EMBATTLED Kwekwe town clerk, Emmanuel Musara has survived yet another bid to kick him out of office, after Zanu PF councillors last week blocked a motion to send him on forced leave to allow for an investigation into his conduct.
by staff preporter
The council’s audit committee, chaired by Weston Masiya, had resolved to suspend Musara for three months, accusing him of frustrating efforts to investigate suspected financial irregularities amounting to $1 million.
The investigations were triggered by findings of a 2012 audit report produced by UDCORP.
“The official responsible for the failure of the audit committee to sit since June 2015 should be suspended for three months to pave way for the committee to get the requested information that is the minutes of a meeting with UDCORP officials and management responses to the 2011 and 2012 financial statements,” read part of the resolution.
The committee, at a meeting held on December 9, accused Musara of deliberately scuttling its efforts to establish how the $1m could not be accounted for.
“One member felt the delay to convene meetings of the audit committee was a clear sign that someone was deliberately hiding something and at the same time forcing the committee not to perform its functions.”
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At a full council meeting last Thursday, councillor Aaron Gwalazimba proposed a motion to suspend Musara be adopted by council, so investigations into the missing funds are concluded.
“If you read the minutes, it is clear that the town clerk is the stumbling block and has affected the investigations into the audit reports. It is my view that if we suspend him and allow the investigations to continue in his absence, we will have progress,” Gwalazimba said. The motion flopped after seven Zanu PF councillors refused to endorse it.
Musara is a known Zanu PF member, after he contested and lost the 2005 mayoral election race on a ruling party ticket.
Speaking to Southern Eye in separate interviews after the meeting, the Zanu PF councillors claimed they had been whipped by their party leaders to defend Musara.
“We were whipped and told not to side with the MDC-T on this matter because Musara, a war veteran, is also a loyal cadre of the party. He knows some secrets that might be exposed if he is moved out of office,” a source said.
Residents have, on numerous occasions, raised corruption allegations against Musara, but their bid to force him always hits a brickwall.
Musara has denied the allegations levelled against him and challenged his accusers to prove their claims.