CIO unmasked

The meeting, attended by council management, business community, residents and notable CIO members was shocked as Nyandoro narrated how the CIO was manipulating council affairs in a bid to oust the elected MDC council. The mayor said he was reliably informed by highly placed sources that CIO and Zanu (PF) hatched a plot to hire thugs from surrounding farms to masquerade as rate-payers and stage protests at council offices against poor service delivery.

“This is a Zanu (PF) project funded by the president’s office to topple the elected MDC city fathers. Like previous similar failed Zanu (PF) projects this one will be foiled,” Nyandoro told the meeting. He said he would seize the opportunity to reveal to residents the people who looted council assets such as livestock, water pumps and bus stop shelter roofs. His tough talk followed an announcement by police law and order that it had sanctioned a protest by residents for last Thursday.

After Nyandoro told police that he had organised enough protection for council officials and property, they called off the demonstration.

Nyandoro later told The Zimbabwean that he was in a position to expose Zanu (PF) former council officials and other party members who helped themselves to council property and went on to over-staff council employment on a partisan basis.

Inside Zanu (PF) sources said the idea behind the planned demonstration was to invite Chombo to dissolve the MDC council and replace it with a commission ahead of the elections.

Marondera MDC council has survived several attempts to dislodge it since it came into office in February 2009.

In 2011 Zanu (PF) council workers reinforced with party supporters from surrounding farms staged a two week long demonstration at council offices against what they described as nine months unpaid salaries. The demonstration was called off after MDC council security guards confronted the protestors after realising that the majority of them were not council employees.