BY REX MPHISA

BEITBRIDGE police have nabbed one robber, believed to be part of a dangerous gang of criminals hammering spikes on highways, deflating vehicle tyres to rob travellers.

A firearm is said to have been recovered in a raid at one of the gangsters’ houses when police employed their dog section, the K9 Unit.

Police are also said to have nabbed another suspect, who is part of a gang that allegedly targets solar power installations to steal equipment.

Officer commanding Beitbridge Police District Chief Superintendent Tichaona Nyongo confirmed the arrests and said investigations were ongoing.

“CID [Criminal Investigations Department] is still running around as these are two separate issues: one for (solar) panels, the other for spikes,” he said in an interview.

Acting on a tip-off soon after some spikes were on Wednesday hammered on the Harare-Beitbridge Highway just 15km outside the border town, police immediately intensified their hunt.

They nabbed a suspect, who reportedly led them into arresting two others in the Tshitauze suburb, where a firearm was recovered.

Yesterday, police details with sniffer dogs were also seen at a house in Dulivhadzimo, where they recovered solar panels suspected to have been stolen from the Zezani area in Beitbridge West.

Beitbridge residents applauded the police for their good work, but chastised the government for not giving adequate resources to the police at Zimbabwe’s busiest entry point.

“The police, with minimal resources, have cracked these two puzzles and if they were well resourced, the fight against crime would be tremendous,” a resident, Bright Mateza, said.

Police in Beitbridge have a few vehicles and some of the cars from rural stations are used at the force’s driving school in Bulawayo.

Outreach patrols across the country’s 300-kilometre long border with South Africa, where smuggling and poaching is rife, are far in between.

BY VENERANDA LANGA

SENIOR doctors have told Parliament that US$3,5 million injected by a well-wisher at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals to purchase critical heart equipment had gone missing.

This was raised before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Health and Child Care chaired by Ruth Labode, which had visited Parirenyatwa and Sally Mugabe Central hospitals in response to a petition by the Senior Hospital Doctors Association (SHDA) to investigate the myriad of problems at public health institutions.

MPs heard sad stories from doctors, among them Parirenyatwa head of paediatrics division, Azzah Mashumba, and SHDA president Shingai Nyaguse, who broke down as they narrated the sorry state of affairs at public hospitals.

The doctors said the well-wisher had provided money to buy a cath-lab, which is essential for diagnostic imaging in order to visualise the arteries of the heart during a heart operation.

A senior surgeon, who preferred anonymity fearing victimisation, said Zimbabwe was the only country in the region which did not have a cath-lab.

The surgeon said surgeons were
currently operating on patients sweating in non-air conditioned theatres.

“I have been at Parirenyatwa for 37 years and I have never seen a hospital coming to rock bottom because the equipment purchased has no service contracts (guarantee for servicing) and there is no accountability in terms of equipment purchased and drugs,” the surgeon said.

“Capital equipment is disappearing because we are not accounting for it. I asked for a cath-lab to be purchased in 2018 and US$3,5 million was availed by a donor for its purchase, and I saw the money, but that cath-lab has not been delivered and the money disappeared.”

Labode said the disappearance of the US$3,5 million was disturbing and Parliament would investigate the matter.

“We will call the hospital administration to tell us what happened to the US$3,5 million and if there is a case, the matter should be before the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission,” Labode later told NewsDay in an interview.

Another senior doctor revealed that intensive care unit (ICU) equipment at Parirenyatwa was bought when the late former President Robert Mugabe’s sister Bridget Mugabe was admitted at the hospital.

“We wrote to Mugabe to get the equipment for the ICU and it was bought because there was his sister. But this is some of the equipment that is now derelict. There are many things happening at Parirenyatwa,” the senior doctor said.

Mashumba and Nyaguse also demanded thorough investigation on the US$600 000 Indian equipment which was delivered at hospital with some parts missing, while other equipment had wrong specifications.

“We (doctors) gave them the correct specifications of the equipment that we needed, but someone went to India and bought the wrong equipment and now we are surprised that they are saying it was us (doctors) who recommended the purchase of that equipment. It’s not fair,” Mashumba told the committee in tears.

She said it took months for the commissioning of the equipment to happen, and when it came and the boxes opened, some pieces were missing.

“We have tried everything and nothing will change because we continue like that. When the tender was awarded, doctors were not consulted,” Mashumba said.

Another surgeon, Edwin Muguti (former Health deputy minister), said due to poor revenue control, hospital pharmacies, X-Ray and radiology services were not functioning properly.

“If a patient has a biopsy for cancer, they wait for three months for results, which is not good for a person who potentially has cancer and yet at private centres, the results are released in three days,” he said.

At Sally Mugabe Central Hospital where the situation was worse than Parirenyatwa, Hwange Central MP Daniel Molokela (MDC Alliance) blasted the hospital administration after the committee found some of the equipment from India, comprising a bubble crap with stands, had been lying idle from October last year after it was delivered defective and doctors refused to use it.

“People are dying like flies every day and yet the equipment was delivered last year in October. You could have returned it and asked for a replacement,” Molokela said to Sally Mugabe Central chief executive officer Tinashe Dhobi.

BY MOSES MATENGA/Blessed Mhlanga

ZANU PF infighting came to a head in Wednesday’s politburo meeting, where two rival camps sought to deal with corruption allegations levelled against President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s allies by the party youth league amid indications that all sides were compromised.

Sources who attended the stormy meeting said there were calls from a clique to have youth league deputy secretary Lewis Matutu and his political commissar Godfrey Tsenengamu fired for good from the party.

But a group perceived to be pro-Mnangagwa fought on the side of the youth.

A “remedial” position was taken to have the duo suspended for a year from their positions, but to remain ordinary card-carrying
members, while youth league boss Pupurai Togarepi was stripped of his politburo post.

Politburo member Christopher Mutsvangwa confirmed to NewsDay yesterday that there was, indeed, robust debate on the matter.

“I am glad that debate went on and the politburo moved to a remedial punishment other than a more drastic action that some of my colleagues in the politburo were calling for and I am also happy that even those members who had initially called for a drastic action turned around to a more remedial punishment,” he said.

“Remember, you are talking to someone who has had fingers pointed at by the youths, not only me, but even my wife (Monica), but my point was on principle that vana vadiki vanodzidziswa, even bhaibheri rinoti regai vana vadiki vauye kwandiri (young ones are schooled, even the Bible says let the young ones come to me),” the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association chairman said.

Asked about the talk that the fight in the politburo was over control of cartels for self-aggrandisement by some elements, Mutsvangwa responded: “I am not an authority, but I have an opinion on that debate about cartels. I am an economist and I studied finance, so I try to understand how economies operate. I was the first to even put the word cartel in our political debate. I feel strongly that the economy needs to be liberalised to a more equitable system.

“We need foreign direct investment, which comes without seeking favours from political connections. It should be coming into the country on the basis of bid and reward, that is all we need. Otherwise the President’s ‘Zimbabwe is open for business’ call is undermined if there is a perception by others that there are companies which are always jumping the queue in Zimbabwe.”

Mutsvangwa added: “We need to level the playing field and that we must do and I am glad some international companies who want to protect their reputations are pulling out; if you saw what Trafigura has done, distancing themselves from underhand dealings.”

On Tuesday, global commodities trader Trafigura said in a statement that it had signed an agreement to take over full control of the Zimbabwean business after buying Kudakwashe Tagwirei’s Sakunda Holdings’ shares.

Trafigura held a minority stake of 49% in Trafigura Zimbabwe, with Tagwirei’s Sakunda, which also operated Puma Energy outlets, holding the controlling interest.
Reports suggest that the move by Trafigura, one of the world’s largest oil and metals brokers, could help it to stave off the likely impact of possible Western sanctions and growing local pressure on Tagwirei.

“The move by Trafigura is an indication that the message against corruption is getting out there,” Mutsvangwa said.

Zanu PF acting spokesperson Patrick Chinamasa said he was not in a position to discuss politburo deliberations, adding his official statement on Wednesday was enough.

But observers said the fight that ensued in the Zanu PF meeting exposed the long-standing deep-rooted divisions in the ruling party as bigwigs fight for control of oil supplies and maize distribution, money-spinning conduits for political leaders.

Tsitsi Muzenda is said to have charged during the meeting that operations of the cartels were affecting party structures amid allegations that political leaders were protecting them.

Vice-President Kembo Mohadi is said to have assured the youths that their suspension was not the end of the world as their actions were not out of the ordinary.

Mohadi claimed he once acted in a similar manner in his youthful days, leading to his suspension in 1978/9.

Some politburo members who argued for the youths’ expulsion from the party yesterday said it was clear the youths were fronts of a powerful political actor in Zanu PF, who did not want to come out in the open.

“They wanted to silence us as if we are in (army) barracks. Hakusi kumabarrack kwaunoda kutinyararidza (We are not at the barracks, so don’t shush us),” a senior official fighting on the side of the youths said.

Business tycoon Billy Rautenbach, who runs Green Fuels, and Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe chairman Tafadzwa Musarara were also named together with Tagwirei as individuals bleeding the country’s economy by allegedly engaging in activities which are having a negative impact on prices of various commodities.

The youths alleged that the cartels were very powerful and had been left to do as they please for a long time, alleging they were boasting of political protection by senior members.

Togarepi said he remained a cadre of the party and would follow the decision of the politburo.

Matutu remained defiant, saying: “Self-sacrifice is the most honourable and selfless thing you can do in your life. Better to die for something than to live for nothing.”

Matutu and Tsenengamu will today address a Press conference in Harare to announce their next course of action.

“We will give leadership tomorrow. That is when we will speak and officially comment on the latest developments,” Matutu said.

Tsenengamu has already said he will not be enrolling at the Zanu PF’s Herbert Chitepo School of Ideology, claiming he already knew the party’s ideology, which was now allegedly being hijacked.

“The fact that I was holding a senior position in the party shows you that I know what the party stands for,” he said.

“Only as a lecturer will I go to Chitepo Ideological College for I identified my students yesterday. Chitepo was neither a thief nor a looter.”

Insiders said at the end of debate, Chiwenga was pushing for punitive punishment, demanding that the three be fired from the party.

A highly-placed source said Mnangagwa tried to play a balancing act as he stood on the side of his deputy, who was central in the ousting of late former President Robert Mugabe.

Brenna Matendere

Scores of artisanal miners are feared dead in Kwekwe after Globe and Phoenix mine collapsed in the early hours of yesterday.

Kwekwe district head of civil protection unit and district administrator, Fortune Mpungu told Southern Eye that the process of retrieving the dead bodies of people trapped was ongoing.

“I can confirm that a section of the mine collapsed. We are told that a huge boulder collapsed and it trapped the artisanal miners who were inside. So far we have retrieved two bodies and some are still trapped inside,” he said.

The mine is the oldest in Kwekwe as it was pegged on the site of ancient gold workings in 1894 by prospectors Edward Thornton Pearson and Joseph Schukala.

It is located a few hundred metres from the Central Business District westwards.

At the moment the mine has not been operating formally as it was shut down long back but illegal artisanal miners known as Makorokoza have been finding their way into the shafts during the night when police are not noticing them.

When Southern Eye arrived at the scene yesterday afternoon, police and some artisanal miners were busy trying to retrieve the bodies and search for any survivors. The bodies that had been were wrapped by some blankets but were later ferried to Kwekwe General Hospital mortuary.

Mpungu agreed that those trapped had trespassed into the shafts.

“Yes, no company has been operating at the mine lately but the artisanal miners have just been sneeking into the underground shafts illegally. At this stage we are not very sure of the numbers that are trapped in terms of the dead bodies but we are working to retrieve all the dead bodies.”

“What we have done is to use explosives to blast the huge boulder that is trapping the miners. That process is still ongoing and there is a big cloud of dust underground right now which makes us unable to see anything or count the bodies,” he said.

Sources said the artisanal miners have been blasting the pillars that hold fort the underground miners resulting in it becoming weak to an extent of collapsing.

However, Mbizo MP Settlement Chikwinya said some people indicated to him that about 15 people could be trapped underground.

“It is reported that the artisanal miners enter through a pit on the southern side of town and work on the old workings left by the previous mining company. This then weakens the roof of the tunnels resulting in the pillers falling and this is what happened in this case. There are 4 people confirmed to be under the boulder although the actual total figure is suspected to be about 15,” he said.

By Tatenda Chitagu

MASVINGO High Court judge Garainesu Mawadze has expressed grave concern over the upsurge in machete murder cases flooding the courts.

Justice Mawadze, without giving statistics, said the high number of murder cases committed by machete gangs in Kwekwe were worrisome.

“The court is inundated with Kwekwe machete murder suspects seeking bail. I am not sure why this is the case, but I want to register my displeasure with that,” he said.

Justice Mawadze was responding to a bail application by two Kwekwe gold panners, Edmore Phiri (34) and his brother, Tatenda Phiri (29), accused of murdering Brilliant Dube by hacking him with machetes and striking him with an axe.

It is the State’s case that on January 1 at around 10am, the two accused, in the company of five accomplices still at large, drove to Torwood Shopping Centre where they met the now-deceased who was drinking beer with his brothers.

The two groups, according to court papers, had differences emanating from previous clashes. Violence erupted and Dube sustained severe injuries all over the body and died on the way to hospital.

The accused’s lawyer, Tafadzwa Mbwachena of Maboke, Ruvengo and Partners, said his clients were not a flight risk as they handed themselves over to the police when told that they were being sought.

The State opposed bail arguing that the two were nomads who moved around the country looking for gold and were likely to abscond or threaten witnesses given that they belonged to a violent group of panners.

Justice Mawadze denied them bail on grounds that they were a flight risk.

“They allegedly committed the crime on January 1 and then disappeared from the scene. They were then arrested after two weeks. Therefore, the State’s application to deny them bail is strong and I dismiss their application for bail,” Justice Mawadze ruled.

BY TATIRA ZWINOIRA

“THERE are winners and losers,” said Information permanent secretary Ndavaningi Mangwana about the controversial ruling made by the Supreme Court of Zimbabwe last month which allows for the settling of US debts, acquired before February 22, 2019, in ZWL at a 1:1 rate.

The Supreme Court ruling upheld Statutory Instrument (SI) 33 of 2019 promulgated in February 2019 that allowed for the settling of US$ debt in ZWL at parity.

The ruling marked the second time in Zimbabwe’s history that the value of earnings, assets and debts have been wiped in one fell swoop, the first being the abandonment of the ZWL for a multi-currency regime in 2008.

Property Developers
In response to questions by NewsDay Business, Real Estate Institute of Zimbabwe president, Alexander Millin, said property developers would negatively be impacted.

“For property developers who may have sold properties off plan on instalments this could impact negatively on firstly the cash flows for the project and the developer’s ability to successfully complete infrastructure works,” he said.

“Any shrinkage in cash flow and or depletion of profit levels will result in developers being averse to carrying out further projects. Some projects may be aborted. This could result in a decrease in supply of property stock.”

He said properties sold in instalments could be affected particularly where the buyer has failed to honour the regular instalments.

“This means that such transactions may be terminated, albeit the seller will have to carry the loss as the arrears will be settled on one to one basis,” Millin added.

At an FBC analysts briefing last year, the financial group’s chief executive officer John Mushayavanhu revealed that they were incurring significant losses on their mortgaging business.

He complained that this was due to clients settling their mortgages in ZWL despite taking out the mortgage in US dollars, taking advantage of SI 33 of 2019.

So, suppose a person owed FBC US$10 000, they could now settle it as ZWL$10 000 or RTGS$10 000 as was the case that time. What this shows is that SI 33 of 2019 is already starting to affect mortgagees and property developers. This was at a time when the same legislation introduced the RTGS dollar.

But, unlike SI 142 of 2019 which brought back the ZWL as the sole legal tender, SI 33 of 2019 allowed the RTGS dollar to co-exist with the multi-currency regime allowing the exchange rate to be more controlled.

Dawn Properties reported that during the period January 1 to June 30, 2019, the market was subdued with most banks suspending their mortgage offerings over the conversion challenges.

Property expert Washington Musiiwa concurred that developers would feel the pinch of the Supreme Court ruling as the ZWL is the sole legal tender and as such has been devaluing.

Government creditors
According to the Parliament Budget Office, at the end of 2018 government had a domestic debt of US$8,5 billion. The debt was as a result of years of government’s insatiable expenditure that forced it to borrow more from the market to fund its spending. The government funded this expenditure through Treasury Bill issuances and central bank overdrafts.

Following the ruling, the domestic debt can be settled by paying ZWL$8,5 billion, meaning, the Supreme Court ruling has essentially wiped off US$8,02 billion of government debt in real terms.

This essentially leaves government with a domestic bill of US$480 million to pay which translates to ZWL$8,6 billion.

But, when asked if this was theft, Mangwana said: “You ask a question of whether it (Supreme Court ruling) has affected domestic debt? Yes. Some of could have been affected but again government is also owed money, government also owes and has contracts and some have already been renegotiated.”

“You may recall, post-February, Cabinet made a decision regarding contracts that were subsisting that those contracts could be renegotiated at the interbank rate. So if you have a decision that has already been made and done, there is no problem.”

He said this was why none of government’s creditors had so far come out to say they were robbed due to these renegotiated contracts prior to SI 33 of 2019.

“It is an assumption that is being made that this may have affected this creditor one way or the other. No, the government owes money for service provision and government has taken a moral position to negotiate with most of them,” Mangwana said.

“If these were tenders that had been won and people were supposed to deliver these were renegotiated taking cognisance of the new context. So, no, government is not robbing anybody, otherwise you would be hearing cries from the streets.”

However, he admitted that for those who owed money, they benefited from the ruling and that those owed money lost.

Financial institutions
Other losers from the Supreme Court ruling were financial institutions. In the February 2019 monetary policy statement, total banking sector loans and advances increased by 11,05%, from US$3,80 billion as at December 31, 2017 to US$4,22 billion as at December 31, 2018. The increase was attributed to lending to the productive sector that increased over the year, from 73,64% to 76,01% of total loans as at December 31, 2018 while consumptive lending took 17,75% of the loan book.

The sector that received most of these loans was agriculture at 16,34%, followed by commercial 15,33%, mortgage 11,12%, distribution 10,52%, construction 9,86%, manufacturing 7,68%, mining 3,52%, financial 1,78%, transport 1,06% and communication 0,38%.

The increase in lending led the central bank to report that the loan position of the banking sector had increased risk as the ratio of non-performing loans (NPLs) to total loans rose to 8,25% as at December 30, 2018, from 7,08% as at December 31, 2017.

The debt was owed to 13 banks, three building societies and one savings bank.

Meanwhile, the loan book from microfinance institutions was also up. As at the end of December 2018, the Zimbabwe Association of Microfinance Institutions reported that total loans for the sector amounted US$207,3 million. These loans were mostly taken by micro and small-to-medium enterprises as well as individuals. So, in total, at the end of 2018 financial institutions were owed nearly US$4,3 billion.

Now, with the Supreme Court ruling, this translates to ZWL$4,3 billion or US$240 million, wiping out US$4,06 billion in debt.

The danger with this is that this has left the sector seriously exposed to a higher credit risk.

Zimra
Zimra perhaps is the biggest loser of the Supreme Court ruling. In the tax collector’s annual report for 2018, Zimra was owed US$5,03 billion. Of that amount, parastatals owed US$490 780 504,19, councils US$232 281 337,50, private US$3 137 760 073,29, and importers US$77 460 507. The money was owed through unpaid taxes. Now, the Supreme Court ruling has effectively translated the US$5,03 billion to ZWL$5,03 billion, wiping at least US$4,75 billion of the arrears. .

What legal experts say
Legal experts have called the Supreme Court ruling “the grand heist”.

In his analysis of the ruling, United Kingdom-based legal scholar Alex Magaisa explained why the ruling was a heist.

“If the debtor owed US$1 million on 21 February 2019, on 23 February 2019, just two days later, they owed just RTGS$1 million. But in the real world, RTGS$1 million was obviously significantly weaker than US$1 million. All because the government said so, via a draconian decree,” he said.

“This is the essence of a command and control approach governance which is the hallmark of the Zimbabwean regime. While it was a boon for debtors, it represented a devastating blow to creditors.”

He added: “The decree was a windfall for debtors whose debts were denominated in US dollars. At the stroke of the presidential pen, their debts had been significantly reduced in US dollar terms because contrary to the government’s command rate, the RTGS was weaker than the US dollar. For the creditors, however, it was a total nightmare”.

Tomorrow we look at the winners of the Supreme Court ruling.

BY Richard Muponde

MACHETE gangs pounced on Masvingo High Court Judge, Justice Garainesu Mawadze’s Waterfalls house in Harare where they severely assaulted his son, and left him for dead. They also stole US$1 500 and other items.

Another machete gang also raided a Kuwadzana forex dealer and stole US$300 and ZWL$18 000.

The two incidents happened on Tuesday.

Reports are that a gang of over 10 men armed with machetes, an assortment of weapons and pepper sprays pounced on Justice Mawadze’s house at around 6pm when there was no one at home.

After getting into the yard, they sprayed his two dogs with pepper spray and tied them to a tree.

They then stripped his Mercedes Benz E400 of its four wheels and a grill after which they broke the French door to his house to gain entry.

On getting into the house, they reportedly ransacked the house, turning everything upside down and stole US$1 500, an iPhone and DVD player.

Reports indicate that the judge’s son arrived while they were still inside the house and they sprayed him with pepper spray before assaulting him, leaving him unconscious.

After the robbery, they disappeared from the scene and are reportedly still at large.

Judiciary Service Commission spokesperson Brian Nkiwane confirmed the robbery without giving more details.

“We confirm receiving such a report and we can’t say much as the matter is under police investigations,” Nkiwane said.

National police spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said he was attending a workshop.

In the Kuwadzana robbery, reports say a gang of six robbed a forex dealer of US$300 and ZWL$18 000 which was in his EcoCash account.

The gang reportedly arrived at Earnest Mukuzo’s house in Kuwadzana 3 at around 1am wearing masks armed with an iron bar, hammer and a pistol.

They awoke him and demanded cash.

In fear, Mukuzo handed over US$300 and his two cellphones which had ZWL$18 000 mobile money.

The gang also demanded his EcoCash pin code.

After robbing him, they allegedly struck him with an iron bar on both hands.

Mukuzo sustained a deep cut on his right hand.

BY BRENNA MATENDERE

MYSTERY surrounds the renaming of Robert Mugabe Way in Kwekwe to ED Mnangagwa Street, with council and the government denying involvement in what seems to be a ploy to erase the late former President’s
legacy.

Last year, the Cabinet approved plans to rename roads, places and government buildings across the country, with 10 roads to be named after President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who owns Precabe Farm in Sherwood, near Kwekwe.

Cabinet announced that Enterprise Road (Harare), Sixth Avenue (Bulawayo), A5 Road (Kwekwe), Main Street (Gweru), Chipinge Main Street, Etherton Road (Bindura), Edgar Peacock Road (Mutare), Henry Hartley Road (Chegutu) and Hughes Street in Masvingo would be named after the incumbent President.

Kwekwe mayor Angeline Kasipo yesterday confirmed the renaming of the street, but said councillors were not involved in the development and the matter would be discussed at the next full council meeting.

“Yes, it is true that the street was renamed and there is a sign post on the corner of the street right now. However, we are going to be discussing that matter to see what happened because we do not have a resolution that paved the way for the renaming. So at this stage, what I can say is that a position is going to be made at the next full council meeting to see if that development was regular or not,” Kasipo, who is an MDC Alliance councillor, said.

Information permanent secretary Ndavaningi Mangwana yesterday said it was false that the street had been renamed and refused to shed light on the matter.

“Robert Mugabe Way has not been changed to ED Mnangagwa Street. You have inaccurate information,” he said curtly.

The Nelson Chamisa-led MDC has a majority of councillors in Kwekwe City Council.

Kwekwe-based human rights defender Nkosilathi Moyo said the general populace in the city was shocked to see the Robert Mugabe Way being renamed and said it seemed the process was irregular because councillors he spoke to in the city expressed ignorance on the re-naming exercise.

“The people of Kwekwe would feel that their rights were trampled upon because they were not consulted on the re-naming exercise. Besides that, we are shocked as to why the authorities chose to target the street named after the late President Mugabe when there are several others with names of former Rhodesian politicians and some whites from the colonial period,” he said.

Soon after the ED Mnangagwa Street sign post was erected, people took selfie photos of it and posted them on social media platforms venting their anger on the development, saying it was better to leave Mugabe’s sign post intact to preserve his legacy.

They said Mnangagwa should, instead, give the people of Kwekwe jobs because they were suffering under his leadership.

Moyo said people were generally unhappy about the name change.

Efforts to get a comment from Local Government minister July Moyo were unsuccessful as his mobile went unanswered.