Elliot Jinjika in Chivhu
10 Feb 2017 – CHIVHU – The Chivhu Residence and Ratepayers Alliance (CHRRA) has attacked Chikomba Rural District Council (RDC) for alleged mismanagement and corrupt dealings which have led to poor service delivery.
CHRRA chairperson, Collen Zvarevashe said there was gross mismanagement and misuse of rate payers’ funds in the council.
He challenged council to show residents how money that was generated from the sale of part of Liebenberg High School’s land was used.
“There is lack of transparency in the management of council affairs and there is runaway corruption. We suspect the money was used for personal gain instead of investing it to improve agriculture education at Liebenberg.
“The school lacks standard laboratories and the money must have been used to address such issues” said Zvarevashe.
As a residents’ organisation, Zvarevashe said, they were not afraid to take their fight for good governance forward, saying they will engage the local governance ministry to come and look into how issues were being handled by the council.
“I’m not afraid to say it out that those officials at the council are corrupt and council business is being poorly run and that has affected our lovely town,” Zvarevashe said.
“They cannot even repair roads at the most critical intersections of the town and there is a big pothole at the main junction in the CBD. They do not even collect refuse and the few rubbish bins available are always overflowing yet residents are paying for services every month,” he said.
Some members of the residents alliance were arrested last week for conducting a meeting in the town hall without council approval.
Chikomba RDC chairperson, Luckson Mutara confirmed the Liebenberg issue but said he was not in a position to give full details as he was out of office on duty.
Reports of maladministration and corruption have cost Chivhu an official town status and in 2011, some councillors complained that Mutara was employed without meeting required qualifications and was now studying to acquire them at the council’s expense.local
