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Govt to appoint new commission for Harare
Njabulo Ncube, The Financial Gazette (Zimbabwe)
September 02, 2004

http://www.fingaz.co.zw/fingaz/2004/September/September2/6387.shtml

THE government looks set to appoint another commission to run the crisis-ridden Harare City Council, amid revelations that Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister Ignatius Chombo has since tabled the proposal before Cabinet.

The latest developments come after council failed to conduct normal business in the past week due to lack of a quorum following the resignation of Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) councillors.

Council insiders yesterday said that it was a matter of time before Chombo, who yesterday was not answering his mobile phone, announced a full fledged commission to run the city.

They said Chombo had also been fully briefed by Nomutsa Chideya, the town clerk, about the untenable situation at Town House, where yesterday gun-toting and baton stick-wielding riot police spent the whole day guarding the municipal offices.

Chideya confirmed to this newspaper yesterday that he had presented a report to Chombo on the situation at Town House following the resignation of the councillors, a situation which he said had made it impossible for council to function smoothly.

Last Wednesday the MDC announced that its councillors would resign en masse in protest against Chombo's interference in the affairs of the council.

Out of 45 councillors in Harare, only 17 remain, including acting mayor Sekesai Makwavarara, one of the three civic leaders elected on an MDC ticket but who defected to ZANU PF recently citing discord within the opposition party. Chombo dismissed 19 councillors for allegedly going against government policies in running Harare.

"We have advised central government about the current state of affairs . . . the vacancies that have arisen with the resignation of councillors," said Chideya.

"We are left with 16 councillors. One ward is vacant. It will be difficult for council to function normally. So we are now waiting for required guidance from the ministry on the way forward," he said.

He said that he was not aware of any commission being appointed to run the affairs of the city. Sources within ZANU PF were however adamant a commission would soon be announced as Chombo had succeeded in ridding the city of the opposition.

"The MDC is gone. So the next thing is the commission. The issue has been put before Cabinet," said a party source who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The sources tipped Makwavarara to head the proposed commission, adding that the Jameson Kurasha-led committee, set up by Chombo to assist Makwavarara in running Harare, was likely to form part of the commission.

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