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| Tawanda Gozo |
…as disciplinary hearing for Gozo gets postponed
TellZim Reporter
MASVINGO- A report by the Lands Audit Commission will set the tone on whether the local authority should investigate the city’s Deputy Director of Housing, Simbarashe Mandishona on land allocation irregularities.
The Ministry of Local Government late last year dispatched a group of commissioners to look into how the city fathers have been parceling out land.
Mandishona however was allegedly fingered in an irregular activity involving a residential stand which council had repossessed in 2012 which is allegedly next to his house in Eastvale, without following due process.
Council minutes dated April 26, 2021, state that the Acting Town Clerk, Engineer Edward Mukaratirwa was instructed to investigate Mandishona on issues to do with improper parceling out of land.
“On minute 175 (A) it was corrected that the Deputy Director of Housing and Social Services should be investigated on allegations of improper allocation of stands.
“Whereupon the original motion was put as the substantive motion and it was resolved that the minutes of the Health, Housing and Environmental Services Committee held on 8 April 2021 be adopted subject to the Acting Town Clerk being instructed to investigate the Deputy Director of Housing and Social Services on allegations of improper allocation of stands,” reads the minutes.
Contacted for comment, Eng Mukaratirwa said they were waiting for a report from the lands audit for them to determine whether they should open an investigation or not.
“So far we are not doing any investigation, if council is going to take any action, we will take into consideration the report of the lands commission. We haven’t received the report,” said Mukaratirwa.
Meanwhile, disciplinary hearing for suspended Director of Engineering Services, Tawanda Gozo were postponed to a later date.
Sources told TellZim News that Gozo’s legal representative had asked for postponement of the hearing since he was busy at the time.
“Last week his lawyer asked for postponement of the hearings. He said he was very busy so it was pushed further,” said the source.
Gozo is facing charges of incompetence and deterioration of water quality and quantity in the city during December 2020 up until February 5, 2021.
He also stands accused of not supervising the cleaning exercise of tanks at the Target Kopje reservoirs and main lines, which led to the pumping of sludge.
During his reign, Gozo is alleged to have failed to delegate duties, make follow ups and failed to deal with service delivery issues urgently.
