Opinion / Columnist
Redcliff residents betrayed by their local authority's unbridled greed and mismanagement
3 hrs ago | Views
I recently received some most troubling news from a reliable informant within the Municipality of Redcliff.
According to the information, the local authority has allegedly decided to award its top management hefty 400% salary increases, with some officials now reportedly earning around $16,000 a month.
As if this were not outrageous enough, I am also reliably informed that elected Redcliff councilors have sanctioned a move to grant these same top officials ownership of the council houses they currently occupy.
This is a cruel and painful slap in the faces of the hardworking residents of this small town, who have endured relentless hardships over the past decade, particularly after the closure of the once-mighty ZiscoSteel.
The giant state-owned iron and steel company, which was the town's economic backbone, fell victim to rampant corruption, asset looting, and gross mismanagement, largely driven by nepotism.
Established during the colonial era, ZiscoSteel was the single largest employer in Redcliff, sustaining thousands of livelihoods.
To directly receive articles from Tendai Ruben Mbofana, please join his WhatsApp Channel on: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaqprWCIyPtRnKpkHe08
But since its demise, most residents have struggled to make ends meet, and the ability to pay municipal bills has not been spared from this economic downturn.
Yet, despite these overwhelming challenges, many residents have continued to make every effort—under the weight of a brutal economic environment—to meet their obligations to the local authority, hoping for improved service delivery.
This faith, however, has been met with nothing but betrayal.
The town, particularly Redcliff suburb, has suffered four years without a reliable water supply.
The roads are in a deplorable state, streetlights are non-functional, refuse collection is erratic, and the overall state of municipal services is an embarrassment.
In my quest to uncover the truth behind these failures, I recently requested the Zimbabwe National Road Administration (ZINARA) to provide a breakdown of funding disbursements to the Municipality of Redcliff for road maintenance.
The figures I received confirmed that the local authority has been receiving regular financial allocations.
However, when I approached the Municipality of Redcliff for an account of how these funds had been utilized, I was met with silence and excuses.
Before writing this article, I gave the local authority an opportunity to respond to the damning allegations of massive salary hikes and council house ownership transfers.
I waited for three days. Nothing.
Their failure to provide an answer seems to confirm the worst fears of residents—those in power are plundering municipal resources with impunity, showing no concern for the suffering of the very people they are supposed to serve.
For years, the Municipality of Redcliff has used the excuse of non-payment of bills by residents to justify its failure to deliver basic services.
Yet, when it comes to the luxury and comfort of senior management, financial constraints miraculously disappear.
Somehow, there is always money for top officials' extravagant perks—Toyota Hilux Fortuners, plush salaries allegedly running into thousands of dollars, and now the supposed blatant expropriation of council properties for their personal benefit.
Meanwhile, ordinary municipal workers have reportedly gone months without receiving their salaries, as the local authority hides behind claims of financial challenges.
But these supposed constraints never seem to affect the extravagant lifestyles of top officials.
How is it possible that an institution allegedly struggling to keep the town running can afford such obscenely high salaries and expensive vehicles?
To add further insult to injury, the same officials accused of looting municipal resources appear to be stripping the town of its assets with reckless abandon.
If reports that council houses are being handed over to management officials are true, then we are witnessing an unashamed act of self-enrichment at the expense of the people.
What makes this revelation even more disturbing is that it is being facilitated by our elected ward councilors—the very individuals who were entrusted with the responsibility of protecting the interests of residents.
Instead, they have chosen to stab the people in the back, prioritizing the greed of a few over the needs of the many.
The dire state of service delivery in Redcliff is not a result of residents failing to pay their bills, but rather a direct consequence of misplaced priorities at town hall.
We are governed by people who have no interest in the welfare of residents, who view public office as nothing more than a gateway to personal enrichment.
Their actions demonstrate a complete disregard for the suffering of the people who depend on them to provide the most basic services.
This is not the first time the Municipality of Redcliff has been embroiled in scandal.
Over the years, numerous reports have surfaced exposing shocking levels of corruption and financial mismanagement.
In an open letter to President Emmerson Mnangagwa, I once called for a Commission of Inquiry into the affairs of Redcliff Municipality, similar to the one established for Harare.
In that letter, I highlighted the fact that Redcliff has been without clean, potable water for years, a clear violation of section 77 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, which guarantees every person the right to safe, clean, and potable water.
Despite being legally mandated to provide and maintain a water supply, the local authority has consistently failed in this obligation, forcing residents to resort to unsafe water sources, thereby exposing them to the risk of cholera and other waterborne diseases.
I also outlined the disturbing reports of municipal land being exchanged for expensive luxury vehicles and high-end mobile phones for top officials, with these fraudulent activities being repeatedly flagged by the Auditor-General.
One such scandal involved the irregular disposal of 21 hectares of land, estimated to be worth US$850,000, to a local cement company, Livetouch Investments, without following the necessary public procurement processes.
This same land was then used to procure luxury vehicles, including Toyota Fortuner GD6s, four Toyota Hiluxs, and several Nissan NP300 trucks, amongst several service equipment.
Attempts at explaining this dubious transaction have not made any sense and left me with more questions than answers as they run contrary to investigations by the Auditor-General.
Furthermore, a corruption watchdog, the Anti-Corruption Trust of Southern Africa (ACT-SA), unearthed shocking details indicating that some of these vehicles were not even purchased from Toyota Zimbabwe, as claimed, but from an individual linked to a high-ranking municipal official.
When confronted, Toyota Zimbabwe apparently denied ever transacting with the Municipality of Redcliff.
These revelations paint a damning picture of a local authority that has transformed itself into what appears like a looting syndicate, mismanaging municipal resources for personal gain while leaving residents to suffer.
What is even more infuriating is that, despite the evidence of gross mismanagement, there has been no meaningful action taken against those responsible.
At the same time, some residents continue to receive outrageously inflated municipal bills, often based on unexplained calculations.
This has only deepened the sense of mistrust between residents and the local authority, with many refusing to continue paying for services that are either nonexistent or of appallingly poor quality.
It is an unbearable situation where people must part with their hard-earned money for nothing in return.
Redcliff, once affectionately known as “Little London” during the colonial era due to its well-planned infrastructure and pristine environment, has been reduced to a shell of its former self.
A town that was once a model of industrial prosperity is now a wasteland of abandoned hopes, failed promises, and unchecked corruption.
As residents, we cannot afford to sit back while our town is systematically destroyed by the greed of a few.
We must demand accountability from those in power, refusing to be silenced by mere social media complaints.
It is time for real action.
I, for one, faithfully pay my municipal bills, yet I see no benefit from these payments.
For how much longer must we endure this abuse?
How much longer will we tolerate the misuse of our hard-earned money?
We have been reduced to financing the extravagant lifestyles of top officials while we go without the most basic of constitutional rights—water.
This injustice cannot be allowed to continue.
© Tendai Ruben Mbofana is a social justice advocate and writer. Please feel free to WhatsApp or Call: +263715667700 | +263782283975, or email: mbofana.tendairuben73@gmail.com, or visit website: https://mbofanatendairuben.news.blog/
According to the information, the local authority has allegedly decided to award its top management hefty 400% salary increases, with some officials now reportedly earning around $16,000 a month.
As if this were not outrageous enough, I am also reliably informed that elected Redcliff councilors have sanctioned a move to grant these same top officials ownership of the council houses they currently occupy.
This is a cruel and painful slap in the faces of the hardworking residents of this small town, who have endured relentless hardships over the past decade, particularly after the closure of the once-mighty ZiscoSteel.
The giant state-owned iron and steel company, which was the town's economic backbone, fell victim to rampant corruption, asset looting, and gross mismanagement, largely driven by nepotism.
Established during the colonial era, ZiscoSteel was the single largest employer in Redcliff, sustaining thousands of livelihoods.
To directly receive articles from Tendai Ruben Mbofana, please join his WhatsApp Channel on: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaqprWCIyPtRnKpkHe08
But since its demise, most residents have struggled to make ends meet, and the ability to pay municipal bills has not been spared from this economic downturn.
Yet, despite these overwhelming challenges, many residents have continued to make every effort—under the weight of a brutal economic environment—to meet their obligations to the local authority, hoping for improved service delivery.
This faith, however, has been met with nothing but betrayal.
The town, particularly Redcliff suburb, has suffered four years without a reliable water supply.
The roads are in a deplorable state, streetlights are non-functional, refuse collection is erratic, and the overall state of municipal services is an embarrassment.
In my quest to uncover the truth behind these failures, I recently requested the Zimbabwe National Road Administration (ZINARA) to provide a breakdown of funding disbursements to the Municipality of Redcliff for road maintenance.
The figures I received confirmed that the local authority has been receiving regular financial allocations.
However, when I approached the Municipality of Redcliff for an account of how these funds had been utilized, I was met with silence and excuses.
Before writing this article, I gave the local authority an opportunity to respond to the damning allegations of massive salary hikes and council house ownership transfers.
I waited for three days. Nothing.
Their failure to provide an answer seems to confirm the worst fears of residents—those in power are plundering municipal resources with impunity, showing no concern for the suffering of the very people they are supposed to serve.
For years, the Municipality of Redcliff has used the excuse of non-payment of bills by residents to justify its failure to deliver basic services.
Yet, when it comes to the luxury and comfort of senior management, financial constraints miraculously disappear.
Somehow, there is always money for top officials' extravagant perks—Toyota Hilux Fortuners, plush salaries allegedly running into thousands of dollars, and now the supposed blatant expropriation of council properties for their personal benefit.
Meanwhile, ordinary municipal workers have reportedly gone months without receiving their salaries, as the local authority hides behind claims of financial challenges.
But these supposed constraints never seem to affect the extravagant lifestyles of top officials.
How is it possible that an institution allegedly struggling to keep the town running can afford such obscenely high salaries and expensive vehicles?
To add further insult to injury, the same officials accused of looting municipal resources appear to be stripping the town of its assets with reckless abandon.
If reports that council houses are being handed over to management officials are true, then we are witnessing an unashamed act of self-enrichment at the expense of the people.
What makes this revelation even more disturbing is that it is being facilitated by our elected ward councilors—the very individuals who were entrusted with the responsibility of protecting the interests of residents.
Instead, they have chosen to stab the people in the back, prioritizing the greed of a few over the needs of the many.
The dire state of service delivery in Redcliff is not a result of residents failing to pay their bills, but rather a direct consequence of misplaced priorities at town hall.
Their actions demonstrate a complete disregard for the suffering of the people who depend on them to provide the most basic services.
This is not the first time the Municipality of Redcliff has been embroiled in scandal.
Over the years, numerous reports have surfaced exposing shocking levels of corruption and financial mismanagement.
In an open letter to President Emmerson Mnangagwa, I once called for a Commission of Inquiry into the affairs of Redcliff Municipality, similar to the one established for Harare.
In that letter, I highlighted the fact that Redcliff has been without clean, potable water for years, a clear violation of section 77 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, which guarantees every person the right to safe, clean, and potable water.
Despite being legally mandated to provide and maintain a water supply, the local authority has consistently failed in this obligation, forcing residents to resort to unsafe water sources, thereby exposing them to the risk of cholera and other waterborne diseases.
I also outlined the disturbing reports of municipal land being exchanged for expensive luxury vehicles and high-end mobile phones for top officials, with these fraudulent activities being repeatedly flagged by the Auditor-General.
One such scandal involved the irregular disposal of 21 hectares of land, estimated to be worth US$850,000, to a local cement company, Livetouch Investments, without following the necessary public procurement processes.
This same land was then used to procure luxury vehicles, including Toyota Fortuner GD6s, four Toyota Hiluxs, and several Nissan NP300 trucks, amongst several service equipment.
Attempts at explaining this dubious transaction have not made any sense and left me with more questions than answers as they run contrary to investigations by the Auditor-General.
Furthermore, a corruption watchdog, the Anti-Corruption Trust of Southern Africa (ACT-SA), unearthed shocking details indicating that some of these vehicles were not even purchased from Toyota Zimbabwe, as claimed, but from an individual linked to a high-ranking municipal official.
When confronted, Toyota Zimbabwe apparently denied ever transacting with the Municipality of Redcliff.
These revelations paint a damning picture of a local authority that has transformed itself into what appears like a looting syndicate, mismanaging municipal resources for personal gain while leaving residents to suffer.
What is even more infuriating is that, despite the evidence of gross mismanagement, there has been no meaningful action taken against those responsible.
At the same time, some residents continue to receive outrageously inflated municipal bills, often based on unexplained calculations.
This has only deepened the sense of mistrust between residents and the local authority, with many refusing to continue paying for services that are either nonexistent or of appallingly poor quality.
It is an unbearable situation where people must part with their hard-earned money for nothing in return.
Redcliff, once affectionately known as “Little London” during the colonial era due to its well-planned infrastructure and pristine environment, has been reduced to a shell of its former self.
A town that was once a model of industrial prosperity is now a wasteland of abandoned hopes, failed promises, and unchecked corruption.
As residents, we cannot afford to sit back while our town is systematically destroyed by the greed of a few.
We must demand accountability from those in power, refusing to be silenced by mere social media complaints.
It is time for real action.
I, for one, faithfully pay my municipal bills, yet I see no benefit from these payments.
For how much longer must we endure this abuse?
How much longer will we tolerate the misuse of our hard-earned money?
We have been reduced to financing the extravagant lifestyles of top officials while we go without the most basic of constitutional rights—water.
This injustice cannot be allowed to continue.
© Tendai Ruben Mbofana is a social justice advocate and writer. Please feel free to WhatsApp or Call: +263715667700 | +263782283975, or email: mbofana.tendairuben73@gmail.com, or visit website: https://mbofanatendairuben.news.blog/
Source - Tendai Ruben Mbofana
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