via Bulawayo24 NEWS | Bona Mugabe’s wedding to cost ratepayers 16 February 2014
Harare City Council may have to fork out over US$ 1 million to resurface roads in preparation for the wedding of President Robert Mugabe’s daughter, Bona on March 1, it has emerged.
Sources at Town House told The Standard that government last week allegedly issued a directive to council to immediately start resurfacing and repairing roads that will be used by the wedding party.
The directive was allegedly given to town clerk, Tendai Mahachi who was recently saved by Local Government minister, Ignatius Chombo after Mayor, Bernard Manyenyeni had suspended him for three months for refusing to provide the salary schedule for Town House executives.
Mahachi recently placed advertisements in the State media notifying people of the impending temporary closure of some roads, to pave way for the road works.
A senior Town House official said the Ministry of Local Government gave council a deadline of two weeks to complete the road works.
He said meetings had already been held to prepare for the project, with preliminary evaluations projecting that over US$1 million would be spent.
“The justification being given is that several important dignitaries, including foreign heads of state, will be coming, hence the need to present a good image of Harare,” said the official.
He said mobilising of personnel, plant and materials to be used for the project were at an advanced stage.
The official said expectations were that by Saturday [yesterday], everything would be in place, paving the way for road works to start.
Another Town House official said in order to meet the tight deadline, council employees would have to work at night and temporarily suspend other projects.
Most roads in the city are riddled with potholes, some of which now resemble craters as council is failing to provide essential services due to cash constraints.
“This is unfair on our part because council is broke and failing to repair even worse roads than those being talked about,” said the official.
He said as Bona’s wedding was most likely to resemble a State occasion, the Zimbabwe National Road Authority (Zinara), instead of council, should have provided funding for the road works.
The official said it was not yet clear what other expenses HCC would incur as a result of the city hosting the “wedding of the year”.
Roads expected to be spruced up include, Chancellor Avenue where State House is located, Seventh Street, Borrowdale Road, Carrick Creagh and Crowhill which lead to Borrowdale Brooke.
Chombo was not answering his phone since Friday while Manyenyeni yesterday expressed ignorance over the project.
Mahachi referred questions to the city’s director of engineering, Phillip Pfukwa.
But Pfukwa requested questions in writing, promising to get back to The Standard by tomorrow.
The directive to resurface the roads comes amid reports that Mugabe’s Borrowdale Brooke mansion is undergoing renovations and construction. Our sister publication, NewsDay, last week reported that goods worth millions of dollars were ordered from South Africa to spruce up the 25-roomed mansion.
COMMENTS
And you expect him to fight corruption. He survives on it ,its his first nature.
until he still has use of Chombo, Mahachi AND HIS FARM MANAGER ,Made, the circus will carry on.
THE ROYAL FAMILY!
Which heads of state and dignitaries will be trying to legitimize this dreadful family?
Zuma anouya, Kabila, Ngwema, Mbeki….it will be full house shamwari, uchashama
Mahumbwe ese aya achapera. Zvichapera
And disgusting disgraceful insult to the poor suffering povo masses of the kingdom of mugabeland. Show offs. Not even shy of their appealing evil cruel crimes. Zunde is silent.!!!!!!!
This is a misleading headline. Who is supposed to resurface those roads? Of course the city of Harare, so whats the issue here?
The issue Qiniso,is that u don’t understand that money should be used for other important things like water instead of the show off. The timing is influenced by greed and thuggery.
Iwe unenge chigogodza chemunhu. Unotonetesa kana ku explenera
The issue is why now, given such tight budget of both time and money. They had 34 years to re-surface and now its of “paramount importance” because the first family, friends of first family and dignitaries would want to use the roads for the occasion of Grace’s daughter’s wedding. Why was similar effort not made to cater for Zimbabwean in general in the last 10 years. Roads that could not me done in 34 years will be done in a few weeks. Zvingopera, ndinotonyengera Robert Junior kamwe kekuBulawayo perhaps it wil be resurfaced zvakare under an “appease the dignitaries for the the wedding project”
Qiniso, is resurfacing of roads supposed to be done when there is some function by the gukurahundi family?
This tribalistic guy. You keep your dry, arid, barren Matabeleland and we keep our Mashonaland. After all, its happening in Harare and not koBulawayo.
Priorities first my boy Bob. Now we must pay for this wedding after all the stealing. We are dum for sure. This only adds insult to our injuries .You are worse than Idi Amin Mobutu etc put together. To think we got rid of Smith for this rubbish. Imbwa
There is no holding back where this family’s selfish needs are concerned. Money will suddenly appear in the country’s coffers to meet their every need but a few weeks back these people told us there was no money to pay school fees for nearly half a million children in school. We also told that there are students in various countries send there to study living in unbearable condition but again there was no money to pay their fees and boarding.
I for one am beyond livid and sometimes wonder what the whole of our nation has done to deserve the most selfish uncaring geriatric and his hounds not to mention that woman(I will not say how I feel about her out of respect for people who read this) he lives with at the helm of our nation.
Sadly there will be those who will be lining these spruced up streets in their Sunday best on empty stomachs and no jobs ullulating and chanting like hyenas and magpies on the day of the wedding.
nxa
How come these private family events attain national status to the point where the City council has to set aside its priorities to fund this extravagance?
The Mugabes have enough money to fund whatever is required from their loot and should let council use the little it has to cover more urgent needs that benefit its residents.
This is taking people for granted at its best.
@QINISO-You do not act like what your name means ,that is THE TRUTH get it changed to LIES [AMANGA].
Ukaitawo first family uchazoona, ndivo madimba amakavapa
I wonder which roads they are referring to? Airport road?
why such a hurry for this wedding, is she pregnant??
@ African, lol. I like you sense of humour. This has too be one brave or stupid dude to marry into the family given what is coming when the old man dies. He like them will have to live in exile on charity. Rumania and Chaucescu come to mind, the people are that angry.
On a lighter side I am wondering why the groom is not ( shamura )Tsvangirai, after all he is on the look out for another wife and she is ZANUPF through and through.
Aluta continua – mati madii!!
What a cheek! The City of Harare and citizens should tell ZPF to take a flying leap. To be honest I am sick and tired of all this bull dust. There shouldn’t be any potholes anyway. Chinoyi only got fixed because ZPF had their conference there. They must all resign. They are a disgrace as a government.
Corruption is party of gukurahundism. Gukurahundi Mugabe makes no difference between his private life and that of the state.
There is no transperancy as to where all this money is coming from – the sprucing about of the 25-roomed Mansion; where he got the money for such a huge property, yet his salary in the last 34 years can never justify such a property; the farms and their equipment/infrastructure; the rebuilt Zwimba homestead etc, etc – you name it.
This is the same man people expect to fight corruption. A man who uses state resources for his family’s private affairs – flying for graduation ceremonies to Hong Kong; million dollar apartment in Hong.
I pity these children – they will indeed need heavy security around them for the rest of their lives; once their gukurahundi father is gone. Otherwise, death will befall them wherever they go!!
lord have mercy!
Some of us had been willing to not attribute the sounds of the Father on his unfortunate offspring. Now we see that even they are just as bad. Bona uri kugota moto wembavha. The day of reckoning draws near and you shall be swallowed by a people’s wrath.
Hang them. Dirty, filthy animals.
What is the MDC mayor saying , MDC is toothless.I know Zanu Pf will get its way but we must hear MDC’s voice.In South Africa the DA will surely say something if they see something wrong although ANC will have its way.
mucha you handide kukutuka but manzwi ako haana kunaka revise your speech you sound very much tribal mashona hatidero isu hatiiti izvozvo sorry zvako Mucha wanditsamwisa