Gigantic council loan sparks outrage
Staff Reporter
VICTORIA FALLS- Victoria Falls residents are not amused by a decision reached by city councillors to approve a hefty loan facility to the Town Clerk at a time when employees have gone for two months without salaries and service delivery is in jeopardy.
Town clerk, Mr Ronnie Dube benefited from a loan facility of US$84 000 from the city of Victoria Falls following approval by more than half of the councillors led by city mayor, Somvelo Dlamini. Residents and stakeholders have labbeled the move insensitive to their plight.
A senior politician who is also a councillor castigated the majority of his fellow councillors who approved Dube’s loan.
” It is barbaric and uncouth for reasonable councillors to allocate Dube US$84 000 at a time when workers are wallowing in abject poverty. The workers haven’t been paid. How can sensible councillors approve such a facility? The welfare of workers should be sacrosanct,” said the councillor on condition of anonymity.
“The employees haven’t been paid for two months but the clerk, Ronnie had the guts to apply for a huge loan in forex from the city which is failing to pay workers on time. Service delivery is erratic…there is no water for residents due to mechanical faults. Why not pay workers and repair broken water pipes to improve service delivery instead of giving a personal loan?” asked a Chinotimba resident who called himself Elfas.
Joe Muff, a Mkhosana resident, castigated the city of Victoria Falls for being insincere. He said in a Smart-corner WhatsApp group:
” The council has demonstrated a high degree of callousness and malice on its workers and residents. Workers are not paid on time because the city claims there is no money for salaries. The city is dry and we are told there is a broken pipe at the sunction pump. Why hasnt the money been channeled towards fixing the water system,” said Muff in a Whatsapp group conversation.
“Residents are bitter at the decision and the clerk himself is in his home area of Gwanda perhaps spending the windfall. It is not clear how he will pay back the loan.There is frequent breakdown of water pump machinery and it is only logical that any foreign currency available should be used for repairs. We hear that city employees go for months without pay yet the city authorities go to such absurd lengths to misuse the little forex they get from ratepayers to silverline the clerk’s pockets,” said one influential tourism player.
Efforts to get a comment from the mayor of the city, Dlamini were fruitless by the time of going to press. Other councillors however, confirmed the loan approval without much elaboration.
Victoria Falls City has been experiencing service delivery challenges ranging from erratic water supply, poor waste management, poor streets lightning, among others.
