Faith Duri

Masvingo City Council is struggling to keep up with service delivery needs due to a depleted fleet, with a total of 17 vehicles currently not operational as they have broken down.
A Public Works and Planning Committee meeting dated May 09 2022’s meeting revealed that the local authority is struggling, especially in the health and engineering departments.
According to the minutes of the meeting on the health department under the section of clinics there are two vehicles that are not operational which include Mazda Ambulance AAE 5721 undergoing panel beating and brake repairs and VW Ambulance ADB 4123 awaiting engine replacement.
Under refuse compactors there are two vehicles that are not functioning namely UD80 Compactor AAE 9043 whose repair is still awaiting delivery of a new engine and A UD80 Compactor AAE 5998 which is undergoing injector pump repairs.
In the engineering department, 13 cars are not operational under the road section which includes UD CPB 12 Tipper AAE 5780 truck not operational and undergoing overheating repairs, UD CPB 12 Tipper AAR 5781 truck undergoing engine overhaul and suspension repairs, UD CPB 12 Tipper AAE 5722 truck is awaiting new starter motor, Changlin Grader is awaiting spares for transmission repairs, Changlin TLB machine is awaiting the hydraulic pump from China, Dynapac Roller the machine is not operational and is awaiting quotations for new hub.
Of the 13 vehicles, four of them are going under maintenance which include Mazda T35 AAE 5777. The truck is not operational awaiting brake components, Nissan NP300 AAE 8882 not operational, Nissan NP300 AAE 7388 the vehicle is not operational, Nissan NP300 AAE 7389 vehicle is not operational and undergoing clutch system repairs at Amtec.
There is also a Mitsubishi L200 ABW 0755 for sewage works which is not operational and is undergoing engine overhaul and under municipal police operations there is a Mitsubishi L200 AAE 5699 which is not functional and is awaiting timing belt.
Lastly under parks, there is a New Holland Tractor AAE 5797 which is not operational awaiting engine overhaul.
These vehicles that are down are reducing the service delivery progress as some of these trucks are used to collect refuse in the city.
Council has been collecting refuse with the trucks they hired from other organizations and sometimes in high density areas they will collect it after weeks leaving heaps of garbage uncollected leading to unauthorized dumping sites in residential areas.
Council has 46 vehicles including the 17 vehicles that are not functioning, with only 28 vehicles being functional.

Faith Duri

Masvingo City Council is losing lots of water in transmission due to an old and malfunctioning system, with 1800 cubic meters (m3) of water lost in Rujeko as at May 4, 2022.
This was revealed in the council minutes of proceedings of the Public Works and Planning Committee meeting dated May 09, 2022 under the section (vii) and (viii) named water fitting and DMA1 (Rujeko).
The minutes state that the total of water supplied and the total water billed is different and it leaves a total of 18 401 cubic meters water unaccounted for.
“It was reported that three bulk water meters were installed in Rujeko area and the readings were taken on May 4 2022 with the following readings: the total water supplied is 78 587m3, total water billed was 60 186 m3 while total water lost was 18 401 m3 and non- revenue water is 23.41 percent,” read the minutes.
There were also reported cases of water pipe bursts in Rujeko area.
“It was reported that the section recorded and attended to 85 pipe bursts, 5 water meter connections, 63 meter replacements and 3 sewer connections during the month of April 2022,” read the minutes.
Masvingo council has been often accused of failing to fulfill their mandate in terms of adequate clean water provision to its residents despite several litres lost during transmission.
Due to the breakages of water pipes 23.41% of the water that is supposed to go to residents’ households is lost as stated in the minutes.
Masvingo city has been experiencing perennial water challenges in recent years due to ballooning population which is way above its pumping capacity.
The population in Masvingo is reported around 150 000 yet the water supply system is designed to supply 80 000 people and the system is able to supply 38 mega liters per day of a daily demand estimated at 45 mega liters.
At one point in 2021, council was reported to be pumping half-treated water to residents while barely a month ago residents went for more than two weeks with dry taps.

Melinda Kusemachibi

Masvingo City councilors recently grilled management over its lackadaisical approach on refuse collection, urging the later to explore other means of combating the ever worsening solid waste management situation.
Speaking at a full council meeting held on May 31, 2022 at Civic Center, Masvingo ward 3 councilor Roki Kamuzonda raised the need for council to procure more vehicles to assist the current two.
“As council we need to buy more refuse compactors in order to improve on refuse collection unlike a situation in which the whole city is served by two refuse compactors which are sometimes down due to effects of overloading. If council can buy something like three compactors, then the current fleet would be relieved of the challenges,” said Kamuzonda.
Ward 10 councilor Sengerai Manyanga echoed Kamuzonda’s sentiments suggested that council should approach big companies or corporates in the province to source for resources towards improving the dire situation.
“Council should engage companies such as Renco Mine, Bikita Minerals or even Mimosa mine in Zvishavane. That is what we should do as council so that we will be able to get help. We have few compactors and refuse collection will only be improved if we have more functioning refuse compactors,” said Manyanga.
Environmental Health chairperson ward 8 councilor Against Chiteme said overloading is a sign of lack of enough compactors.
“Over loading is a sign that there are few compactors. If council does not have money to buy new refuse compactors, at least buy new engines so that the compactors will be functional,” said Chiteme.
In response to the issue, Masvingo Town Clerk Engineer Edward Mukaratirwa said they had made efforts to communicate with those companies but nothing fruitful has been realized.
“Communications were done to Mimosa and Tongaat Hullets through their Public Relations sections though were are yet to have responses. As for Bikita Minerals, the last time we communicated result with them, they were talking of changes in management and as a result there could be no breakthrough then. We will have to make follow ups and l will have to approach Tongaat Hulett when I go for my assignment there in Chiredzi.
“We had intentions to purchase even more than three compactors but our cash flows are constrained. We had initially budgeted for two vehicles, with the first meant for first quarter of the year and the second one set for the second quarter but the concerning factor is finance, otherwise if we had enough finances we would purchase them,” said Engineer Mukaratirwa.
In the minutes of proceedings of the health housing and environmental services committees meeting held on May 5 2022 council highlighted that they have since resorted to hiring trucks to aid the two compactors.
“On the state of refuse collection trucks, the Chief Environmental Health Officer reported that two trucks were operational and council had since stopped hiring the truck from the Central Mechanical Engineering Department (CMED). Debate ensued on how best council could efficiently manage the refuse collection trucks.
“The committee raised concern on rampant illegal dumping in the commonage by the residents. It was agreed that ward councilors should educate residents during ward feedback meetings, to desist from illegal dumping,” read part of the minutes.
Masvingo has seen an increase in umber of illegal dumpsites due to council’s failure to collect refuse according to the schedule they set while also works at Cambria farm waste plant are behind time in completion.

…As they move to phase out roadside vending

Beatific Gumbwanda

CHIREDZI-Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) have made strides to adopt the smart city concept here which will see informal traders formalizing their businesses by moving from undesignated vending cites into proper and well serviced market places.
The markets are to be operated on a build, operate and transfer basis.
Masvingo provincial chairperson for SMEs Venancio Kurauone recently lobbied Chiredzi Town Council (CTC) during the 26th ordinary full council meeting held at council boardroom to help their association towards their vision of the Smart City concept.
The initiative will see its members moving away from the undesignated vending sites into more formal business sites.
Addressing councilors, Kurauone said the SMEs are moving to adopt the smart city concept on a Built Operate and Transfer (BOT) concept.
“As SMEs, we have also adopted the smart city concept on a Built Operate and Transfer basis. So the land that belongs to council will be leased to us on a BOT basis. So we are currently targeting two places that is opposite N Richards and the existing flea-market that shares land with the civic center.
“We are going to upgrade those places and traders currently operating there will be the first beneficiaries of the concept and we will incorporate more. This will persuade people to vacate their roadside vending stalls which are undesignated,” said Kurauone.
Chiredzi Town Council vice chairperson Ropafadzo Makumire who was chairing the meeting said council will look into the deal and respond in the earliest possible time.
“We have heard your presentation and we are going to deliberate the matter as council and get back to you in the earliest possible time,” said Makumire.
Chiredzi was slowly becoming shanty with street side vending promoting environmental pollution.

Thabiso Nxumalo

Councilors and management at Masvingo City Council (MCC) are at loggerheads over the value of a Mazda double-cab service vehicle currently possessed by dismissed former Director of Engineering Services Engineer Tawanda Gozo’s since the termination of his contract allegedly over incompetence.
Council minutes of a Finance and General Purposes Committee meeting held on May 16, 2022, shows that Engineer Gozo claims that the US$ 12 800 price offered by council is too high and requested a downward review to US$ 3 840.
“In terms of council policy vehicles are depreciated on a straight-line basis and hence have a book value of zero at the end of the five-year span. Mr. T Gozo had argued that the price was too steep and would defeat the idea behind incentivizing a user of a condition of service vehicle.
“It was reported that in his acceptance letter, Mr. T Gozo had requested council to review the price to 30 percent of the revalued amount being US$ 3 840,” read the minutes.
The Committee had clarified conditions on which vehicles should be sold to officials but a debate ensued after some members fingered Town Clerk Eng. Mukaratirwa over a similar issue when he was sold a Toyota Hilux by the same council sometime last year.
“It was clarified that on retirement, a council employee would get the conditions of service free after five years of usage. Regarding the method used to dispose the Toyota Hilux vehicle to the Town Clerk, it was clarified that the car had been sold to him using the revalued price from the valuation done by the Ministry of Local Government.
“Some councilors were of the view that the policy should be reviewed such that an employee who has used the car for a period of five years enjoys the same benefits as an employee who is leaving council employment on retirement after using the condition of services vehicle for five years, other members argued that reviewing a policy to address this situation individually would set a bad precedence in policy making.” part of the minutes added.
Engineer Gozo also applied to use the vehicle in question for a personal trip to South Africa and was granted permission by council.
“Consideration was given to the report of the Chamber Secretary on the letter from Mr. T Gozo for permission to use vehicle ADY 1628 for a trip to South Africa.
“It was reported that council had since offered the vehicle to him and process of transferring the vehicle into his name is still in progress,” the minutes read.
However, the issue of Gozo is treated as if he is an employee getting terminal benefits despite the fact that his was not retirement but dismissal and entitlement to such benefits becomes questionable.
Engineer Gozo was in 2021 relieved of his duties from council on grounds of gross incompetence.