Mugabe fails to pay heroes' funeral toilets bills

Generally you are supposed to be lonely when you are dead - but the late national heroes John Nkomo and Sikhanyiso Ndlovu are yet to find rest as the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) is trying frantically to recover a combined $552 owed to them by government - for mobile toilets hired out during their funerals.

BCC billed government $138 for the mobile toilets supplied during Ndlovu's funeral and $414 for the same facilities at Nkomo's wake.

Former vice president Nkomo died in 2013 while Ndlovu, an educationist of note, breathed his last in 2015.

According to the latest council report, the city fathers revealed that it was embarrassing for the Zanu-PF government to fail to pay such an amount, arguing the development blemished the status of the two late heroes.

Ward I Councillor, Mulandu Ncube, said the Public Works Department was to blame and had behaved in an "embarrassing" manner.

"The assumption was that this problem should not arise as all expenses should be met from the State funds voted for the State funerals concerned.

"Failure by the Public Works Department to pay this small amount for services rendered in this regard was not only embarrassing for the State, but quite demeaning of the hero statuses of the two sons of the soil," Ncube said in the report.

To save the situation, Ncube suggested the debt be written off, a suggestion that was received with mixed feelings from fellow councillors.

While other councillors expressed dismay at the attitude displayed by the relevant authorities in the matter, others felt there was need for further engagement.

On the other hand, councillor Collet Moyo suggested that council engages the Ndlovu and Nkomo families over the outstanding bill.

However, the general purpose committee concurred with Ncube, recommending that the bill be written off.