Zanu-PF, MDC-T councillors call for audit of housing units

In a rare show of solidarity, Zanu-PF and MDC-T councillors in Kwekwe have joined hands to force the council's management to audit the city's housing units amid concerns that some of the properties were not on the council register and as such were not being billed for rates.

The proposal was made by audit committee chairperson Weston Masiya after council's housing and community services director Newton Dete revealed that Kwekwe only had 17 571 housing units.

Masiya said it was impossible for Kwekwe to have less housing units than Marondera town which in 2012 had 29 000 houses on its register.

Masiya said am certain that the figure presented by the director is understated and propose that there be an audit, internal or external, of all housing units because we honestly can't have less units than Marondera which is smaller in size.

Councillors said they were concerned that the local authority could be losing a lot of revenue as some properties were not being billed as they were not formally registered.

City treasurer Rejoice Maweni told council that her team was seized with the matter and was in the process of commissioning an internal audit of all housing units.