Clayton
Shereni
City of Masvingo has
fired Bushmead Water Works superintendent for gross negligence following a
massive shortage of chemicals at the water treatment plant late last year,
TellZim News can reveal.
Charles Chapanduka, who was waterworks
superintendent when council pumped half-treated water, has been removed from
his position and resigned to the sewerage plant in Eastvale.
Mayor Collen Maboke
confirmed the development and revealed that Chapanduka was found guilty of
gross negligence following internal disciplinary procedures although he had
appealed the judgement.
“He was demoted to the
sewerage department after he was found guilty at the initial hearing. He
appealed but we found issues relating to gross negligence because he didn’t
perform his duties as expected,” said Maboke.
Since January,
Chapanduka has been under suspension as investigations were being made into
allegations of incompetence after he failed to report the shortage to Town
Engineer Tawanda Gozo, only for Council to act on a tip-off from one of
Chapanduka’s subordinates.
TellZim reported in
January this year that the local authority had faced a chemical shortage and
had to borrow 15 tonnes of aluminum sulphate from Zimbabwe National Water
Authority (Zinwa) to cover up for the shortage.
Although council tried to save face by rubbishing the TellZim story, they set-up a commission of inquiry
which found Chapanduka guilty of gross negligence and failing to report shortage
to his superiors in time.
Chapanduka, however, is said to have spiritedly pleaded his innocence saying he on several instances warned his superiors in the engineering department that the aluminium sulphate stocks were reaching dangerously low levels but he was ignored. To date, no senior personin the engineering department has been help liable, with sources arguing that Chapandukwa was made a scapegoat.
The local authority has
since called for applications for the post and they are also in the process of
recruiting an Assistant Water Works Supt.
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| Bushmead Water Works |
