The Chitungwiza Residents’ Trust (Chitrest)’s Information, Research and Training department (IRT) yesterday had an interview with the Chitrest Programs Director Mr Marvellous Kumalo (MK) on a number of issues on Chitungwiza peddled by the media last week. The excerpt below carries some of the issues touched on. IRT: Mr. Kumalo, the Chitungwiza Town Clerk Mr George Makunde, appearing before the parliamentary portfolio committee on Local Government earlier this week, claimed that some of the residents’ associations in Chitungwiza are led by former MPs and former councillors some of them who were allegedly involved in illegal land allocations in the town. What is your take on that? MK: That is a reckless statement coming from a Town Clerk of a town the size of Chitungwiza. It publicly displays his level of ignorance. Is there any problem with a former politician to leave politics and continue giving back to the community in a different capacity? I personally see nothing wrong with this as long as one serves a community and not pursue personal interests. Politicians are born as residents somewhere first before being voted into offices. So if the former MPs and former councillors he was referring to are residents of Chitungwiza, where is the problem if they are chosen to lead some residents’ movement? Zimbabwe is awash with former politicians who are doing something elsewhere after leaving politics. Look at Mr Paul Mangwana, a former MP himself, he is now part of the civil society through the Zimbabwe Property Owners Trust (ZiPOT) and to show that there is no problem with that, the same Makunde-led council recently engaged his services for a debt collection contract. The former Minister of Finance, Mr Samuel Mumbengegwi, for example, is lecturing at the Great Zimbabwe University. Look at the boards of companies under the Ministry of Energy and Power Development that were recently appointed by Minister Mavhaire, there are full of former Ministers, former MPs and politicians. I have seen a number of former military officers, retiring from the security sector for public jobs or posts. It is constitutionally correct. The list is endless. On the claim that the former councillors and ex-MPs were allegedly part of the illegal land allocations in Chitungwiza, my advice to him is, if he can prove that then let him report the matter with the relevant authorities so that those implicated are prosecuted. It will be a pleasure to Chitungwiza residents because Chitrest has maintained that the land barons must be brought to book. Chitungwiza Municipality was represented in a 23-member team seconded by Minister Chombo last year in November to audit land allocation and management in Chitungwiza through its Director of Urban Planning Services Mr Conrad Muchesa, why did they leave out the names of these ex-MPs and ex-councillors in the audit report? I suspect that the Town Clerk (TC) was just hiding behind a finger. He is one person who is blamed in this land audit report for the poor governance systems at the Town House and for failing to provide leadership. The report equates the Municipality to a ship without a captain in reference to the TC’s weaknesses. IRT: The Council recently approached the High Court seeking permission to demolish more than 14 000 houses in Chitungwiza and Seke rural. What is your comment Director? MK: It is the Council’s right as an institution to approach any court in Zimbabwe. However, the problem is that for a council like ours which is struggling to provide quality service delivery to residents and ratepayers, failing to pay its employees for 14 months and faced with an ever-increasing debt among other challenges to seek to demolish such a huge number of houses that belong to the same suffering residents who are the owners and drivers of the town, is inhuman. The council’s priorities are somehow misplaced. The town management is using our hard-earned money to fight against us in courts, yet they can hardly provide safe, clean and potable water to residents or even collect refuse. It is shocking. I personally feel that council was supposed to stick to the recommendations in the land audit report which they are using to justify these demolitions. That is, to cause the arrests and prosecution of illegal land barons, regularize some of the houses that pose no danger to their occupants and fellow residents and then relocate those families in houses that are built on areas that are not habitable. Then for those houses that are identified as unfit, relocate the occupants before demolishing the abandoned structures. If Council chooses an illegal channel, we are not going to rest as residents while they violate people’s rights. We will challenge them. Moreover, some former and serving senior council employees are implicated in these illegal land cases. So if, council was caught sleeping on duty, who is supposed to suffer for their napping at work? It is the council itself that should be held responsible and either regularize the concerned houses or relocate and compensate the affected families, before any house is demolished. Council must be prepared for a protracted court battle and other unspecified forms of action from the residents, ratepayers and other concerned stakeholders. I advise council to prefer an out-of-court settlement rather than be adamant. IRT: Are you happy with the quality of service delivery rendered by the Council as a resident of Chitungwiza? I am not happy at all considering that the situation is actually getting worse in terms of service delivery. Tap water runs once or twice a week, burst sewers is the order of the day, refuse is not being collected, unattended potholes are getting deeper, corruption is rampant at the Town House, council workers’ moral is at its all-time lowest and the list is endless. It is actually disgusting. The town management instead of finding long-lasting solutions to these and other challenges is busy pursuing other non-service delivery issues such as court cases, most of which they lose. With all due respect, I do not think that Mr Makunde is the correct person to lead Chitungwiza out of its challenges. He failed developing a small fishing border town of Kariba as a Town Clerk and I do not see him succeeding here. His arrogance is another new challenge that we are faced with on top of our previous problems related to service delivery. IRT: What have you to say about the on-going strike by the Chitungwiza Municipality workers? I stand solidly and firmly in solidarity with them. I am glad even the residents of Chitungwiza as represented by Chitrest are fully behind these suffering workers who have gone for 14 months without getting paid. I see the Council Directors driving very expensive vehicles on a daily basis to and from Harare, where all of them reside. Talk of the Toyota Land Cruisers and Fortuners they enjoy riding in on daily basis. I have never heard that one of them was seen boarding a public transport (kombi) because there is no fuel at the Town House. Everything is going on smoothly for them except for workers’ salaries and improvement in the quality of service delivery rendered to residents and ratepayers. The Directors do attend to a number of workshops week in and week out. Where are they getting the money for fuel, hotel accommodation and perdiums to these workshops? The strike is justified as an alternative by the council workers of sending a message to their employers that they are suffering and now fed up. My advice to the leadership of the workers’ union is that they have to remain united and focused and be wary of being bribed by some unscrupulous elements in the town management to call-off their successful strike. As Chitrest, we know the strike will in the short run affect the residents and ratepayers negatively, but we remain hopeful that given time it might yield good results in the long run when the striking workers finally get their outstanding payments. This will boost their morale and may be lead to an improvement in the quality of service delivery in Chitungwiza. IRT: Any parting words from you Mr Kumalo? MK: I challenge our councillors not to sleep on duty together with the town management, but to be alert and formulate policies and resolutions that are people oriented. The city fathers need to work as a team and always engage the residents as a critical stakeholder before they come with critical resolutions that affect residents’ day to day living. I would like to inform residents and ratepayers of Chitungwiza that Chitrest will not tire in fighting for their rights. As a team we are ready to continue fighting in the corner of residents.
Posted on: Mon, 07 Jul 2014 09:45:57 +0000
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