Staff Reporter
Kwekwe City Ward 8 councillor Edumakomborero Mlambo has raised concern over allegations that some council workers are charging residents to attend to sewer blockages without the local authority’s knowledge and allegedly pocketing the money.
Cllr Mlambo raised the issue during a full council meeting, saying the alleged charges were being demanded by members of the sewer gang under the Works Department, with no official receipts issued to residents.
He told councillors that while some council employees were diligent in their duties, others were allegedly abusing their positions by demanding payment for services that should be provided by the municipality.
“We have workers on the ground who do their work diligently while others slacken,” said Cllr Mlambo. “If we report problems through the chamber secretary, the workers attend to them quickly but when we tell them directly, there is often no action.”
Cllr Mlambo said he had received a complaint from a resident in Ward 7, represented by Councillor Kudakwashe Gwamuri, alleging that council workers demanded US$65 to attend to a sewer blockage in the area.
“I do not know whether these workers were issued with receipt books by the Director of Finance or authorised to charge residents,” he said. “I also do not understand why they were charging US$65 to attend to sewer bursts.”
He said councillors were regularly informed of service delivery challenges by residents in their wards and were therefore aware of the conduct of employees operating in their communities.
“We meet residents frequently and they share their complaints with us. Management and heads of departments must monitor and reprimand wayward employees,” said Cllr Mlambo.
However, he noted that councillors had been advised during their induction that supervising employees was not part of their mandate, citing an established chain of command within council administration.
“There is a chain of command which does not involve councillors. We must keep our distance,” he said.
