Gwanda Rural District councillors have complained that Members of Parliament (MPs) in the district are dodging full council meetings a situation they said affects development.
There are three constituencies in Gwanda, Gwanda North, Gwanda South and Gwanda Central (now Gwanda-Tshitaudze).
The MP for Gwanda North is Madodana Sibanda while the Gwanda South MP is Abedinico Ncube.
Gwanda Central legislator is Patrick Dube.
Speaking at a recent full council meeting Gwanda District Development Coordinator, Thulani Moyo indicated that the district does send invitation letters to the MPs inviting them to attend the meetings.
The Council Chairperson Ward 20 councillor Joram Ndlovu said the MPs do not attend the important meeting for them to get a full picture of what is happening in the district.
“There are issues that we come across in our wards when meeting villagers, but MPs don’t attend these meetings to also hear villagers’ concerns. They are supposed to attend,’ said Cllr Ndlovu.
Another councillor tasked the chairperson or the rural to check with other districts if the MPs do attend the meetings.
“The chairperson has a role to play, he meets other chairpersons of different councils from other provinces, he should check whether other provinces or districts are also experiencing the same problem, and if it is happening what plans did, they make so that we can resolve this. It is our role to make noise so that they will end up attending these meetings,” he said.
The councillor said the matter of the attendance of MPs should be non-partisan
“The problem that we have is that we defend them because they belong to our political parties, but we are speaking about their roles as MPs,” he said.
Ward 6 councillor Kellon Skula Ndlovu said the government should be aware of the matter.
“They are disrespecting us, every year they don’t attend but they were elected into office, how are they speaking on our behalf when they don’t come down to us, maybe they lie and say they partake in our meetings. The government should know that we don’t meet them,” said Clr Ndlovu.
In addition, Ward 22 councillor Mary Mpofu said the MPs in the district are not even active in Parliament.
“We are all voted into power as councillors, MPs and Senators and we should all know our roles, what is shocking is that there are parliament booklets telling us what our MPs are saying in Parliament, I have never heard what other MPs besides Mayihlome and Ngulube from Beitbridge are saying in Parliament, where are they,” she said.
Mpofu said the MPS are also not transparent to the councillors concerning the Constituency Developments Funds, “they don’t even show us this money, they hide it, they don’t come with it on the ground and people are now blaming us.”
“People on the ground don’t know the senators, mostly they interact with us as councillors, they are not aware of the protocol, people don’t know that they have to give these issues to MPs, and the only person being blamed is a councillor and we will be voted out,” she said.
She added that the MPs fuel people on the ground to remove the councillors from their positions promising them that they will field a better councillor.
