Ellen Mlambo
TWO NATIONS REPORTER

BEITBRIDGE-Mayor of Beitbridge Municipality and Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) Ward 2 Councillor Munyaradzi Chitsunge has bade farewell to the border town residents and said he looks back at his tenure in office with pride.
He delivered his farewell speech on Monday after a mid- term budget review presentation held at a local lodge.
The review presentation was done by Beitbridge Municipality Finance Director Anymore Mbedzi.
Chitsunge assumed the office of mayor in September 2020 when the Douglas Mwonzora led Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T) recalled then Mayor Morgan Ncube. Chitsunge had been Ncube’s deputy prior to that.
Chitsunge said he looks back at his three year tenure with pride after initiating several projects which have improved service delivery in the border town. He said chief among them was addressing sewer blockages and service delivery challenges.
He also conceded that there are still grey areas which the next elected council should address.
“It is with great pleasure that I stand before you today that in about a month from today my term of office and that of the other five councilors comes to end on the mid night of August, 22, 2023, as new councilors and certainly a new Mayor will be elected.
“As an accountable citizen of your town I thought it wise and prudent that I take the occasion of the 2023 mid-year budget review to bid farewell to the Municipality of Beitbridge stakeholders who I have interacted with the last five years,” said Chitsunge.
Beitbridge Municipality has six councillors.
He said during their term, the council set a special committee to look at service delivery issues including sewerage blockages and there has been improvement. He however, said work on the 1, 1 km sewer upgrade is still outstanding.
“During our term and in effort to enhance service delivery, we created new positions and among them is the position of Engineer Water and Sanitation, Engineer Roads, Projects Engineer as well as key positions of Accountants and the positions were not there before we assumed office. The move has improved service to the community. We recommend hiring an engineer dedicated to roads to improve roads infrastructure and road furniture,” added Chitsunge.
Other key projects completed by the local authority include construction of a science laboratory at Vhembe High school, construction of two classroom blocks of Alfred Beit Primary School in Ward 4, procurement of yellow machines which include a refuse compactor and giga jetting machine and revival of parks around the town through public-private partnerships, ongoing construction of five two roomed houses in Tshitaudze suburb to address the long unresolved dual ownership of A and B houses, rehabilitation of the municipality’s road network and public lightning.