By Beatific Gumbwanda
CHIREDZI- Chiredzi Town Council management and councilors clashed during the 50th Ordinary Full Council Meeting after the Audit Committee unearthed several irregularities, with councilors demanding an explanation.
The committee reported that contract workers were paid using borrowed funds from the water and rates account instead of the ZINARA account without the signature of the Town Secretary.
Councilors fumed over an unnamed Head of Department (HOD) but most likely the Finance Director, Lloyd Chimusasa for paying contract workers using the wrong account.
Consider Kubiku, who was the Deputy Director of Works is currently acting as the Town Secretary though he is fourth-in-command in hierarchy at the local authority.
Giving her presentation during the meeting, Audit Committee Chairperson, Sekai Njanjure said the committee noted an anomaly where there was a mismatch of payment vouchers and the pay sheet as well as that contract workers were paid without the signature of the Town Secretary, with funds borrowed from the water and rates account instead of ZINARA account.
Ward 5 councilor, Philimon Muchaendepi highlighted that there was need to empower the internal auditor, Owen Gwasira, with power to do his job diligently without fear of his immediate bosses whom he could not command to write reports of the anomalies he would uncover other than informing them not to repeat the same mistakes in future.
“I think we need to empower the internal auditor with power to do his job diligently without fear of his superiors. He can’t even order them to write reports of anomalies he would have detected,” said Muchaendepi.
Council Vice Chairperson and Ward 1 councilor, Liberty Macharaga said there was need for the HOD in question to write a report of what transpired rather than pampering him.
“Though we need to empower him (Internal Auditor), as council, we are the bosses so we want a report of the anomaly which was detected by the internal auditor,” said Macharaga.
Chiredzi Town Council Chairperson, Jameson Charumbira also suggested that they need to find out what happened and charge those who processed payments without including the Town Secretary’s signature.
“We need to charge these HODs who processed payments without the Town Secretary’s as stipulated by law. There is no need for a resolution, it was purely an administrative duty which needs the offender to clearly highlight in the report of what transpired,” said Charumbira.
The matter was later referred back to the Audit Committee to make an investigation on what was going on.
This comes just after the suspension of Chiredzi Town Secretary, Engineer Wesley Kauma and seizure of his Toyota Fortuner over unpublicized reasons emanating from a Ministry of Local Government investigation.
