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Patrick Chitumba Midlands Bureau Chief
Gweru residents have dismissed the special committee that has been set up to investigate alleged corruption activities by three councillors, saying the committee was open to manipulation.

Recently the Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, Cde Ignatius Chombo, suspended councillors Albert Chirau Ward 11, Moses Marecha Ward 5 and Kenneth Sithole Ward 4 on allegations of abuse of office.

The three were ordered to stop conducting council duties in their respective wards until the outcome of the investigations.

However, the city fathers resolved at their special council meeting to set up a special committee comprising councillors, Catherine Mhondiwa of Ward 13 and Tirivangani Chipondeni of Ward 2, as well as the suspended Sithole and three members of the management to investigate the alleged corrupt activities.

Clr Mhondiwa and Sithole belong to MDC-T party while Clr Chipondeni is Zanu-PF.

“It was resolved that a special committee comprising councillors Kenneth Sithole, Catherine Mhondiwa and Tirivangani Chipondeni and three members of the management be established to investigate the corruption activities by councillor Albert Chirau and Moses Marecha,” reads part of the minutes from the special council meeting.

However, the makeup of the investigations team has raised eyebrows.

The move was despite the fact that Minister Chombo had indicated that he was going to set up the investigations committee to look into the matter.

Council workers’ committee and the residents’ association have since queried the sincerity of the council to investigate the cases.

Workers committee secretary-general, Frank Muzorera, accused the city fathers of disrespecting the ratepayers by sending a councillor to investigate a fellow councillor.

“This is tantamount to saying the allegations are not important to warrant a full-scale investigation. We were hoping for an independent team,” he said.

Gweru Residents’ Association spokesperson Cornelius Selipiwe said the team should not be allowed to carry out investigations since it is not legitimate.

He said they were hoping to have an investigating team which includes the police, workers committee and members of the public.

“That way we’re guaranteed the committee will establish the truth,” said Muzorera.

Clrs Chirau and Marecha have been under fire from employees who wanted them relieved of their duties as councillors after they allegedly sold pit sand and gravel in Senga suburb and pocketed the money.

Clr Chirau also has a pending court case in which he is accused of allegedly renting out a council club house in his ward and converting the rentals to his own use.

On the other hand, Clr Sithole also has a pending case before the Gweru courts where he is facing a charge of assaulting a council employee following a dispute over the late payment of salaries by the local authority.

The court heard that Clr Sithole assaulted Simbarashe Lebo, a driver at Gweru City Council.

Lebo had asked the councillor why the local authority was failing to pay workers on time and this angered Sithole who allegedly jumped on the driver and grabbed him by the neck.

Clr Sithole, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.