The majority bloc of councillors in Chitungwiza, all techically now independents since being expelled by the MDC, say they will change the face of the town within the next three months, after securing US$13 million from Zanu-PF lines of credit and the African Development Bank, for water, sewer and refuse collection.
Government last week gave the council powers to borrow US$10 million to revamp water, sewer and refuse facilities while the AfDB officials are in the country to finalise a US$3 million loan facility.
“We are now free from MDC interference. We are now going to concentrate our efforts on service delivery. The people will feel the difference.
“We will continue working for the benefit of Chitungwiza residents. We will use the US$13 million to revamp our refuse collection and water and sewer reticulation systems,” said new mayor Alderman Philimon Chipiyo.
The 23 MDC councillors were expelled from the party for corruption. However the expulsion from the party has thrown Zanu-PF vultures tails wagging, trying to take advantage of the situation.
The local authority will next week receive another US$3 million from the African Development Bank to boost water and sewer reticulation.
Ald Chipiyo and his deputy Clr Rangarirai Mutingwende on Friday said the move by the MDC to expel them from the party was a non-event.
“Is that democracy. Why should the party impose individuals on us (in reference to the directive to elect Dr Gwaradzimba). We believe in elected leadership. Leaders should come from the people and not from the top,” he said.
Alderman Chipiyo who has served the municipality as councillor for 25 consecutive years declared he still enjoyed the support of the people in his ward.
“I have 100 percent mandate from the people. It is the reason why I have survived 25 years as councillor starting as Zanu-PF to an independent and now MDC,” he said.
He said the consensus among the councillors was that they would not appeal against the expulsion. Ald Chipiyo sourced the US$10 million.
He wants his council to bequeath a legacy of service delivery and good governance to the people of Chitungwiza.
Clr Mutingwende said he was not worried by the dismissal from MDC-T because the decision was not based on popular views from the wards.
“The leaders just decided on their own. We want to prove our innocence and that we are hard workers. Our main challenge is to deliver service to Chitungwiza and correct all past mistakes,” he said.
He said the MDC had failed to prove the allegations of corruption against the council and was relying on the evidence of people interested in becoming councillors.
This is the first time in Zimbabwe’s history that a party has expelled all its councillors and in the process wilfully surrendered control of a local authority. While the 23 cease being MDC party members, they remain councillors and can choose to be either independents or join any other political formation.
This means MDC ceases to have control over Chitungwiza municipality. At the moment the councillors are still consulting on the best way forward, but insist whether or not they join any other political party, they still have to finish their five year term that began in July 2008.
At a press briefing last Friday MDC spokesman Mr Nelson Chamisa confirmed that the councillors were fired for refusing to elect an outsider as mayor.
“Like in Harare we have a formula where we brought an outsider Mr Muchadeyi Masunda. Equally in Chitungwiza we wanted a fresh pair of eyes, they resisted it and we had to do a caesarian operation to save the baby, who is the party and residents of Chitungwiza,” he said.
In his report deputy MDC secretary general Mr Tapiwa Mashakada said the party would approach Government for permission to appoint a caretaker commission.
But Local Government Minister Ignatius Chombo has already dismissed that saying the councillors will remain in office because they had not flouted the Urban Councils’ Act.
