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Zanu PF MP accuses BCC of not fully utilising ZINARA allocation
06 May 2016 at 07:00hrs | Views
Pumula Zanu PF MP Godfrey Malaba has accused Bulawayo City Council for not fully utilising the ZINARA allocation of $870 000 and only had an uptake 55% of those funds yet the roads are deplorable state.
"My question is, the roads in Bulawayo are in a deplorable state. I am talking about the roads in the eastern and western suburbs. They are terrible despite the fact that Bulawayo was given funds by ZINARA to rehabilitate the roads," Malaba said.
"Therefore my question to the Minister is, who now supervises the usage of those funds? Is it ZINARA or the Ministry? Last year Bulawayo City Council was given $870 000.00 by ZINARA and the uptake was only 55% of those funds yet the roads are in a deplorable state. Who is policing the City Council and ensuring that they are properly utilising the money to rehabilitate those roads?"
Minister of Transport Jorum Gumbo said he did not know about stage-managing but what he knew was that he visited work in progress when he got to Bulawayo not just in Mzilikazi but across the town both the low and high density areas.
"I can also confirm that we were also given a list of some of the very bad roads in Bulawayo. I agree that the City Council cannot maintain all the roads at the same time. It is a process that has to take a long time," he said. "The important thing that everybody knows and most people have been to the Trade Fair, just facts and nothing else. BCC has got the best roads in the country and I believe they are using the money that we disburse to them correctly. I am urging all urban authorities to emulate what Bulawayo is doing. Harare is also trying and I cannot expect them to have rehabilitated all the roads at the same time. Let us accept that work is being done."
He said whilst he might have a place in Bulawayo that has not been attended to, it does not mean that they are not doing their work.
"Bulawayo City Council are doing their best and will continue to do their best because we also disburse funds after they have acquitted what we will have allocated to them. We also have a process of verifying that the money has been properly utilised, that is the supervision that we do," he said.
"So, ZINARA cannot supervise and the while ZINARA supervises through audits, we also ensure that the money has been properly utilised by making follow-ups," he said.
"My question is, the roads in Bulawayo are in a deplorable state. I am talking about the roads in the eastern and western suburbs. They are terrible despite the fact that Bulawayo was given funds by ZINARA to rehabilitate the roads," Malaba said.
"Therefore my question to the Minister is, who now supervises the usage of those funds? Is it ZINARA or the Ministry? Last year Bulawayo City Council was given $870 000.00 by ZINARA and the uptake was only 55% of those funds yet the roads are in a deplorable state. Who is policing the City Council and ensuring that they are properly utilising the money to rehabilitate those roads?"
Minister of Transport Jorum Gumbo said he did not know about stage-managing but what he knew was that he visited work in progress when he got to Bulawayo not just in Mzilikazi but across the town both the low and high density areas.
He said whilst he might have a place in Bulawayo that has not been attended to, it does not mean that they are not doing their work.
"Bulawayo City Council are doing their best and will continue to do their best because we also disburse funds after they have acquitted what we will have allocated to them. We also have a process of verifying that the money has been properly utilised, that is the supervision that we do," he said.
"So, ZINARA cannot supervise and the while ZINARA supervises through audits, we also ensure that the money has been properly utilised by making follow-ups," he said.
Source - Byo24News
