Bulawayo councillors divided over mayor

BULAWAYO councillors are reportedly divided regarding a recent application by the Mayor, Councillor Solomon Mguni to rent a council-owned bottle store, after the matter failed to be deliberated at Wednesday's full council meeting.

The local authority has since put on hold 29 other applications to lease council beer halls, social clubs, bottle stores, flea market stands, car parks and shops in the city, with councillors ordering that the matter be referred back to the Finance and Development Committee that had dramatically overturned a decision not to award Clr Mguni the lease.

The committee had instead recommended that the mayor be given the property. The sub-committee on allocation of stands and premises had initially turned down Clr Mguni's bid but Ward One Councillor Mlandu Ncube later intervened during a Finance and Development Committee meeting, allegedly ordering councillors to put their necks on the line for the mayor, resulting in the decision being overturned.

However, last Wednesday the Finance and Development Committee withdrew the matter from the agenda amid indications that the committee now wants to overturn the decision again, cancelling the lease offered to the mayor.

"I am forwarding the report for consideration minus item 35 (report of the sub-committee of allocation of stands and premises) to either be discussed at council in committee or to come back to our committee for certain amendments," said Clr Silas Chigora while reading the agenda of the meeting.

Councillors aligned to the mayor tried to oppose the move by Clr Chigora, with Clr Mguni also attempting to leave the council chambers, after declaring interest, but a majority of the councillors argued that the matter had already been duly withdrawn.

Councillors who spoke to Sunday News revealed that councillors wanted to amend the whole resolution and award a more deserving individual. The sub-committee had in the first instance awarded the bottle store to Mr Ezweni Maphosa at his tendered bid price of $150.

"Councillors felt the best move will be to have the matter referred back to the committee so that they reaffirm their earlier decision of awarding the bottle store to Mr Maphosa. The issue will now be brought back to council at next month's full council meeting," said one councillor.

A total of 27 applications were received for the bottle store under dispute. Commenting on his application, a couple of weeks ago, Clr Mguni acknowledged having made the application saying he had responded to an advertisement in the Press like any other resident and was now waiting for a response from council.

"I forwarded my application like any other resident and when that matter was being discussed I recused myself from the meeting and I would not know whether I got the lease or not, I am eagerly awaiting the full council meeting to see whether I got it or not," he said.

A couple of years ago the Government had to dispatch an investigation team to Bulawayo after it emerged that the city's councillors were dishing out properties among themselves. The investigation revealed that out of the 29 councillors, then, only five had not been given any council property to lease. It was further revealed that when the councillors got the properties they defaulted in paying rates and rentals resulting in the properties accruing debt.