Courage Dutiro
Masvingo City Council management is in trouble from councillors and ratepayers after allegedly selling council bus at a giveaway price and without the councilor’s knowledge.
In a full council meeting held on December 2, 2021 councilors blew gaskets over the matter grilling council management over the actual price at which the bus was sold saying they heard different prices.
Ward 8 councilor Against Chiteme asked council management to shed more light on the actual price since they all had different figures
“We are hearing in the corridors that council bus was auctioned at ZW $20 000(less than US$200). Can you tell us the actual price at which the bus was sold and include other council assets that were disposed of with their prices clearly on the report. How could council management sell the bus without first consulting councillors,” said Chiteme.
Ward 1 Cllr Alderman Selina Maridza also said rumors in the commonage were saying the bus was auctioned at a giveaway price.
“The work was not done properly; I was shocked when I heard rumors that the person who took the bus paid in local currency instead of United States dollars that council had agreed. I heard the bus was taken for ZW $17 000. Council management is not sincere on this matter, we are blaming them,” said Maridza.
Mayor Cllr Collen Maboke said shoddy work was done and quick action was supposed to be taken to safeguard interests of residents.
“We had all agreed that we are going to dispose assets in US$ so who changed that? Shoddy work was done here and as councilors we do not want the public to think we connived with the auctioneer or whoever did that. Let’s us take action that safeguard residents’ interests,” said Maboke.
Masvingo Town clerk Engineer Edward Mukaratirwa said he and council management were also frustrated with how the work was done.
“As the Town Clerk and council management, we share the same frustration with the councillors. We are not happy with how the work was done that is why we brought the matter here. Our subordinates did not do the work as we had agreed,” said Mukaratirwa.
Masvingo United Residents and Rate Payers Alliance (MURRA) spokesperson Godfrey Mtimba said city council should have consulted residents first before they engage in such transactions.
“It boggles our minds that such pertinent decisions are made by council officials or management without consulting residents. We are not happy with the move; this is just giving people a bus that was purchased through residents and rate payer’s money for free.
“This was an ill-conceived transaction; city council should have consulted residents first because some of the residents were still benefiting from the use of the bus. Twenty thousand is nothing, we cannot sell a bus for such an amount, it is unheard of even if the bus was old,” said Mtimba.
The bus has been used over the past years to assist at funerals for local residents.
