A Kwekwe City Council special meeting had to be adjourned after a heated exchange between two councillors almost degenerated into a fist fight.
The meeting had been convened at the behest of councillors who sought an explanation on the local authority’s move to increase tariffs under the guise of rebasing figures to match prevailing currency exchange rates.
Residents have condemned the development and are resisting the council’s proposal to further increase tariffs by more than 400 percent in 2023.
The councillors again rescinded the proposed budget and called for a review, although it had already been submitted to the Local Government Board for approval.
Another special council meeting is scheduled to discuss the rescinded budget.
Acting mayor, Councillor Pikurai Msipa confirmed that Ward 8 Councillor Makomborero Mlambo and his Ward 14 counterpart Erick Rukavhairo were engaged in a heated argument over whether to rescind the resolution or not, thereby forcing the meeting to be adjourned.
“It is true the meeting did not end well and we agreed to adjourn the meeting and reconvene on Monday so that we can come up with a resolution. As it is we could not conclude anything as the meeting had turned chaotic,” said Cllr Msipa.
He said the rebasing issue was burdening residents.
“We were caught unawares by the management as they effected the rebasing charges without the consent of councillors. At the same time, we are battling to reduce the tariffs which the budget seeks to increase by 400 percent. This becomes too much for the residents who in actual fact called for a standstill budget,” said Cllr Msipa.
Under the rejected budget, the council was proposing to peg tariffs in USD and had increased rates to US$43 per month for high density residents from the US$11 that they are paying now.
Residents recently criticised council for buying luxury vehicles for senior managers. They felt that the local authority was misplacing priorities as it was focusing more on personal interests at the expense of service delivery. – The Chronicle
