Letter from Gweru United Progressive Residents & Ratepayers Development Association Trust (GUPRARDA Trust) to the Minister of Local Government and National Housing
We write in connection with the above matter. From the onset we would like to state unequivocally that it has never been, and is currently not and shall never ever be our intention to engage in a process that seeks to unjustifiably dismiss an innocent employee. We believe in the principle of an accused person is “presumed innocent until proven guilty”. We also want to put it on record that we as residents are fully in support of the on-going investigating process by a team put in place by the councilors. We believed and still believe the team is a properly constituted and properly mandated authority appointed by councilors acting within their mandate as stipulated in the constitution. We believe the councilors appointed team can competently execute the task placed before them if they have no interference from any quarter, and unless we get proof to the contrary with regards to the team’s competence, we shall continue to maintain this position.
We are therefore perturbed, concerned and utterly confused by the sudden emergence of an unsolicited investigation team coming from your office to interrogate a wide range of issues. Some if not most of the issues touch on issues under investigation by the council appointed investigating team. We are worried by what we perceive to be an intrusive approach to issues by the Ministry.The coming of the Ministry’s team results in the sidelining, suspension and belittling of the efforts of the council’s appointed investigating team. There is also a palpable risk of the findings of the councillors’ appointed team being confined to the rubbish dump. Honourable Minister may we remind your office that the councilors are the mandated and popularly elected people’s representatives who have been deployed to carry out the residents’ sovereign agenda over the city’s issues.
Source: Gweru United Progressive Residents & Ratepayers Development Association Trust
