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.
