Residents of Nketa suburb in Bulawayo are up in arms with their council representative Councillor Mzama Dube, whom they accuse of duping them money after promising to facilitate residential stands for them.
Some of the deals date back to 2016 with the residents claiming the councillor has not been forthcoming despite being paid.
About six residents from Ward 25, have since approached the Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) to register their complaints.
“Residents approached us angry at the councillor, who [they say] duped them of money,” BPRA communications officer, Kelebone Khabo, confirmed to CITE.
“One [church] congregation said they gave the councillor US$300 in 2016 as he had promised them a church stand. No receipt was however given during the deal and nothing has come out of the deal.”
Some residents, Khabo said, accused Dube of taking groceries from their shops on credit and not paying back.
“It is a case where more victims are still coming up expressing themselves about the councillor,” said Khabo.
Narrating his ordeal to CITE, one of the victims, Funwell Dube, a church leader from Disciples in Action, who were promised a church stand said they were disappointed in the councillor’s behaviour.
“It was in August 2016 when the councillor said he would help our congregation secure a church stand,” said Dube.
“He (the councillor) said we must give him US$300 for city surveyors to assess the area where we wanted our church to be located. We trusted him as our councillor since he had said he was going to buy the stand for us through the local authority. He had told us that between three to four weeks our stand would be available but he still has not delivered on that to date.”
The church leader added: “When we realised that the councillor was beginning to dodge us, we approached his political party (MDC) on the issue in 2019 and that is when he said he was going to reimburse us our money but he only gave us ZW$150 through Eco-cash last year.”
Contacted for a comment, Councillor Dube dismissed the claims as unfounded and baseless.
“There is no such thing,” denied Dube.
“These are people from the same party (MDC) who are fighting me on tribal grounds. Some are claiming I owe them grocery money but I have never heard of a shop that lends people groceries.”
Councillor Dube added: “If people claim I owe them, that is a personal thing and everyone has debts out there. If I take something from you and delay to pay back that does not mean I am never going to pay back. This is just a story formulated by a group of people and I know those people.”
Bulawayo Mayor, Councillor Solomon Mguni, said he was not aware of the issue.
“I have not heard of the issue and I think it is a private lmatter since people meet in their meetings where ever they meet and agree on deals on their own,” said Mguni.
