Zanu PF councilor ‘turns new community clinic into a beerhall’
GUTU – In a brazen abuse of public resources and properties, Thandavanu Simbanegavi, a Zanu PF councilor has allegedly been using a newly constructed council clinic in Ward 22, Gutu Central as a beer hall.
Mupasimba Clinic is yet to be fully completed. The clinic was built using resources from Gutu Rural District Council and from villagers. Villagers provided bricks, pit and river sand and labour while council provided roofing material, cement, window and door frames.
Villagers and other sources told Masvingo Mirror that they are bitter that after constructing the clinic, Simbanegavi pitched up and turned the facility into her personal beerhall and sold liquor from there. They alleged that the beerhall opened in the morning and sold beer into the early hours of the next day.
Simbanegavi refuted the allegations when Masvingo Mirror called her for a comment. She however said that there was a time that she took her fridge to the clinic when the facility was used for an outreach function that involved Minister of State for Security, Lovemore Matuke and MP for Gutu Central Winston Chitando.
She accused her enemies of fabricating the story to destroy her.
Former Ward 22 councilor, Bickson Muzenda however, alleged that Simbanegavi used the clinic for almost a year operating a personal beer hall. He said that she only stopped after an outcry from the public including reports sent to council offices.
Gutu RDC Chief Executive Officer, Alexander Mtembwa said he had not heard reports of the clinic being used as a beerhall. He however, confirmed that Mupasimba Clinic was built by villagers with assistance from the local authority. He said that the clinic is likely to be opened before the end of 2027.
Muzenda said he is the one who moved the motion to build the clinic in 2010.
“In 2010 I moved a motion seeking approval for the construction of the clinic and this was endorsed by all councillors. The clinic was pegged and built,” said Muzenda.
However, he said the project later took a controversial turn after it was turned into a bar.
“Villagers later saw the clinic being used as a beerhall and this pained the community. The clinic worked as a beerhall for one year,” he said.
He said his heart bleeds because the clinic is not operational since 2022 and yet villagers are walking 15km to the nearest health service centres.
“There is no clinic in the ward. The one that was here was moved to another ward after a delimitation exercise. People are walking 15km to the nearest clinics in other wards,” he said.
He said that people initially moulded farm bricks which were condemned by council. He said the farm bricks were sold to various schools and no one has accounted to the villagers for the sales.
“The community played a pivotal role in building the clinic. People moulded bricks and provided labour. To my surprise, after my term I heard the bricks were sold to different schools,” he said.
Muzenda said he believes the project should have been completed and commissioned by now, and called for Government intervention to ensure the clinic becomes operational.
Masvingo Mirror
