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No to cosmetic budget consultations
Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA)
November 27, 2007

The Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) rejects with contempt the ongoing cosmetic budget consultations being carried out by the Commission running the City of Harare. It is folly for the City of Harare to conduct budget consultations when it is already implementing its 2008 budget. The Association will participate in these consultations and will mobilize its members to do so. The Association will however only participate to emphasize that the process is flawed and illegitimate. Our members will send a clear message to all the delegations from the Commission that they are opposed to the process.

We reject the consultations for the following reasons.

• The Association is convinced on the illegality of the Commission. It has been reappointed over six times against the law. The Urban Councils Act (Chapter 29:15) stipulates the maximum period a commission can serve. The courts of law have on various occasions declared it illegal. Note the Justice Sandura case, the Justice Kamocha case etc.
• The City of Harare is already implementing its proposed rates. Several CHRA members have reported cases in which municipal clinics are charging the new fees. It was also reported that the new parking fees of $100 000 was already being implemented. It is useless then to consult residents on a budget that is already in implementation.
• The Commission running City of Harare has a history of implementing its budgets without taking due cogniscence of process. In the last two years budgets have been implemented well before the lapse of the mandatory 30 day consultation period. Consultations are now more of a formality as opposed to being part of the entire budgetary process.
• There is no taxation without representation. CHRA demands the holding of free and fair elections for the Mayor and Councilors. We demand leaders who are accountable to the people and who will monitor how residents resources are properly spent.

The Association is mobilizing and conscientising its membership to reject the illegal commission and its illegitimate budget processes. CHRA is also running budget literacy workshops which aim at capacitating residents with a better understanding on the due process of budget formulation. CHRA continues to advocate for effective, transparent and accountable local governance. We seek to enhance the participation of residents in the formulation of local governance policies and in the public budget making process.

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