Melinda Kusemachibi
The Auditor General Mildred Chiri red-flagged Gweru City Council for a host of misconduct and illicit dealings including the local authority allocating stands to minors contravening the Urban Councils Act.
According to the 2020 Auditor General’s report, Gweru was caught with a number of irregularities chief among them being sale of house stands to minor twins on the same day their father also purchased a stand from the local authority.
“Council allocated two stands to two minors aged 16 from the same family
on the same date their father was also allocated a stand under the Mkoba 21 Housing
Scheme.
“The minors had no contractual capacity according to the General Law AmendmentAct [Chapter 8:07], hence this was in contravention of this Act,” read the report.
In their defense, Gweru city council claimed that the agreements of sale were signed by parents on their behalf.
The local authority further revealed that it instructed its junior staff to desist from entering into contracted agreements with minors.
“The Director of Housing and Community services has acceded to the fact that the two
stands were sold to twins. However, the agreements of sale were signed for by the
parents on their behalf who are seniors and have contractual capacity according to the provisions of the Guardianship of Minors Act [Chapter 5.08] section 3.
Management has however instructed its junior staff to desist from entering into
contractual agreements with minors and familiarize themselves with the provisions of the Legal Age of Majority Act [Chapter 8.07] on signing of contracts or agreements,” GCC said in the report.
Contacted for comment Acting Town Clerk Vakai Chikwekwe could not shed light on the issue.
“Come with that Auditor General’s report of yours and show me where the issue is written because I do not know about that issue. I served council from 2016 and there was never such an issue,” said Chikwekwe.
He however contradicted himself after he said that some of the issues are in courts and thus could not shed more light on them.
“Some issues of this type maybe in courts and we cannot shed light on them,” he added.
