Gwanda water solution smells irregularity

The $46 000 payment made direct into Zimbabwe National Water Authority's (ZINWA) bank account by Minister of Transport and Infrastructural development comrade Obert Mpofu as deposit for a piece of land acquired from Municipality of Gwanda smells a lot of financial irregularity.

According to Local Authorities Financial regulations all funds paid to council must come through the council's books and bank accounts before being paid out. Also according to the regulations payments for any land purchased from Council must be paid into Council's Estates Account to be used to develop new stands. Other council departments or votes can borrow from the Estates Account at a premium and such borrowing must be sanctioned by a recommendation of the Finance Committee approved by a full council resolution.

If media reports being made are true that the Minister paid the money direct into the ZINWA's account albeit on behalf of council, its a serious financial irregularity warranting a detailed explanation from council authorities.

Further to that, media reports seem to be pointing to an eye raising procedure that was used to dispose off the said piece of land to Minister Mpofu. According to media reports and information from Council, the said piece of land located at the prime area along the highway to Bulawayo had already been allocated to Nyaradzo Funeral Services. How the land was repossessed from the investor and hurriedly offered to the Minister still remains with questions to be answered.

According to reports from Council the land was sold to Minister Mpofu for $90 000 which was at 25% less than the value of the land which Nyaradzo Funeral Services were meant to pay. According to the National Housing Policy, land of such value should be offered through an open tender procedure and priority be given to people already on the council waiting list. Facts coming through from Council however indicate that the Harare based Funeral Services investor was not given ample time or preference to pay the money needed by ZINWA.

While it is also proper for council to go out and seek for investors it is reported in media that ward 8 Councillor, Thulani Moyo indicated that he had personally approached Minister Mpofu as his friend and comrade to buy the stand. Council has a full time employed Investments and Development Officer who reports to a council committee and is the person mandated with negotiating and recommending investors to council. How then an individual councillor could come out in the press and claim personal credit for the deal also leaves questions unanswered.

At a Gwanda Agenda dialogue at the weekend, residents tried to get clarity from Councillor Jastone Mazhale MDC T, if the stand had been sold procedural the councillor could not commit himself to the arrangement. "On the question of the land in question, I can not personally commit myself to that arrangement as it has people that are handling it." Said Councillor Mazhale.

Probed on the payment arrangement, the councillor also excused himself from the arrangement stating that he is only hearing it as a rumour in council that payment had been made. This all but leaves a question if the "borrowing" of the money from the Estates Account to the Water Account had been sanctioned by a full council resolution.

While ordinary Zimbabweans are fighting for survival and to ensure their country returns back to normalcy where good governance, accountability and transparency are upheld, some senior government officials and their cohorts entrusted with public affairs are busy siphoning public resources and running down the nation by ignoring simple laid down procedures. The Gwanda questions leave to be answered another day.