BY NIZBERT MOYO
Tsholotsho Rural District Council chairman Esau Siwela has vowed to rid the local authority of corruption amid accusations that syndicates are milking council of millions of dollars.
Siwela told Sunday Southern Eye that corruption had become the order of the day in the Matabeleland North Zanu PF controlled council and that laws were being systematically flouted.
He said his administration, which assumed office after last year’s elections inherited a deeply corrupt council.
Two Zanu PF councillors have since been fired after they were implicated in corruption cases.
“When we assumed office after elections we found that the council was rotten and was heavily burdened with debts,” he said.
“We are starting on a new page in which we are on the lookout for corruption activities by implementing recommendations from an audit report from our ministry, which the former chief executive officer, Themba Moyo chose to sit on.
“The move saw the firing of two Zanu PF councilors recently including Moyo who resigned after facing allegations of abuse of office.
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“We are following the Rural District Councils Act and we will leave no stone on top of another. Even the business community was benefiting from council funds.
“The role of the chairman is to preside over council business and guide councillors. Those old councillors thought the CEO was their boss and were being controlled by him.”
Siwela said workers were no longer being paid on time when they assumed office, but the situation has since been rectified.
He said the dismissed Zanu PF councillors, Patrick Ngwenya and Gideon Ndlovu were found to have abused their positions to steal money from council, including funds that were earmarked for the construction of a stadium at Tsholotsho centre.
Ngwenya was the local authority’s finance committee chairperson.
Tsholotsho is one of the most underdeveloped districts in Zimbabwe despite its abundant natural resources.
