Gweru council pushes for suspended TC Vakai Chikwe...

Gweru council pushes for suspended TC Vakai Chikwekwe over car

Zim Now Writer

The City of Gweru has resolved to report suspended Acting Town Clerk Vakai Chikwekwe to the police for allegedly stealing the local authority’s service delivery vehicle.

This comes as Chikwekwe, who was suspended on February 22 without pay or benefits, allegedly held onto a council vehicle, registration number AAE 5600 despite a council resolution ordering him to surrender it.

Councillors resolved to send Acting Chamber Secretary Tapiwa Marerwa and the City Chief Security Officer to file a theft of motor vehicle charge at Gweru Central Police Station.

This followed a question that raised by Ward 11 Councillor, Albert Chirau who asked if the council had made any progress in recovering a service delivery vehicle taken home by the suspended Chikwekwe.

“Is there any progress on the recovery of a council vehicle that was taken by Chikwekwe? Council is failing to provide quality service delivery while someone went to Gokwe with our vehicle, and residents continue to mount pressure on us on the issue, please update us on the matter, it has been a month now,” he said.

Chirau added that Chikwekwe had taken the vehicle without council approval prior to his suspension, and argued that the move could be deemed as theft.

Acting Chamber Secretary Marerwa said after filing a police report as per the previous council resolution, the police had advised them to seek a court order for the reclamation of the vehicle.

It is said the police felt the case was a human resources dispute between employer and employee and advised the local authority to seek a court order before moving on to take the vehicle from Chikwekwe.

Gweru Mayor Hamutendi Kombayi asked Marerwa to go and report the matter to the police, this time, as a case of car theft.

The suspended Chikwekwe said he did not steal the said vehicle, arguing instead that it was the council that owed him a brand new Toyota Fortuner SFX vehicle worth US$83 435.

“I did not steal the said vehicle, this was just a car that I used to conduct council business. As a matter of fact, the council is the one that owes me a vehicle. There is a Cabinet approval document to the effect that the council should buy me a Toyota Fortuner worth US$83 000.

“In fact let, me send you the cabinet approval document, council should not shed crocodile tears over a US$30 000 vehicle, same applies, why do they want to cry over this car when actually a US$170 000 was destroyed in an accident and the person who destroyed it, was not yet officially appointed at council. I never touched that US$170 000 car as the Acting Town Clerk because I knew that the car was way above my pay grade; it belonged to a Town Clerk,” he said.

Chikwekwe revealed that there are several individuals that went away with council vehicles.

“There are individuals who went away with council vehicles, Tigere went with a council vehicle for his condition of service, who complained against it, who pushed for his arrest? Manatsa also went away with a council vehicle and the vehicle was involved in an accident. Who pushed for his arrest?

Chikwekwe argued that the allegations are being raised against him because they are of different political affiliation and hence are aimed at fixing him.

Chikwekwe was suspended from the council in February on accusations of acting inconsistently or contrary to his duties as an accounting Officer for the City of Gweru by awarding contracts for the servicing of Mkoba 21 stands to Sheasham Investments, Casas Properties and Wackdrive (Pvt) Ltd without clearance from the Special Procurement Oversight Committee.

Council argues that he showed favour to the three land developers and disfavour to the other companies who bid for the servicing of the stands.