Chaos in Hwange Local Board.

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HWANGE—There was commotion during a council meeting yesterday as Hwange Councilors clashed
with the Council Chair over the way he was conducting the meeting.
The Hwange Local Board (HLB) Council chairman, Nqobile Mabhena did not respond to issues in motion
which included a financial report on the purchase of 6 ha piece of land for coke oven battery and the
ZACC report.
Although the Chairman was not keen to respond to the issues tabled he kept rubbishing the councillors
and said they should follow the Urban Councils Act in bringing in issues.
“There is a mechanism in the Urban council’s Act in which we need to address these issues. In a special
board meeting there is no way you can say we are failing to call for a board meeting .Let us not use the
mob psychology, but let us use the board’s Urban Council Act in solving issues,” said Mabhena.
Chairman Mabhena ended up calling HLB security officers intending to drag out Cllr Maphosa who was
most vocal in the meeting but other councillors kept requesting for a report on corruption from HLB
council which has been inaccessible for months.
Other councillors in attendance were also not happy saying the chairman and his team should give
feedback on the issues rather than postponing the issues.
“These motions are coming as reaction to inaction. We had requested for a special board meeting
regarding the issues in motion and nothing has been done, because of that inaction we feel short
changed and that is why we need a special meeting so we can say whatever we say but these issues
need to be addressed and deliberated today” said Councilor Fani Chirwa.
Councilor Wilson Maphosa from Ward 7 added that the mismanagement of HLB funds has led to the
financial constraints for the council.
“Our argument is that we need clarity, the coke battery stand was sold at US$24 000 instead of US$1,5
million. Only US$24 000 was deposited in council which is not proper because the money for the stands
was meant for salaries and other developmental projects for the council.
“We need to have a special board meeting before the full board meeting. They want to force us to have
some resolutions before we have a special board meeting. We need that money into council account.
The council is saying we are broke but how can we be broke after selling 6 ha of land? We are really
worried,” he said.
“Mabhena has been trying to defend himself and we have asked the housing officer to bring us the copy
or the file, but they are failing to give us.”
Meanwhile HLB workers have been going for a while without salaries partly due to the mismanagement
of funds.