Mberengwa Rural District Council turning into a citadel of corruption

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…as officials openly tout for business on behalf of their associates

Staff Reporter

All is not well at Mberengwa Rural District Council at Mataga Growth Point where the CEO Thompson Maeresera is fingered in a litany of illegal activities.

Mberengwa residents came out to lay their complaints against Maeresera after Zimbabwe Observer exposed the arrest of senior council officials yesterday by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) for engaging in corrupt activities.

Top on the list of their grievances against Maeresera is his tendency of giving employment to people from his area in Chirumanzu while looking down upon local people.

“Employment yacho, council has been staffed with former Chirumanzu employees and other relatives. Can you imagine a mere general hand was recruited all the way from Kwekwe. Mberengwa hatina vanhu vanokwanisa izvozvo,” revealed a Council employee who requested anonymity for fear of victimisation.

ZACC spokesperson John Makamure told Zimbabwe Observer yesterday that the net was closing on Maeresera.

The employee also added that Maeresera managed to capture most of the councillors by giving employment to their children.

“Mamwe maCouncillors akapinzigwa vana Mabasa saka havachaoni huori hwacho,” reveals a well-placed source.

Chairman of the Human Resources committee, Chairman Cllr Hlazo Moyo is accused of allowing Maeresera to ship employees from Chirumanzu because one of his children Hammerton Moyo was given a driver job at the council as well. Several efforts to reach Cllr Moyo were unsuccessful.

Some councillors (names supplied) were being bribed with beer and meat each time they attend meetings at Mataga.

“I understand kana vauya (councillors) kumusangano vaitengerwa madoro kuchinzi kunoshandiswa a dubiously created CEO’s vote,” said a reliable source.

Another Mberengwa businessperson who also asked to remain anonymous complained bitterly about the leasing of the council’s petrol filling station to a Harare enterprise ahead of local people who were interested in running the fuel business.

“I know he is letting out the service station to some people from Harare. But isu ma locals takarambigwa tichidavo and it did not go to tender,” complained the businessperson.

Revelations were also made that development of residential, and business stands at Mataga were being slowed down by prohibitive requirements which were placed by the council in the way of potential private developers.

Residents also accused the council of having a list of preferred individuals who are allowed to do construction work at Mataga. House plans sourced from outside the list of council officials’ associates were subjects of disapproval.

One council official in the Public Works department, a Mr Mashavave was also fingered for touting business for his associates. Mashavave who is responsible for approving house plans is dishing out contact details of BK Jaya 0773256190 and Terry 0782672845 to prospective developers while disapproving plans not drawn by his preferred designers.

It also emerged during the Zimbabwe Observer investigation that several residential and business buildings at Mataga have not yet been electrified because their wiring was not done by preferred service providers.

“We are being held at ransom by this Chirumanzu crew who making it difficult for local people working in diaspora to develop their Growth Point. It is very ironic that council officials who are supposed to facilitate development are sabotaging it,” reads a message which was sent to Zimbabwe Observer in response to the arrests to Council Senior Accountant Kurai Shoko for allegedly stealing Trust property worthy R47 000 and Treasurer Joyce Gumbo for dealing in foreign currency involving USD$155 000.

Council officials who coerce diaspora-based clients to pay for services in USD buy the green buck from the local authority at a bank rate and pay the council in RTGS. The USD is then sold at the black market.

Maeresera had not yet responded to questions sent to him by the time of going to print.

Mberengwa is a district in Midlands province in Zimbabwe with a population of 185, 757 according to 2018 census. The district is now divided into sub-districts: Mberengwa North, East, West and South. It is bounded by Gwanda in Mberengwa west, and by Zvishavane in its northern zone, to the south it stretches to Neshuro, Chikombedzi and bounded by Manyuchi dam.