Masvingo — Nearly 50 vehicles, including road-making equipment such as tippers and front-end loaders, from the Masvingo City Council will go under the hammer next week. The Messenger of Court has already issued a notice of a public auction of the attached assets.

Auctioning of council's assets was initially pencilled for January 16 last month but was stopped after council managed to successfully appeal against the decision by the High Court for council to pay its workers US$3,5 million in outstanding salaries.

The auction is set for next Wednesday at the Deputy Sheriff's offices and Masvingo city council vehicles yard in the city.

The Deputy Sheriff on Thursday afternoon moved to attach and remove from council premises four tippers, one front end loader and a grader ahead of next week's public auction. However, Masvingo mayor Alderman Femius Chakabuda was yesterday unfazed by the impending auction saying council would continue to place its faith in the outcome of the courts' determination.

"We are taking some legal steps to make sure that the assets are not auctioned. I must, however, point out that we are not worried at all as council because our side of the story has never been heard especially at the courts," he said.