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In a formal letter to the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, the Bikita Residents and Ratepayers Association (BIRRA) has requested access to two ministerial investigation reports related to the Bikita Rural District Council (RDC) public funds management.
The request, submitted to the Ministry on 30 October this year and directed to the Information department and Permanent Secretary(Pem Sec), DR John Bhasera, addresses the need for the ministerial audit reports issued in 2022 and the 2024 Hungwe Ministerial Investigation Audit to be made public.
The correspondence signals the association’s intent to scrutinize findings surrounding alleged mismanagement of public resources within Bikita RDC.
The request comes in the wake of concerns raised by BIRRA in accord with Duma Residents and Ratepayers Association and the Bikita Business Association, which prompted an official investigation into governance and financial malpractices.
Specific points raised in the request include, desire to obtain the 2022 Bikita RDC Ministerial-audit report and the 2024 Hungwe Ministerial Investigation Audit report with special interests to ownership concerns regarding Hanyanya Investment Private Limited and the Toyota GD6 vehicles scheme.
Hanyanya Investments is a subsidiary company of BRDC whose ownership hierarchy is shrouded in controversy.
“Noting that the Auditor General’s 2024 Local Authorities review highlighted documentation gaps, including the lack of incorporation certificates, establishment resolutions, and share certificates for Bikita Hanyanya Investments, and impeding proper accounting treatment.
Emphasis is on transparency, accountability, and the public’s right to information, invoking constitutional articles and the Freedom of Information provisions in Zimbabwe” read part of the letter.
The communication asserts the right to access information under the constitution and the Freedom of Information Act, arguing that timely, accurate, and accessible information is essential to uphold public accountability and ensure that recommendations from investigative reports are implemented.
As the Ministry evaluates the request, stakeholders and observers note the broader context of governance and oversight in local authorities.
The outcome of this information request could influence ongoing discussions about transparency, governance reforms, and accountability mechanisms within Bikita RDC, other local authorities in the province and the at large.
Officials are expected to respond in due course, with the objective of facilitating informed public discourse while balancing statutory disclosure requirements and sensitive administrative considerations.
Seven Bikita Rural District Council senior managers were rocked in a scandal after they obtained an estimated US$350 000 loan through a council facility and used the funds to buy state of the art vehicles for each other in 2022.
Efforts to get a comment from Pem Sec Dr Bhasera were fruitless.
Local Government spokesperson Gabriel Masvora said he has not set his sight on the letter.
“No have not received it” he said.
BIRRA Coordinator, Bright Madhuyu insisted the submission of the letter on 30 October and it was stamped.
“Yes we submitted the letter to the ministry and now we are waiting for response. We made this move following relentless efforts to get the reports from the local authority but they were admanant to release it,” said Madhuyu
