Zanu-PF jittery over PA's transfer

THE Zanu-PF Midlands provincial leadership has bemoaned the recent redeployment of provincial administrator, Cecilia Chitiyo, saying this could negatively affect the party's 2018 election plans, revealing the extent to which the ruling party relies on government officials for its programmes.

Midlands Provincial Affairs minister Jason Machaya made the disclosure during Chitiyo's farewell party in Gweru at the weekend, adding that he once attempted to stop the process but failed.

Chitiyo has been redeployed to Mashonaland West province in the same capacity.

Machaya said Zanu-PF officials in the province were unsure if the new provincial administrator, Abiot Maronge, would fit seamlessly into the ruling party's campaign programmes ahead of next year's elections.

"Politicians and MPs from this province (Midlands) made an outcry when they heard that Chitiyo was being transferred," Machaya said.

"They approached me and asked if there was something that could be done to reverse the decision and I also tried my best although it was too late.

"Chitiyo had her input in the party (Zanu-PF) and we knew we had a person, who was an iron lady in analysing situations and giving advice to solve challenges.

"But let me hasten to say we are blessed, as a province, in that we got an equally good new PA who came from the head office."

Civil servants are supposed to be apolitical but the divide between Zanu-PF functionaries and government workers has been blurred, with bureaucrats often seen carrying out the work of the ruling party.

Meanwhile, Gweru City Council says it was planning to decommission its refuse dumpsite in Woodlands suburb after realising that it posed a health hazard to the nearby residential area through air pollution.

Mayor Charles Chikozho confirmed the development yesterday, saying a new site would be identified soon.

"As council, we are working at modalities to allocate another site where waste can be dumped. We are concerned about the health of residents and we would want to make sure that they are not exposed to pollution from the waste site," he said.

A resident, Naison Chaibva, said most families in the area were exposed to burning waste almost on a daily basis, a situation he said was putting their health at risk.

"We fear for our health from the smoke we inhale almost on a daily basis," he said.

In an unrelated matter, Chikozho urged ratepayers to settle their bills to enable the local authority to improve on service delivery. Of late, the majority of residents have not been paying their dues demanding itemised bills from council.