Even members of the MDC-T who sit on the district committee expressed displeasure, alleging that she only constructed a footbridge linking Dzivarasekwa and its Extension and painted one community hall and claimed the projects cost some $46,000.
“I don’t even think she can move around the constituency without getting lost along the way because she is rarely here. I have never seen her personally. To be honest, I don’t know her although I voted for her,” said Sekai Matyora of Dzivarasekwa 3.
Another resident, Peter Mazara, said although he knew the MP, he had last seen her in the constituency a long time ago, adding that the Parliamentary Constituency office was always closed.
A senior MDC official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Masaiti had ignored calls from the party’s district structure to use the CDF to sink boreholes.
“We had agreed that our immediate problem was the provision of clean drinking water, hence the need to sink boreholes, but she had other ideas,” he said.
Masaiti denied having abused the C funds, saying she had also bought furniture for the three halls and repaired the windows, but our reporter noticed that they were broken.
“I have also sunk a borehole in Dzivaresekwa Extension, but the people who are doing the job have stopped saying their machine broke down. I have all the receipts, if you go and see Munodakufa (official with the Ministry of Constitutional Affairs) he has got everything,” said the MP.
However, a visit to the halls revealed that no meaningful improvements had been made, with Dzivaresekwa 3 hall in a dilapidated state. Only the front of Dzivarasekwa 1 Community Centre was painted, while the furniture turned out to be less than 30 benches – at a total cost of around $300.
A Harare City Council employee who refused to be identified said there were no window panes fitted at the hall as claimed by the MP.
A member of the MDC District Executive blamed some members of the executive, who he said had insisted that the funds be used to fund their personal projects.
“At first the MP had suggested that we drill boreholes, but members of the executive resisted because they wanted projects that benefited them personally. They misled the MP,” he said.
Several MP’S from Zanu (PF) and the MDC-T were arrested by the Anti- Corruption Commission for abusing the Constituency Development Fund while many more are being investigated after they failed to account for the money.
But Attorney General Johannes Tomana halted the investigations and ordered that the Ministry of Constitutional Affairs conduct an audit of all 210 constituencies. This was viewed by observers as a ploy to protect big shots in Zanu PF who had been caught up in the ACC swoop.
The audit exercise was supposed to have ended in June this year, but Constitutional Affairs Minister, Eric Matinenga, said it will only be concluded next year. Matinenga said his ministry would submit a report to the Comptroller General on completion of the exercise.
“We just report and if there is anything untoward, we have no power to prosecute as that rests with the Attorney General, and you are aware of his position,” he said.
Masaiti was given a constituency in Harare by her party in 2008 after having represented Mutasa South in Manicaland.
Post published in: News