News / Local
'Bulawayo refused to provide bus for Grace Mugabe rallies'
06 Nov 2014 at 08:15hrs | Views
DESPITE public claims that First Lady Grace Mugabe's recent countrywide rallies were sponsored by the private sector, it has since emerged that the State and local authorities could have been coerced to bankroll the programme.
Grace and businessman Phillip Chiyangwa claimed the First Lady's "Meet the People Tour" rallies were paid for by businesspeople and private companies that supported her.
However, Bulawayo City Council minutes have shown how some people behind the rallies could have manipulated government and councils countrywide to fund the tour, in what could be the tip of an iceberg.
According to latest council minutes, an unnamed person reportedly called council officials and asked them to provide a bus to carry people to the First Lady's Bulawayo rally.
"The acting Town Clerk reported, October 14, 2014, verbally that she had received a phone call requesting for a council school bus," the minutes read.
"The school bus would be used to ferry residents to Dr Grace Mugabe's rally to be held on October 15."
However, councillors strongly resisted attempts to use any school buses for political purposes, saying they should only be used for educational activities.
The councillors asked if the bus would be carrying school pupils to the rally and if not, this would be tantamount to abuse of council property.
In this regard, the local authority roundly rejected the request for the bus.
"On this understanding, it was accordingly resolved to recommend that the request for a council school bus to ferry residents to Dr Grace Mugabe's rally to be held in Bulawayo be not acceded to," the local authority resolved.
Mystery has surrounded the source of funds for Grace's rallies.
Asked then who was funding Grace's rallies, Presidential spokesman George Charamba said the First Lady was a woman of means with various sources of income.
Charamba said "not a single cent" had come from government coffers.
Grace, on the other hand, seemed to back Chiyangwa's assertion that a number of businesspeople were bankrolling her rallies.
Grace and businessman Phillip Chiyangwa claimed the First Lady's "Meet the People Tour" rallies were paid for by businesspeople and private companies that supported her.
However, Bulawayo City Council minutes have shown how some people behind the rallies could have manipulated government and councils countrywide to fund the tour, in what could be the tip of an iceberg.
According to latest council minutes, an unnamed person reportedly called council officials and asked them to provide a bus to carry people to the First Lady's Bulawayo rally.
"The acting Town Clerk reported, October 14, 2014, verbally that she had received a phone call requesting for a council school bus," the minutes read.
"The school bus would be used to ferry residents to Dr Grace Mugabe's rally to be held on October 15."
However, councillors strongly resisted attempts to use any school buses for political purposes, saying they should only be used for educational activities.
The councillors asked if the bus would be carrying school pupils to the rally and if not, this would be tantamount to abuse of council property.
In this regard, the local authority roundly rejected the request for the bus.
"On this understanding, it was accordingly resolved to recommend that the request for a council school bus to ferry residents to Dr Grace Mugabe's rally to be held in Bulawayo be not acceded to," the local authority resolved.
Mystery has surrounded the source of funds for Grace's rallies.
Asked then who was funding Grace's rallies, Presidential spokesman George Charamba said the First Lady was a woman of means with various sources of income.
Charamba said "not a single cent" had come from government coffers.
Grace, on the other hand, seemed to back Chiyangwa's assertion that a number of businesspeople were bankrolling her rallies.
Source - newsday
