Tsholotsho RDC rocked by campfire funds scandal

The Tsholotsho Rural District Council (RDC) has been plunged into controversy following allegations of misappropriation of Communal Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources (Campfire) funds, in a case that has pitted several councillors against District Development Coordinator (DDC) Aaron Gono.

According to sources, Gono has recommended the suspension of five councillors from Wards 1, 6, 7, 10, and 21 - most of them belonging to the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) - sparking accusations that the move is politically motivated.

Three of the targeted councillors reportedly sit on the council's environment committee, prompting claims that the suspensions are aimed at reconfiguring the committee to favour Zanu-PF representatives.

Sources allege that Gono initiated an audit of selected Campfire wards without either consulting council members or obtaining a formal council resolution. The Local Government and Public Works Ministry has since dispatched a team of investigators from Harare to probe the matter.

One councillor, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the accusations were baseless since ward councillors are not signatories to Campfire funds.

"The communities were asked to fund an investigation into a matter they know nothing about," the councillor said.
"What is surprising is that while only five wards are accused, eleven wards — including those not implicated — were made to contribute US$500 each."

The councillor described the move as "a scandal," claiming that communities never approved the investigation and had lost over US$5 000 in development funds.

"We want to see a breakdown of how less than four investigators spent $5 000 in less than a week on travel and subsistence. The council should have paid from its share of the Campfire proceeds, not from the communities' money," the councillor added.

Ward 21 Councillor Felix Tshuma distanced himself from any financial wrongdoing, stressing that councillors have no direct control over Campfire accounts.

"The chairperson, secretary, and treasurer of the Campfire committee are the bank signatories," Tshuma explained.
"The chief executive officer is the principal signatory. Ward councillors are not signatories; we only sit on committees."

Ward 1 Councillor Witness Khumalo said his name was being tarnished for political reasons.

"I never saw the investigators, but I have heard about the suspension," Khumalo stated.

A source within the council said even a Zanu-PF councillor from Ward 10 was reportedly being targeted for being "politically incorrect" after challenging a council decision to purchase a US$2 000 water pump, arguing that a US$300 model was adequate.

DDC Aaron Gono could not be reached for comment.

The scandal has reportedly deepened divisions within the Tsholotsho RDC, with growing calls for full transparency over how funds for the investigation were used and why communities were compelled to pay for a probe they never sanctioned.