Former Bulawayo deputy mayor Amen Mpofu has leapt to the defence of his successor Gift Banda following claims by the Affirmative Action Group (AAG) that his recent land deals with council may not have been above board.
BY MTHANDAZO NYONI
Banda recently got council approval to buy 3, 5 hectares of land valued at $130 000 to construct residential flats at Ascot Racecourse.
But AAG’s Matabeleland Chapter last week gave mayor Martin Moyo 72 hours to respond to allegations that the deal was corrupt.
Mpofu, a former long serving MDC-T councilor, said there was nothing amiss with the deal.
He said, as per law, the council lands committee resolved to give Banda the piece of land after the issue had been discussed at a full council meeting, which Banda did not attend since he was an interested party.
“The council, not Banda or mayor okayed it and at the end, how then can they pin-point the mayor? I feel it’s an insult to the mayor and Banda,” Mpofu said.
“The report was very misleading. Banda as a deputy mayor has got some privileges.
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Mpofu said AAG was wrong to give the mayor ultimatums on issues that could be easily explained.
“As an Alderman who has been in the system for more than 10 years, I thought I should respond to the AAG and the Banda issue,” he said.
“AAG is a pressure group that is playing a good role in society, but sometimes I have a problem with how it approaches issues because it ends up shooting itself on the foot unnecessarily.
“I don’t think it’s proper to give the mayor 72 hours on an issue that involves full council.
“My understanding is that Gift Banda applied for that piece of land, which is correct according to the Urban Council Act.”
The AAG petition, the second in as many months, claimed there was corruption in the Bulawayo City Council.
According to the Bulawayo City Council’s master plan, the land allocated to Banda was for residential buildings (flats or attached dwellings).
There were no planning objections to the deputy mayor’s proposals.
