Bulawayo Council Approves Construction Of $25 Million Mansion For Mayor
Bulawayo City Council (BCC) has approved the construction of a $25 million luxurious mansion for the city’s mayor Solomon Mguni at Selbourne Park, NewZimbabwe reports.
Mguni currently resides in Nkulumane high-density suburb.
According to a council confidential report, an interdepartmental committee set up by the council to explore available options has recommended that the council should build Mguni a new house at a stand owned by the local authority in Selbourne Park.
Initially, the city fathers had proposed to renovate one of the council‘s properties at Hornung Golf Club and allocate it to the mayor while the other option was to buy him an upmarket property. Reads part of the report:
The committee recommended that council takes into consideration option two as the estimated time of renovations and building were the same. The estimated building costs of a new house were slightly higher than the renovation costs. It was also noted that council could utilize its building branch staff to conduct the special project.
The development has reportedly angered the hard-pressed residents who have been calling for an improvement in service delivery. Bulawayo has for years been having water challenges.
Meanwhile, MDC Alliance Bulawayo spokesperson Swithern Chirowodza has distanced the party’s councillors from the mayoral mansion’s project. Said Chirowodza:
MDC Alliance is a poor people’s party and we do not support such unnecessary extravagance. Bulawayo ratepayers are in the midst of abject poverty and they cannot religiously pay their bills because of poverty. As a party, we cannot, therefore, be seen to be supporting this madness.
Chorwadza added that the local government authority is now dominated by MDC-T after the recall of eight MDC A Alliance councillors by Mwonzora last year.
MDC Alliance was left with only five councillors who reportedly tried to resist “this antipeople’s resolution but alas they were outnumbered.”
MDC-T currently has 14 councillors while Zanu PF has only one councillor.
More: NewZimbabwe
