LOCAL Government and Public Works minister Daniel Garwe on Saturday fired a salvo at the Beitbridge Municipality, calling on the councillors to prioritise service delivery instead of self-enrichment.
Garwe accused councillors of greed, remaining in perpetual election mode and being rogue, forgetting their mandate and oath to serve the people.
The minister, who appeared to be reading an intelligence report, exposed what he said was corruption ahead of service delivery at the council, which has made Beitbridge more troublesome than Harare.
Beitbridge Municipality is dominated by opposition Citizens Coalition for Change councillors, with seven out of eight councillors.
Garwe said some councillors hid behind criminalised resolutions to engage in corrupt land deals that saw 400 commonage stands being sold instead of benefiting low-income residents.
He summoned all Beitbridge land developers, town clerk Loud Ramagkapola, engineer Douglas Siphuma, workers committee chairperson Takaendepi Mahachi and mayor Peter Pirato for a meeting in Harare.
“Beitbridge is the window of Zimbabwe and we cannot compromise. We will not fire councillors because it is of no benefit, but we will ‘cleanse’ them and make them good,” Garwe said.
He reversed a vote of no confidence against Pirato.
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“None of you here is clean. I have files on you all, and you are not clean. But we must first talk about the oaths to serve we took, rather than engage in personal fights. I will come here monthly until the dignity of Beitbridge is restored,” Garwe said.
“I am disappointed that you plan to pass a vote of no confidence instead of serving the people who elected you. It is unlawful; you must consult, no councillor is mandated to pass a vote of no confidence.
“Let us not take the law into our own hands. Let us act properly because no one is clean. The mayor can only be suspended after investigations,” he said.
Beitbridge councillors passed a vote of no confidence in Pirato in June this year.
Garwe's visit was two-pronged, having earlier in the day commissioned 20 motorcycles for Beitbridge Rural District Council policymakers.
After officiating at the function, Garwe was a completely new man, not even smiling as he rapped councillors at Beitbridge Municipality.
“We are Zimbabweans first before our political groups and once elections are over and you have been elected, do your mandate. Serve the people. I do not care whether you belong to my party or not; you must deliver,” he said.
Beitbridge has been at a standstill, with sections of the executive undermining the municipality's service delivery by simply not performing.
Garwe called for the arrest of suppliers of a used grader refurbished and delivered as new.
He said the ministry was considering the privatisation of Beitbridge water supply and ending the feud between the Zimbabwe National Water Authority and the municipality.
“We cannot have the busiest border running without water,” he said.
