Bitumen Scandal Rocks Bulawayo City Council, Residents Demand Action

The Bulawayo City Council (BCC) is reeling from a massive corruption scandal, where 285 drums of bitumen worth over $82,000 have gone missing from the city's Kelvin North Depot. The loss, which also includes critical road maintenance materials, has raised concerns about the city's internal controls and procurement systems. City councillors are demanding the immediate dismissal of those responsible, citing a lack of supervision and daily monitoring within the Department of Works.

Key Takeaways:

• The missing bitumen, valued at over $82,000, was reported to Western Commonage Police Station on June 6, 2023.
• The theft of the essential road repair materials comes on the heels of another theft incident where a senior supervisor in the council's ambulance services was fired for siphoning off over 7,000 litres of diesel, valued at over $10,000.
• An audit team has released a prediction report, hinting at systemic issues within the council's procurement and inventory management processes.
• Councillor Melissa Mabeza accused the responsible department of corruption and called for an investigation as a matter of urgency.
• The Deputy Mayor, Clr Edwin Ndlovu, concurred with Clr Mabeza, stating that the lack of supervision and daily monitoring had led to the theft of the bitumen.
• The bitumen scandal is the latest in a string of thefts to hit the depot, with a senior supervisor fired last month for siphoning off diesel.

Statistics:

• 285 drums of bitumen worth over $82,000 went missing from the Kelvin North Depot.
• 9 drums of Stable 60 (valued at $2,142) and 20 drums of MC30 (worth $6,480) were also reported missing.
• The litre price of bitumen is $0.145, Stable 60 is $0.119, and MC30 is $0.162.
• 7,000 litres of diesel worth over $10,000 were siphoned off by the senior supervisor in the council's ambulance services.

Sources:

• Council report dated June 6, 2023
• Local authority statement
• Audit team report