By Correspondent
Masvingo city council deputy mayor Wellington Mahwende has dumped his ward 6 and will contest for the position of MP in the coming elections.
Mahwende won the right to represent Masvingo Urban constituency under Zanu PF.
He emerged the winner during the party’s chaotic internal polls held recently.
Mahwende served one term as a councilor in ward 6 before his decision for the National Assembly seat.
“Thank you for choosing me as your MP and to also express my appreciation to all the ZANU PF members who took the time to cast their vote.
“Our participation proved beyond doubt that ZANU PF is alive in Masvingo Urban Constituency,” Mahwende said after his victory.
False Promises
However, his reign as ward councilor was marred by many unfulfilled promises.
During the past 5 years, residents said Mahwende never held a single feedback or consultation meeting with them.
“I believe he is one of the worst councilors we had in the history of this ward.
“We never saw him since he won in 2018.
“No single community meeting was held.
“All we could hear is that he is driving his flashy cars around the city and had forgotten about our interests as a ward,” said an elderly Gogo Machuma of Majange during a interview with Open Council.
Some of the promises that Mahwende promised include creation of a community center for the youths.
He also promised to rehabilitate the ward’s roads, attend to water, sewer and refuse schedules of the ward.
Mahwende’s open door policy for engagement on the needs of the ward remained rhetoric.
Instead, his tenure as a councilor was characterized by a proliferation of illegal miners near the city’s water reservoirs in the ward.
The city council has so far failed to deal with them.
