THE NGO NETWORK ALLIANCE PROJECT - an online community for Zimbabwean activists  
 View archive by sector
 
 
    HOME THE PROJECT DIRECTORYJOINARCHIVESEARCH E:ACTIVISMBLOGSMSFREEDOM FONELINKS CONTACT US
 

 


Back to Index

CHRA Lawsuit
Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA)
July 02, 2007

The Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) has today asked its lawyers to explore the possibility of applying to the High Court for an interdict stopping the illegal commission running the City of Harare from implementing the proposed Supplementary Budget.

The Supplementary Budget, totalling $1,44 trillion, was advertised in the Herald of 8 and 15 June 29007. Residents are expected to have made their objections to the proposed budget by 8 July, while the budget has already been implemented, making a mockery of the objections-making process.

This clearly violates sections of the Urban Councils Act (Chapter 29:15) which stipulate that residents must be given thirty days to lodge their objections from the day of the first advertisement in the media.

CHRA believes that the supplementary budget is illegal. Justice Lawrence Kamocha ruled on 2 March 2007 that the Harare Commission is illegal and has no mandate to act on behalf of the City of Harare.

The Association is particularly concerned with the attitude of the commission on issues of procedure. The illegal commission disregarded the residents' objections to the 2007 City Budget in January and proceed to implement the 2007 it.

Residents need to also take note of the directive on all rents' increases issued by the Cabinet Taskforce on Price Monitoring and Stabilisation (herald 29 June 2007). The taskforce said all rentals must return to the levels of 18 June, meaning the City of Harare cannot therefore introduce new rates for residents of Harare. The Commission is not exempt from Cabinet Taskforces' directives.

The lawyers' response to the Association's queries will determine how it responds to the crisis of the supplementary budget.

Visit the CHRA fact sheet

Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.

TOP