Residents call on Minister to probe Gwanda Zintec Corruption

Residents of Gwanda are calling on the Matabeleland South Minister of State for Provincial Affairs Mr Abednico Ncube to urgently prope corruption allegations raised against the Gwanda Zintec College Vice Principal.

In a recent press article, the college Vice Principal is said to have corruptly enrolled ten students into the college without following the laid down procedures in the process pocketing a huge amount of money rumoured to be somewhere near $10 000. According to information from some students and members of staff at the college, the vice principal is reported to have corruptly smuggled at least 10 students into the college outside the normal recruitment process with each of the students paying him on average $800 to secure a place at the college.

In a random survey done with the people of Gwanda and Matabeleland South, the area designated as enrolment catchment area for the college, members of the public called on the Minister to urgently probe the allegations against the college official and dismiss the official from the college if the allegations are proven to be true. A resident of Beitbridge Reaboka Mashila who spoke to Bulawayo 24 on the phone said that she has been sending her daughter to apply for a place at the college for the last four intakes and in all those occasions she was turned away claiming that other people were getting places at the college only after paying bribes.

"I have sent my daughter to the college four time and every time she gets turned away. This time I didn't send her because it was hopeless. After I heard of the Minister's directive that children from Mat South are being given preference I tried to quickly send her but was told she could not be accepted as she had not sent in her application. I accepted happily thinking that for the first time there is transparency at the college and left an application for January, I am so shocked to hear that after all these efforts put in place by the Minister someone comes in to spoil his efforts and continues with his corrupt practices. The man must be fired from the college and arrested to stop any other officials trying the same in future," said the angry parent.

Another resident from Gwanda Mr Khumbulani Ndlovu who says he finally got a place at the college after seven tries also called on the Minister to interfere and dismiss the official. " We know Minister Ncube's capabilities, we have seen him do it in other government departments, he must also come in and clean the college of this bad element."

Commenting though a Facebook post Thabang Ransay Mposah challenged the people of Gwanda to collectively work together to eliminate corruption in the town calling on Minister Ncube to dismiss the official inviting him to also tackle the corruption at the Gwanda School of Nursing. Commenting on the same platform Etah Dzimiri Nyoni expressed his delight that the said official has finally be exposed."Am so happy that Satan has finally been caught, now its time to turn to the school of nursing" wrote Nyoni.

Another resident, Qhubekani Ncube Ncube called on Minister Ncube "to put his foot well on the ground and make sure heads roll." His sentiments were also echoed by Bester Ncube who also expressed the desire to see Ncube take very stern action on the accused official.

Efforts to get a comment from Minister Ncube failed as his mobile phone went unanswered before it eventually went off. An official in the Minister's office indicated that the Minister was busy in Harare on Parliamentary business.