Zanu PF officials bleed Lupane council
March 3, 2013 in Local
BULAWAYO — The son of Mines and Mining Development minister, Obert Mpofu,
has been dragged to court for failure to pay land tax to the Lupane council
in Matabeleland North.
BY NQOBANI NDLOVU
The Kusile Rural District Council (RDC) handed over Jabulani Mpofu to its
lawyers last week to try and recover US$500 that he owes the struggling
local authority.
Jabulani runs Dete valley Lot 1 farm in Matabeleland North province.
Jabulani is among other top Zanu-PF officials, including Bulawayo
Metropolitan governor, Cain Mathema, that have not been paying land tax and
have since been dragged before the courts.
According to documents from the Kusile RDC, Jabulani, Zanu-PF officials,
chiefs and government bureaucrats owe the local authority close to US$60
000.
The council has invoked Section 151 and 198, Chapter 29:14 of the Rural
District Councils Act to sue the debtors.
Matshobane Ncube of Phulu Ncube Legal Practitioners confirmed that Lupane
council had engaged them to recover money from Jabulani and other
defaulters.
“We have already issued summons to those that owe the Lupane council,” Ncube
said.
The failure by Mpofu’s son and other government officials to pay land tax
for their respective farms is crippling council operations, Keyani Mpofu,
the Lupane council’s finance chairperson said.
Mpofu said Lupane council was failing to develop the Matabeleland North
capital because of such defaulters.
“The RDC l Act is clear that all defaulters are supposed to be taken to
court,” he said.
“The council survives on revenue it generates from land taxes and royalties.
If these are not paid, council operations are choked and service delivery is
greatly affected.”
Mpofu said council resorted to legal action as debtors were ignoring notices
calling on them to make payment plans or clear the debts altogether.
Council documents show that some of the debtors include Zanu PF bigwigs like
politburo member, Jacob Mudenda, Jonathan Mathuthu (husband of Matabeleland
North governor Thokozile Mathuthu), Bubi MP and party provincial secretary
for administration, Clifford Sibanda, provincial administrator, Latiso
Dlamini, as well as Lupane district administrator, Christopher Chuma.
Chiefs Mabhikwa and Dingani also owe the local authority.
Most of them are beneficiaries of the land reform programme.
Efforts to get a comment from Jabulani and other defaulters were not
successful.