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Patrick Chitumba Midlands Bureau Chief
LOCAL Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister, Cde Saviour Kasukuwere, has fired two Gweru councillors for misusing council property and engaging in corruption.

The fired councillors are Albert Chirau of Ward 11 and Moses Marecha of Ward 5, both of the MDC-T who were on suspension.

The duo received their expulsion letters yesterday while a third councillor, Kenneth Sithole of Ward 4 received a final written warning.

Chirau and Marecha confirmed receiving the letters of dismissal from Cde Kasukuwere but refused to comment directing The Chronicle to their party spokesperson, Obert Gutu. Sithole, who was also on suspension for allegedly assaulting a council employee, was found not guilty by the courts but issued with a final warning by Cde Kasukuwere.

Gutu said, “Yes I confirm that two of our councillors in Gweru received expulsion letters from the Ministry of Local Government. The move is null and void as we understand that the Minister violated Section 278 (2) of the Constitution which calls for the establishment of an independent tribunal to exercise the function of removing from office, mayors, chairperson and councillors. So we’re going to take the legal course for the matter to be addressed.”

Cde Kasukuwere used Section 114 (1) Chapter 9:15 of the Urban Councils Act to fire the councillors. It states that the Local Government Minister can suspend and dismiss a councillor after an independent committee thoroughly inquired into the councillor’s misconduct prior to dismissal.

Prior to their dismissal, Chirau and Marecha had been first suspended and ordered to stop conducting council duties in their respective wards until the outcome of the investigations conducted by the Ministry.

“Following allegations of abuse of office and council property levelled against you, I with immediate effect suspend you from being a councillor for Ward 5 according to Section 114 (1) Chapter 9:15 of the Urban Councils Act. I will send a team to investigate you as soon as possible and you will be advised accordingly,” reads a letter signed by the then Minister of Local Government, Cde Ignatius Chombo and addressed to Marecha.

The suspension letter dated May 21 was also copied to city Mayor, Clr Hamutendi Kombayi and the Town Clerk, Daniel Matawu.

Gweru City Council’s Workers Committee, which is notoriously known as “Boko Haram”, had for the past year been calling for the expulsion of Chirau and Marecha. They previously held demonstrations against the councillors at the Town House.

Workers’ committee spokesperson, Cornelius Selipiwe said workers were overjoyed with the decision by the government to fire “the corrupt councillors”.

He said Chirau and Marecha did not deserve to be in the council.

Selipiwe said: “It was good that the government sent in an investigation team to look into the allegations of corruption and misuse of council property against the two councillors. As workers’ committee we’re there to raise alarm and that’s what we did in this case. We expect more heads to roll after the audit report is released because we feel there is a lot of rot in this municipality. It’s our hope to bring back progress into the City of Progress.”

Chirau was accused of renting out a council club house in his ward and pocketing the rentals while Marecha was accused of selling pit sand and gravel in Senga Suburb to a public contractor and pocketing the money.

On the other hand, Clr Sithole once appeared before a Gweru magistrate court charged with assaulting a council driver Simbarashe Lebo following a dispute over the late payment of salaries by the local authority. Clr Sithole was found not guilty.