CCC councillors in Masvingo Urban have demanded that Masvingo City Council management should consult them first before approving donations from city coffers.
The issue of donations was raised by newly-elected Ward 4 councillor Alec Tabe during a recent full council meeting.
Tabe quizzed management on the “so-called donations” by the local authority towards various government and ZANU PF-linked occasions. He said:
Can management furnish us with details on this issue of donations that has become so common in our council minutes? Can’t there be another term to explain that?
There is a need for management to consult councillors before approving some of those donation requests.
Some of the so-called donations have provoked residents in our wards as residents seek explanation on the initiatives of which as councillors, we won’t have any.
Re-elected Ward 7 councillor Richard Musekiwa urged council management to refer requests for donations to councillors who are also politicians to deliberate on them before approval.
He said it was not right for council management to table the requests before councillors for ratification long after the funds are disbursed. Said Musekiwa:
Since those people who come applying for donations are politicians, it would rather be better for you management to consult councillors who are also politicians to deliberate on the matter, unlike a situation in which the requests are brought before councillors after the funds are disbursed.
Responding to the requests by councillors, Town Clerk Engineer Edward Mukaratirwa said that in future, they will inform the people applying for such donations to first forward their requests to councillors before approval of such.