Two newly-elected Victoria Falls councillors belonging to the ruling ZANU-PF party have been sworn-in following their victory in Saturday’s by-elections.
Tonderai Mutasa landed the position after winning 107 votes against his rival Christopher Ndiweni from the Citizen’s Coalition for Change (CCC) who missed the post by only five votes after Mutasa in Ward 1.
In Ward 6 Bekithemba Mlotshwa also from ZANU-PF won by 316 votes against CCC’s Derrick Munsaka who got 179 and Brain Ndlovu from MDC Alliance who polled only 16 votes.
Mlotshwa and Mutasa took the oath during a full council meeting on Wednesday and promised to serve with diligence and honesty as town clerk Ronnie Dube and the city’s mayor Somvelo Dhlamini stood in as testifiers.
Mutasa says his aim at the council chambers is to revive sporting facilities and ensure that the city is free from environmental pollution.
“I will advocate for sporting facilities, for instance, if Brazil comes here, the nearest sporting place they can go to is Hwange and if Mosi Rovers which is in the Southern Division can make it into the premier league, people here will not be able to watch it, so this is what I intend to address in addition to addressing the issue around environmental pollution.”
Mlotshwa says he will only be a messenger conveying his ward’s expectations from the council.
“Already Ward 6 residents are saying water bills are too high and I will take it to the local authority and have it addressed,” he said.
“Estimated water bill is another issue that is critical together with bad road conditions in the ward, so I will take it to the local authority. I will also assist with the provision of street lights to avoid cases of thievery and thuggeries so I will try to look into that and in the process when that is being done, the youths will be employed so that they can assist their families.”
Meanwhile, Dhlamini said he expected the winners to first serve the resident’s interests before considering their own needs.
“I want to work with councillors who are community-oriented,” Dhlamini said.
“I expect them to be able to articulate the people’s interests and issues well in council and they should also be humble and be able to know their purpose in office,” Dhlamini added.
He said he was also looking for someone who understands local authority policies, by-laws and national laws.
“They should be able to articulate, debate and implement the Urban Councils Act and policies as these are the fundamental principles of local authority’s mandate,” he said.
“They should show interest in these and as they serve the people, those policies and acts should also be applied for smooth running and harmonious ways as we try to grow our city.”
Victoria Falls has 11 wards.
