Storm over Chitungwiza mayor's car

A storm has erupted in Chitungwiza following the acquisition of a top-of-the-range vehicle for Mayor Rosaria Mangoma, with residents and civic groups questioning the timing, cost and priorities of the cash-strapped municipality.

The controversy comes at a time when the municipality is struggling to pay its workers and failing to provide basic services such as refuse collection, road maintenance and a reliable water supply. Critics argue that the purchase reflects misplaced priorities by council leadership amid worsening service delivery.

According to sources within council, the vehicle — estimated to be worth US$147,000 — was recently acquired for official mayoral duties. The move has triggered widespread outrage, with residents insisting that limited financial resources should have been channelled towards addressing critical service delivery backlogs.

Debate surrounding the acquisition has intensified, with residents stressing that the issue is not the mayor's entitlement to an official vehicle, but rather the type, cost and long-term financial implications of the car procured.

Residents acknowledged that the mayor's office is entitled to a vehicle, but argued that the model purchased is ill-suited for council use, particularly given Chitungwiza's severely dilapidated road network and the municipality's fragile financial position.

"If an office is entitled to a car, fair enough, there should be a car," said one resident during a community discussion. "But the make of the car is wrong for the council and even for the recipient. It becomes a drain on maintenance and fuel because it is a high fuel consumer."

Others pointed out that the financial burden would extend beyond the current mayor's term of office.

"For the office bearer, once their term ends and the vehicle is disposed of, it will be difficult to sell such a car," another resident said. "It has poor resale value, especially in a town like Chitungwiza."

Residents argued that a more practical, fuel-efficient and durable vehicle would have better aligned with the municipality's realities.

Chitungwiza Progressive Residents Association secretary-general Gift Kurupati expressed serious concern over the state of local governance, describing service delivery as being at its lowest point since 1980.

"The council's decision to invest in a high-cost vehicle for the mayor, despite eight months of salary arrears for municipal workers, raises serious questions about prioritisation," Kurupati said.

"Our roads are largely impassable, sewage is flowing in residential areas, yet funds have been allocated to an extravagant purchase. While we do not oppose the acquisition of a vehicle per se, we strongly contest the justification for spending US$147,000 on a Jeep."

Kurupati said a more economical vehicle, serviceable by council mechanics, would have been a prudent option.

"This decision ultimately places an undue financial burden on residents, as council will have to seek additional resources to service such an expensive vehicle at Zimoco," he added.

Chitungwiza Residents Trust director Alice Kuvheya also demanded answers, saying transparency was not optional in a struggling municipality.

"We are shocked that a mayor presiding over a town choking with sewage, and a council that has not paid its workers for eight months, has the temerity to buy such an expensive vehicle," Kuvheya said.

"Even councillors said they were not aware of the purchase. That alone is shocking."

Kuvheya further alleged that the vehicle may have been fraudulently acquired, claiming that a council resolution had approved the purchase of a mayoral vehicle for former mayor Lovemore Maiko, not Mangoma. Maiko was among councillors recalled in 2023 by the self-styled Citizens Coalition for Change interim secretary-general Sengezo Tshabangu.

"This provides solid legal grounds to challenge the unlawful purchase of the vehicle," she said.

Residents have also questioned whether a cost-benefit analysis was conducted before selecting the vehicle model, given the likelihood of increased servicing costs on poor road infrastructure.

Efforts to obtain comment from municipal officials were unsuccessful. Tafadzwa Kachiko, the Chitungwiza municipality spokesperson, had not responded to questions sent via WhatsApp by the time of publication.