Last week, it was reported that councillors had approved an
industrial stand purchase by Grade One Private Limited, a company which
investigations revealed is co-owned by Mr Kambarami and his wife, Rosemary.
However, it has since emerged that the stand had been
identified and awarded in an area which has since been identified as a wetland.
According to an internal memorandum from the Bulawayo City Council’s Acting
Director of Town Planning, Mr Wisdom Siziba, a site visit to the stand was done
last Monday where it was discovered the stand was located in an ecologically
sensitive area. The site visit revealed that close to three months after the
end of this year’s rainy season, the stand was still water logged.
“Stand number 19822BT Westondale appears to be within an
area that was identified as an ecologically sensitive zone, since a site visit
on 14 June 2021 revealed that the stand is still water logged due to heavy
rains that were experienced in the last rainy season. We therefore recommend that
the stand be cancelled and that it should not be allocated,” reads the
memorandum.
In March a taskforce comprising BCC, the Environmental
Management Agency (EMA) and Agritex was tasked with identifying ecologically
sensitive areas in the city and map out strategies to deal with development in
such areas.
The former ward three councillor had intended to use the
stand for the establishment of a food manufacturing-milling company. Some of
the conditions that had been given to the Kambaramis for the purchase of the
stand included that they would pay a selling price of US$11 300 excluding 14,5
percent Value Added Tax or Zimbabwe dollar equivalent subject to the foreign
currency exchange auction rate.
Councillors who spoke to this publication, regarding the
purported purchase have accused council management of smuggling the item into
the council agenda, as it had been removed from the council agenda on three
previous occasions.
“We were shocked when we saw in the media that the stand
belongs to the former Deputy Mayor, further investigations revealed that this
very item had been removed from the council agenda three times. What our
officials are failing to realise is that when such issues are brought to
council all key information must be included because right now it seems Mr
Kambarami used his influence and privilege as a former councillor to get that
stand, which can easily attract the wrath of the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption
Commission,” said one of the councillors.
The allocation of the stand itself was drama-filled as Mr
Kambarami had attempted to bulldoze a full council meeting despite his
recalling claiming he was still the substantive Deputy Mayor. The Supreme Court
had reinstated him last month but the ruling was of “no effect as he was
recalled by his parent party, the MDC-T”, council officials said.
The former Deputy Mayor had to be ejected from the chambers
by security, with the Mayor, Councillor Solomon Mguni labelling him an
intruder. Contacted for comment, Mr Kambarami said while he has not been
informed of the official council position on the stand allocation, he was not
going to be surprised if it was reversed accusing councillors of using the
local authority as a weapon to fight their political battles. He said it was
not the first time that the local authority had changed goalposts after he had
been allocated a stand.
“It is honestly surprising and laughable if true because
under normal circumstances before such a stand is allocated, council officials
go to the ground to certify it and in this case the Director of Engineering
Services (Engineer Simela Dube) actually said his department had no objection
to the allocation. Now for them to then claim the area is waterlogged is a
clear sign that one is trying to use council to fight me because of our
political differences. This is not the first time, I was once allocated a stand
and at the last minute the price of the stand was changed to US$32 000, these
people should stop weaponising council to fight me,” he said.
Mr Kambarami further noted that as a ratepayer in the city
he expected to be given equal treatment like any other resident.
“I wouldn’t want it to seem like someone is doing me a
favour when I make such applications, because that would be corruption. I am
ratepayer in the city who just wants to invest and help revive the city’s
industries, that is how I expect to be treated,” he said.
Meanwhile, commenting on attempts by Mr Kambarami to be
reinstated as ward three councillor and Deputy Mayor, Minister of Local
Government and Public Works, Cde July Moyo said the law was clear on the matter
and the former Deputy Mayor should seek legal recourse if he felt unfairly
treated.
“The law is clear on this, even Bulawayo Mayor, Clr Mguni
is a practicing lawyer and he knows this, Mr Kambarami also knows the process
which took place,” said Minister Moyo. Sunday News
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