Itai Muzondo
GWERU: It never rains but pours for Gweru residents who had pinned hope on Government to get to the bottom of the matter which led to recent floods after a visit by Minister of Local Government and Public Works July Moyo announced that it had demanded a report form council as a road map to investigating the sad development.
A follow up by CommuTalk to establish about the initial discussion between the Minister and City Fathers however gathered otherwise as City of Gweru says they never received any formal document instructing them to answer ‘some’ allegations.
This is regardless of the fact that Minister Moyo had told a national paper that the responsible Ministry had given City of Gweru up to Wednesday (today) to respond to allegations of parceling out stands in inappropriate areas.
“Minister Moyo said he has given Gweru city council up to tomorrow (Wednesday) to make a report so that Government can take appropriate action while being guided by the report,” Moyo is quoted to have said.
Allegations are that home seekers in Gweru were allocated residential stands on wetlands by both council and private property development companies and it was upon these suspicions that the Minister had demanded an explanation.
City of Gweru Public Relations officer, Vimbai Chingwaramusee said council had not yet received any report requesting a report from the Ministry and says with no formal communication, no action known to her had been taken today over the supposed report.
“As a local authority, we deal with formal documents. We heard about this report issue through the press and we cannot respond to newspaper articles. What I would however say is we have not yet received any request for a report from the Ministry and no report known to me has been made in that regard today,” she said.
Contacted over the same issue, City of Gweru Mayor Josiah Makombe said he neither discussed about any such requirement with the Minister nor did he meet him.
“I know nothing about the supposed report neither did I meet the Minister. I don’t know maybe they instructed our proxy but I am yet to get even update over what transpired during his visit,” Makombe said.
Blame over the recent flooding scenes were put on councils nationwide but former Gweru Mayor and current Ward 1 councillor Hamutendi Kombayi thinks otherwise.
“Local authorities that won from 1980-1995 by Zanu PF did not plan the rural to urban migration. The sub-standard master plan of our cities was not properly surveyed, no proper sewer, no proper drainage and hence leading to our current problems.
“It’s up to we as local authorities and government to work together and build our country. We are not planning together as local authorities and central government to build our country but busy mocking each other,” wrote Kombayi on his Facebook page.
Areas which were affected by floods in Gweru include Montrose, Tinshel and Ascot.
