Garwe stops Zaka RDC from buying chairperson’s vehicle, exposes council’s financial irregularities

By Staff ReporterZAKA – Local Government Minister Daniel Garwe has ordered Zaka Rural District Council to immediately halt the procurement of a vehicle for its Council Chairperson, exposing a scheme that allegedly sought to bypass council procedures and push through the purchase against a backdrop of financial constraints.In a letter dated June 18, 2026, seen by TellZim News, the Ministry directed the cash-strapped local authority to place the procurement process in abeyance with immediate effect.”The Ministry refers to the proposed procurement of a vehicle for the Council Chairperson by Zaka Rural District Council. You are hereby directed to place the procurement process in abeyance with immediate effect until further notice from the Ministry. Accordingly, Council is advised not to proceed with any further processes, commitments, payments, contractual arrangements or related transactions of the acquisition of the said vehicle pending further communication from the Ministry,” reads the letter.Contacted for comment, Zaka RDC Chairperson Fungai Maregedze said she was not yet in the picture but acknowledged that several programmes were stopped if the council is in a red or amber category.”I am not yet in the picture. However, several issues were stopped if the council is in a red or amber zone, and this includes all workshops and international trips, and this applies to all local authorities,” said Maregedze.Had the process succeeded, Maregedze would have been the first chairperson to get a vehicle at Zaka RDC.Sources privy to the goings-on in council said the intention to buy the council chair’s vehicle was never resolved in a full council meeting. Instead, the council had resolved to buy the Chief Executive Officer’s car and those of other heads of department.Sources allege that Maregedze and the then acting CEO, Thomas Machemedze, expedited the process while the substantive CEO, David Majaura, was on leave.”The matter was never resolved in the full council meeting. We had resolved to buy the CEO’s car and the HODs’ vehicles. However, the council chair, in connivance with the acting CEO, smuggled the purchase of the council chair’s car into the programme,” said a source.Sources further alleged that Maregedze, Machemedze, and the finance committee chairperson, Councillor Livison Paradza, travelled to Harare and obtained a quotation from a car dealer who is also a Member of Parliament. The dealer allegedly warned them that the chairperson cannot buy a vehicle more expensive than the CEO’s, as the CEO is the organization’s face.The heads of department are alleged to have declined vehicles worth US$70,000, preferring cars below US$35,000. The council chair is said to have accused the HODs of “stooping so low,” but they stood their ground, reportedly citing the Bikita RDC situation as a cautionary tale.However, Maregedze vehemently denied the allegations that she wanted a vehicle more expensive than the CEO’s and said she never went to do any quotation of the said vehicles.However, the garage owner (name supplied) confirmed to TellZim News that Zaka RDC had visited his garage in Harare and said the vehicles they wanted were already in stock.The motor sale operator confirmed having warned the team that it was improper for the council chair to get a vehicle with more value than the CEO’s.“I remember Zaka RDC came to enquire about vehicles and we gave them a quotation. I remember the chairperson is a lady and with the experience I have with local authorities, I advised them against purchasing a vehicle more valued for the council chair than the CEO’s,” said the operator.It is also alleged that the council chair influenced the finance committee to seek borrowing powers from a local bank, but the application was unsuccessful. The total bill for the intended vehicle purchases, including other service vehicles, was allegedly going to exceed US$1 million.Meanwhile, deep-seated divisions within the council have continued to hamper service delivery, with sources indicating that internal strife has taken precedence over the needs of residents. The infighting between the CEO and the Council Chair has reportedly stalled key development projects and created an environment where personal interests overshadow the collective good.Sources say the divide has created a “us versus them” culture, where councilors and management are often at loggerheads, leading to delayed decision-making and poor oversight of council operations.