Outgoing Chitungwiza acting mayor Kelvin Mutimbanyoka has claimed that he cleared the 47-month salary backlog and improved service delivery in the Municipality during his time in office.
Mutimbanyoka succeeded former mayor Lovemore Maiko who was recalled by the MDC-T.
Addressing journalists in Chitungwiza this week, Mutimbanyoka said when he became acting mayor, there was chaos in Chitungwiza. NewsDay quoted him as saying:
I want people to appreciate where we are coming from as Chitungwiza Municipality. l joined council in 2018 as a councillor and in August 2021, l was elevated to the office of deputy mayor.
I then became the (acting) mayor of this town and that is when most of the transformation happened at the council. When I became the [acting] mayor for sure it was all chaos.
Workers were not being paid, nothing was happening in terms of service delivery, and obviously, councillors had been messing around.
When l got into this office, the first thing l had to tackle was corruption and land was being sold out of council business.
We cautioned the people against being hoodwinked by land barons. l stopped that chaos and council took over its responsibility.
We had a problem with our workers. We had so many ghost workers. Workers had salary arrears going as far as 47 months, we cleared the 47 months’ salary backlog, as we speak.
They are getting 30 percent of their salaries in US$. We decided to set a target for all the managers: every head of department needed to account for everything they were doing.
The work culture and ethic are impressive. Our people are working, and the service delivery is being given to the people.
Mutimbanyoka said the African Development Bank donated US$1.8 million, with most of the money going towards improving the sewer, drainage system and restoration of the tower lights. He added:
We have since bought two tipper trucks, a grader and a compactor roller. We also bought a backhoe and we have computerised all the departments.
Chitungwiza, just like the majority of urban councils dominated by the opposition, has failed to deliver services to residents.
Chitungwiza is notorious for land barons, “rivers” of raw sewage and perennial unavailability of potable water.
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