By Flata Kavinga
Kwekwe Mayor Cllr Albert Zinhanga, was on Monday forced to divide the house and put to vote the issue of allocating a commercial stand to Juden Petroleum for the construction of a hotel, after councillors failed to reach consensus.
The debate arose during a full council meeting where some councillors supported the allocation, while others demanded that the matter be referred back to the relevant committee for further scrutiny.
Mayor Zinhanga told the meeting that the deadlock left him with no option but to invoke his authority and call for a vote.
“I think I shared my personal opinion. I am going to put the matter to vote. We have those who say we should give Juden additional land to proceed with the construction of a hotel and those who say they are not denying Juden land but want to be provided with correct information on the issue,” he said.
Ward 8 Councillor Edumakomborero Mlambo said council should support those with the capacity to develop the city.
“Whoever has the capacity should be given land to develop the city and ultimately the country,” said Cllr Mlambo.
He was supported by Ward 12 Councillor Thomas Mahapa, who argued that investors willing to put up modern infrastructure should not be blocked.
“Let’s allow these people with money to invest in our city,” said Cllr Mahapa.
However, Finance Committee Chairperson, Ward 1 Councillor Alex Senge, maintained that the matter needed to be referred back to the relevant committee for due diligence before a decision was made.
Despite the divided opinions, the majority of councillors voted in favour of allocating the stand to Juden Petroleum, paving the way for the company to proceed with the proposed hotel development.
