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attempts to eliminate the Harare Mayor and/or Council
The Executive
Mayor of Harare Eng. Elias Mudzuri
March
26, 2003
The events of
21st and 24th March 2003 are not isolated
and unrelated. It is well known that right from the time my Council
resumed office, we became marked persons. The crime we committed
is that the MDC got popular approval to run the affairs of City
of Harare. Some members of ZANU (PF) have never forgiven us for
our electoral victory, and they have a grudge against the people
of Harare for rejecting them at polls. It is one of the priorities
of such people to try and reverse and/or subvert the popular mandate
we were given, and the harassment and victimisation campaign as
illustrated by events on 21st and 24th March,
is part of the plot.
The events that
have visited Harare, the capital city of Zimbabwe, in the last few
days reflect a Nation facing a serious crisis and unacceptable human
rights abuse of the vulnerable members of society, including myself
as Executive Mayor. Judging by the uncontrolled violence and abuse
perpetrated against the Executive Mayor with the tacit approval
and support of the State machinery and some elements in the ruling
party ZANU(PF) it has become common knowledge to every genuine Harare
resident that efforts have gone a gear up from the initial intention
to forcibly remove a democratically elected Executive Mayor and/or
Council to actual direct confrontation and Government support to
embark on an unprovoked grisly and cold blooded attempt on the Executive
Mayor’s life. Government has become so naïve, petty and confused
that they can no longer distinguish between Mudzuri as an ordinary
person, politician and Mudzuri as Executive Mayor. To them the Executive
Mayorship of Harare is equated to the Movement for Democratic Change
(MDC), a constitutionally recognised opposition political party
to which the Executive Mayor belongs. This is pathetic as the Executive
Mayor’s space is critically reduced and suffocated to unacceptable
and ridiculous levels. Government is no longer inviting the Executive
Mayor to State occasions because to them that would be tantamount
to inviting the MDC.
It is curious
that the Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National
Housing was handy to give his opinion to The Herald on the day of
the wildcat demonstration. The Minister is quoted as saying that
he "has noted a steady decline in quality of service being
offered"….. and that "lack of delivery of service was
compounded by the suspension of senior management staff…."
The Minister
did not inform the public that "steady decline" is actually
the general state of the nation at the moment and this is because
the economy is in a tailspin.
The Minister
did not inform the public that he has not authorised Council’s application
for borrowing powers as per the Urban Council’s Act to facilitate
the commencement of capital projects. Failure to get the borrowing
powers have a direct impact on the quality of service delivery.
In other words, the Local Government Ministry is playing a very
big role in frustrating Council’s development strategy notwithstanding
the state of the national economy.
We have advised
the residents of Harare through the media that we are incapacitated
in the collection of garbage because of the National fuel problems
and latent acts of sabotage; that we cannot bury our loved ones
timeously and in dignity because of lack of cement to prepare resting
places; that the incessant rains compounded by the fuel shortages
have exacerbated the problem of potholes. Quite frankly the City
of Harare, in as much as the Nation is facing shortages of basic
food stuffs in the shops, drugs and medicines in hospital etc. has
not been left out. The present crisis in Council in terms of sound
service delivery cannot be directed at Executive Mayor Mudzuri but
to Government. The bottom line is that the country is in a terrible
economic and political crisis that threatens the whole Zimbabwe
as a Nation except for the ruling party functionaries.
On Friday last
week, at the burial of National Hero, Swithun Mombeshora, I went
to the shrine as Executive Mayor of Harare to carry out a national
task – which has regrettably been relegated to a ZANU(PF) party
affair. In full view of Senior Government officials and police,
the State Security hired thugs just fell short of burning my official
car for fear of setting the whole crowded place ablaze. Paddington
Mandizvidza of the Zimbabwe Republic Police who previously orchestrated
and supervised the illegal arrest and subsequent detention of the
Executive Mayor for addressing a residents consultative meeting
advised the rogues to take away the keys of the Mayor’s car instead.
Since then the keys have not been returned, yet I personally informed
Minister Kembo Mohadi and asked for his intervention to stamp out
this lawlessness as Minister of Home Affairs. There was a well planned
abuse of office of the Executive Mayor with the approval of powers
that be.
On Monday (villagers)
from as far as Mutoko were force-marched to Town House to denounce
the Executive Mayor in order to pave the way for the much touted
intervention by the Minister of Local Government to dismiss Mudzuri
on flimsy allegations of being responsible for the failure to deliver
services which in any event had almost collapsed up until March
last year when the new Council came into office. The whole thing
was stage-managed. The State security were there but pretended as
if nothing illegal was happening giving the impression that POSA
is being applied selectively.
One would not
believe that it was the same police force who on the 29th
of January had tear-gassed and brutally assaulted residents who
had been invited at Town House to a residents’ consultative meeting
which the police themselves had granted initially granted permission
to go ahead as planned. The number of forced victims who attended
this week’s illegal but Government blessed meeting more than trebled
the number that had been invited to the residents meeting by the
Executive Mayor. These two incidents make it undoubtedly clear that
the State itself is an accomplice in the detestable blood thirst
attempt to destroy/obliterate the Executive Mayor to beyond a mere
stain. That being the case, where is the justice, fairness, rule
of law and respect for human rights that the Government is always
at pains to claim we have these in abundance in Zimbabwe. The demonstration
had absolutely nothing to do with the majority of the force marched
residents who were used as pawns to legitimise an otherwise political
adventure to demonise the good work the new Council is doing in
the elimination of rampant corruption, inefficiency, laziness and
incompetence by certain officials who suddenly claim to be ZANU
(PF) after suspension for various acts of misconduct. We wonder
whether ZANU (PF) as a party condones such corruption as is being
said by the Government controlled media.
On suspension
of some personnel, we are aware that some ZANU (PF) members are
aggrieved about the actions we have taken, and in some cases the
Minister of Local Government has intervened on behalf of the affected
employees. But in our view, in all cases, the suspensions were perfectly
and lawfully justified. My Council will not brook corruption, graft,
gross incompetence and such other ills in Council because these
actions – which had been allowed to take root and flourish – have
contributed to the creation of the sad situation that is found at
Mbare Musika Bus Terminus and the Mbare Hostels. These eye-sores
were allowed to develop to the nightmare that they are today by
previous Councils.
We are not justifying
the continued existence of the situation in Mbare but this MDC Council
did not create that chaos but previous ZANU (PF) Councils did. The
present Council has a strategy to correct the situation but Central
Government has so far not allowed us access to the necessary funding
to put things right.
I am aware that
the people of Mbare were coerced and hijacked to besiege Town House.
Most of them were hostages and captives for the duration of the
wildcat demonstration. The pre-determined objective of the stage-managed
demonstration was to invite Minister Chombo to flex his muscles
against my Council. These are dirty tricks, and if we respect the
ordinary people, we should not treat them in this contemptuous manner.
This behaviour by some members of the ruling party depicts an attitude
which views the people as tools and pawns to be manipulated and
exploited for the benefit of a political elite
City of Harare
has major infrastructural problems that require the full and urgent
commitment of Council and government. It is a great pity indeed
that some of our citizens in ZANU (PF) have the luxury and time
to plot and implement petty dirty tricks and games while Harare
burns.
I, as the Executive
Mayor expect all the residents to be constructive and to actively
participate at all future consultative meetings irrespective of
political affiliation or specific religious persuasion. It is only
through such maturity and responsible behaviour that we will be
able to rebuild our City as one family with a common purpose, a
common vision and collective commitment.
I call upon
the people of Harare to remain vigilant and refuse to be used and
abused in the face of this very difficult but inevitably passing
phase of our history. I am prepared to stand by you through and
through.
ENG. E MUDZURI
EXECUTIVE
MAYOR – CITY OF HARARE
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