ 5 million can be sold for $11 million.

“So this is what residents have been arguing about and we are saying there should be a lifestyle audit of everyone involved in these corrupt deals.”

A resident, who spoke at the meeting, said some councillors were living beyond their means.

The resident queried: “How can someone who was known for selling sweets on the streets within a short period after being elected as a councillor have a fleet of cars?

“How much would that person be earning to own such (property) and we would like our elderly people (war veterans) to spearhead a campaign for a lifestyle audit.”

Dube and some councillors are at loggerheads with residents and war veterans over the corruption allegations that have resulted in poor service delivery.

Some residents have gone for several months without water and other parts of the city experience continuous sewer pipe bursts.

Over 300 residents have signed a petition urging Parliament to investigate the corruption allegations.

War veterans Matabeleland North chairperson Boniface Sibanda told the meeting that corruption and infighting in the local authority led to Dhlamini’s arrest.

The former liberation war fighters are accusing Dube of conniving with the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission to cover-up the alleged corruption by engineering Dhlamini’s arrest while shielding Dube.