Mayor under fire over 'endless trips'

Chinhoyi mayor Owen Charuza is facing mounting pressure from fellow councillors who accuse him of prioritising personal trips and favouritism in the selection of delegates for workshops and events, at the expense of pressing service delivery needs.

Tensions came to a head last week after two members of the Housing and Human Resources Committee boycotted scheduled meetings in protest over Charuza's proposed travel to Beitbridge for the town's Mayor's Half Marathon.

Ward 15 Shackleton councillor Innocent Mangwanya confirmed that several councillors deliberately snubbed the meetings in protest against what they perceive as the mayor's misplaced priorities.

"Most councillors are not happy with the mayor's penchant for trips at the expense of service delivery and workers' welfare, whose salaries remain in arrears," said Mangwanya.

Another councillor, who chose to remain anonymous, echoed similar sentiments, warning that the council risks losing focus on its core mandate.

"We have pressing issues like service delivery that we need to prioritise," the councillor said.

However, not everyone is in agreement. Another councillor defended Charuza, arguing that the accusations stem from political manoeuvring within council chambers.

"It's politics at play. Some councillors want to remove the mayor by painting a bad image about him, pretending as if they themselves care for the workers," said the councillor.

In response to the accusations, Mayor Charuza dismissed the claims, urging disgruntled councillors to follow proper channels to raise grievances.

"If it's true, then councillors don't know why they were elected because if they are aggrieved, there's a procedure to be followed," he said.

The controversy has also drawn criticism from Combined Chinhoyi Residents Association chairperson Tendayi Musonza, who blamed both the mayor and councillors for neglecting their duties to improve service delivery.

"Councillor Charuza is not an executive mayor, his powers are reposed in full council," Musonza said. "His behaviour has caused despondency and disorder at the local authority, which is not good for service delivery."

Musonza also highlighted the worsening plight of municipal workers, who have reportedly gone 10 months without salaries.

"Council employees have gone for 10 months without salaries, yet salaries are supposed to be the first obligation of any organisation. That alone is a danger to service delivery for which they are meant as a local authority," he added.

The standoff in Chinhoyi comes as residents continue to complain about poor roads, erratic refuse collection, water shortages, and general neglect of municipal duties, all while council officials are accused of globe-trotting at the ratepayers' expense.