Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. Bulawayo Mayor Councillor Solomon Mguni has slammed CCC local authority candidate David Coltart for insinuating that there is endemic corruption within the city, The Sunday News reported.
Mguni likened Coltart to an “over-excited toddler” who has just been introduced to “jiggies” for the first time.
Coltart, who is contesting Ward 4, has been touted as Bulawayo’s next mayor if CCC wins a majority in the local government elections.
In an interview with a local online publication, the former Education Minister vowed to rid the local authority of corruption. Said Coltart:
Bulawayo is not working because of corruption; it is driving away potential investors. I want our city to have more investments and we can do that by eradicating corruption, which has become endemic.
Responding to the remarks by Coltart, Mguni said the former minister’s utterances were reckless and unfortunate. He said:
We take great exception to such reckless utterances from an individual of such maturity and professional calling who once occupied a Cabinet Ministerial position in the Government of Zimbabwe.
While we are open to criticism as a public institution; we frown upon unfounded and baseless accusations of corruption and malpractices.
His assertions imply that all the Government agencies; including ZACC who carried out investigations and inquiries relating to the operations of the City of Bulawayo are incompetent.
We challenge him to produce proof of such corrupt practices on the part of management and councillors of the City of Bulawayo.
His behaviour is akin to that of an over-excited toddler who has taken sight of jiggies.
Mguni accused Coltart of pushing what he termed the agenda of white monopoly empowerment. He said:
We call upon all patriotic residents to ignore unsubstantiated claims that have the potential to harm the image of the city and drive away potential investors.
It is the likes of Mr Coltart who, historically, have been pushing the agenda of white monopoly empowerment at the expense of disadvantaged black entrepreneurs who are now seeking to reverse black economic empowerment by labelling it as corruption.
Mguni joined the Douglas Mwonzora camp after the controversial 2020 pre-COVID lockdown Supreme Court ruling on MDC-T succession and as a result, was not among the Bulawayo councillors who were recalled.
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