Theresa Zibowa
MIRROR REPORTER

CHIKOMBA- Mvuma residents are threatening to boycott Chirumanzu Rural District Council (RDC) 2024 budget consultations over failure to implement projects proposed by residents in past years.
A meeting was held at Mushayavhudzi Stadium on Friday and was attended by Chirumanzu RDC Ward 14 Councillor Wonder Chiverengo.
The meeting agenda was for residents to air their grievances to the council.
Mvuma Residents and Ratepayers Alliance director Sitshengisiwe Kalenge confirmed the matter to The Mirror.
Kalenge said the council is disinterested in resolving problematic issues affecting residents. She said budget consultations have become useless because the council is not implementing residents’ contributions.
“As residents, we are tired of attending budget consultations where we propose projects we feel need to be prioritized but every year, no one seems to be bothered by implementing our proposals.
“The council should make efforts to implement proposed projects. We cannot entertain a situation where we are made to propose one project that goes unimplemented. We cannot continue to attend fruitless budget consultations. They must implement our previous proposals,” said Kalenge.
Former Mvuma Town Board Chair and Ward 13 Councillor, Tremendous Musara refuted allegations of boycotting the residents’ meeting. He accused residents of becoming social media warriors with no interest in attending meetings to formally raise their issues.
He also said that the local authority has been implementing proposed projects over the years.
“I did not boycott the residents’ meeting. When I arrived at the venue at the scheduled time, there was no one so I proceeded to another meeting. Residents have become vocal on social media platforms and don’t attend critical meetings. They must take meetings such as this and budget consultations meetings seriously to know what projects have been implemented,” he said.