Blessing Nduku
GWERU: City of Gweru employees and locals took time to pay their last respects to three City of Gweru employees who all perished in an accident after the vehicle they were travelling in had a tire burst and rolled over crushing into a tree near Furtherstone along the Masvingo-Harare highway.
The three, Hosiah Rufasha, Luwis Rufasha and Sydney Mbewe who were laid to rest yesterday had been sent to recover a municipal vehicle that had gone with resigned council engineer Robson Manatsa.
During his speech during the send off ceremony held at town house yesterday, City of Gweru Mayor Councilor Josiah Makombe who was visibly in tears said it was sad not only for council but the community at large to lose hardworking people as the three.
“It is hard not only for council but the community at large to be losing such hardworking people. Gweru is morning and we have lost three dedicated employees. The three were young and with a bright future for the city,” Makombe said.
However, council employees present at the funeral venues and send off ceremony did put blame to the acting Town Clerk Vakayi Chikwekwe for ‘running the municipality like a high school,’ noting that had he followed due procedure, a messenger of court would have been sent to return the vehicle.
“The council has no leader and it is his ill-advised actions that has led to this horror. Had he followed due procedure, he should have summoned the person with the vehicle to bring it failure to do so, he would then have engaged the law and have a messenger of court recover the vehicle in question,” argued one employee.
“That guy is not a leader. He thinks he is the only one who thinks and ultimately has lost respect from employees. How can a whole CEO climb down the stairs to give directives to junior officers? Where is the logic?” asked another employee in a rhetoric manner.
City of Gweru Public Relations Officer Vimbai Chingwaramusee said details to the mission, what transpired and the questionable management were still sketchy in her office before referring this publication to the Mayor for further clarification.
While trying to understand the questionable professional conduct against Chikwekwe, a senior council official told CommuTalk that there was no dispute with Manatsa and therefore there was no need to engage the courts.
“As council we had no dispute with Manatsa over the vehicle. We were communicating with him and he had said the car is not functional thus we had to send a vehicle to tow it. We could only enforce the law if he was not complying,” the official said.
