Brighton Chiseva
ZAKA Rural District Council recently clashed with ward 8 community after it tried to repossess building material bought under the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) following the completion of Four Miles Clinic after it emerged that there was double procurement through both devolution and CDF.
In a letter dated July 5, signed by the council engineer on behalf of the Chief Executive Officer David Majaura directed to ward 8 Councilor Teererai Teererai, council advised the councillor on its intention to collect excess material for Four Miles clinic.
“Council wants to collect the excess material which was supposed to be used on the construction of Four Miles clinic project. These materials were procured under devolution funds and CDF and can no longer be used on that project since the project has passed the stages they were supposed to be used. They must be received in our stores for safe keeping and future uses,” reads the letter
Councillor Tererai confirmed having received the letter but said they told council that it could not possess the excess material since they were bought under CDF and had plans for their use within the ward.
“The roofing sheets were bought under CDF by former MP Paradzai Chakona for the clinic. However when devolution funds came, council procured the same material we already had. So we then used the devolution material and added 22 roofing sheets from the ones we had bought under CDF.
“So we told them that they cannot take the material because it was bought under CDF and we already have plans with the sheets. We want to construct some market stalls in the ward and an ECD classroom block at one centre in the ward,” said Teererai.
Zaka Central legislator Davison Svuure echoed the same sentiments as Teererai saying Zaka RDC could not possess material bought under CDF and said they cannot talk of safe keeping when the community has been keeping that material since 2017.
“The local authority did not talk to me directly, they engaged the councilor and the project Chairperson told me about their intention to repossess the material. I told them that it was not possible for them to repossess that material bought under CDF, they can take whatever that was bought under devolution funds if there is any,”
“They cannot talk of safe keeping when the material has been kept safe by the community since 2017 when they were bought,” said Svuure
He went on to say they would agree with the community on the next project they want to embark on using the material.
Zaka RDC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) David Batsirai Majaura could not be drawn into commenting as he failed to answer his mobile phone several times.
Another source who refused to be named blasted the local authority for allowing the procurement of material which was already on the ground and said someone was benefiting underhandedly.
“Why did they buy roofing material that had already been bought with CDF funds? Someone wanted to benefit from that and claiming to take possession of the material mean they want to direct it somewhere not safe keep as they are claiming,” said the source.
