GWERU - The Gweru City Council has bought a top of the range Toyota Prado for the ceremonial mayor, Tedious himombe, for US$42 000 amid revelations that a fleet of top of the range vehicles will soon be bought for senior management staff.Sources within the council said the mayor’s car bought in Harare was delivered last Friday.
The development comes at a time when the council is battling to pay its general workers, citing cash flow hallenges.
The council workers, who said they have been paid 25 per cent of their salaries since January, two weeks ago demonstrated at the town house demanding to be paid their outstanding salaries.
The sources said plans were also underway to buy an additional vehicle for the mayor, a Nissan Navara.
“The mayor has actually left for the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair and is using his new purchase,” said the source.
According to the sources, plans were at an advanced stage to buy top of the range vehicles for senior managers who include the Town Clerk and city council directors.
The workers have accused the city fathers of being insensitive to their plight.
They said they could not see the logic of buying top of the range vehicles when council was failing to meet its obligations such as paying them their salaries.
“Some suburbs like Mkoba have gone for months without water because the council has no capacity to meet the city’s daily water consumption,” said one of the workers
who refused to be named.
Contacted for comment, Chimombe confirmed that the council had bought him a new vehicle but insisted the vehicle was a council vehicle that was meant for council business.
“Is it new that councils buy vehicles for use by council officials? The Prado vehicle you are referring to was bought for the mayor to use during council business and its not my vehicle as you are saying, it’s a council vehicle for use by the mayor,” he said.
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