Opinion / Columnist
First lady cooking gobbles US$20 000 from BCC coffers
20 Sep 2024 at 09:11hrs | Views
THE FIRST Lady Auxilia Mnangagwa's cookout programme held recently in Victoria Falls reportedly ate into Bulawayo City Council coffers through fundimg of the female councillors who were compelled to attend.
Council's internal sources say the programme gobbled over US$20 000 of the BCC after the council approved attendence of the event by its female councillors.
BCC had received a letter from the Urban Councils Association of Zimbabwe (UCAZ) inviting female Councillors to be part of the event at the expense of the council.
The council has 16 female councillors and reports straw that 17 females including a council senior official attended the event.
Internal source said a lot of money was spent from the council towards that programme.
"They spent around US$20 000 towards the councillors travel and accommodation expenses at the resort town," said the source.
August council minutes stated that on July 19 the town Clerk Chrisopher Dube had told the council that he received a letter from the UCAZ inviting female Councillors to the First Lady's Cookout Competition.
"The UCAZ in collaboration with the Angels of Hope Foundation will be holding a Regional cook-out competition and nhanga/gota programmes where the region will be showcasing talents on preparing traditional dishes from their countries," reads the minutes.
They sated that the UCAZ had declared that female Councillors were supposed to attend.
The Cookout Competition was held in Victoria Falls from 26 to 28 July 2024.
The travelling dates were set for 25 and 29 July 2024.
"As the norm your council will cover accommodation and travel expenses for the participants," UCAZ had written to council.
The couxl later resolved and recommended that authority be granted to all female Councillors and the Chamber Secretary Sikhangele Zhou to participate in the Cookout Competition and the council was to pay for accommodation, travel and subsistence for the participants.
Residents expressed concerns that the council had the odesity to spend such amount of money on a useless project that cannot benefit the rate payers who are enduring long hour of water problems without any solutions being found.
Council's internal sources say the programme gobbled over US$20 000 of the BCC after the council approved attendence of the event by its female councillors.
BCC had received a letter from the Urban Councils Association of Zimbabwe (UCAZ) inviting female Councillors to be part of the event at the expense of the council.
The council has 16 female councillors and reports straw that 17 females including a council senior official attended the event.
Internal source said a lot of money was spent from the council towards that programme.
"They spent around US$20 000 towards the councillors travel and accommodation expenses at the resort town," said the source.
August council minutes stated that on July 19 the town Clerk Chrisopher Dube had told the council that he received a letter from the UCAZ inviting female Councillors to the First Lady's Cookout Competition.
"The UCAZ in collaboration with the Angels of Hope Foundation will be holding a Regional cook-out competition and nhanga/gota programmes where the region will be showcasing talents on preparing traditional dishes from their countries," reads the minutes.
They sated that the UCAZ had declared that female Councillors were supposed to attend.
The Cookout Competition was held in Victoria Falls from 26 to 28 July 2024.
The travelling dates were set for 25 and 29 July 2024.
"As the norm your council will cover accommodation and travel expenses for the participants," UCAZ had written to council.
The couxl later resolved and recommended that authority be granted to all female Councillors and the Chamber Secretary Sikhangele Zhou to participate in the Cookout Competition and the council was to pay for accommodation, travel and subsistence for the participants.
Residents expressed concerns that the council had the odesity to spend such amount of money on a useless project that cannot benefit the rate payers who are enduring long hour of water problems without any solutions being found.
Source - Byo24News
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