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Chombo appoints commissions to run councils
Owen Chikari, The Zimbabwe Times
May 29, 2008

http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=222

While recently elected local government councilors wait anxiously to assume office, Local Government, Public Works and Urban Development Minister, Ignatius Chombo, has added to their growing frustration by appointing commissions to run the affairs of major cities and towns.

The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) was quick to denounce Chombo's latest move as illegal and unlawful.

During the March 29 elections, the MDC led by Morgan Tsvangirai, won in almost all the wards in major cities and towns. But Chombo now says the newly elected councillors can only be sworn-in after the presidential run-off election, which is scheduled for June 27.

He claims that the appointment of the commissions will improve service delivery within the councils since none of the elected councillors will be sworn-in until a new president is elected.

"I have appointed these commissions because there is a big gap between now and June 27," said Chombo. "The move is aimed at making sure that service delivery is maintained in all local authorities. As Minister of Local Government I have the duty to make sure that service delivery is not disrupted in major cities and towns.

"All those won during the March 29 elections, including MPs, have to wait until a clear winner in the presidential race is found."

Chombo, however, could not be drawn into revealing the names of the officials appointed to run the local authorities.

Yesterday the MDC yesterday described Chombo's actions as illegal, adding that it was a way of trying to bar elected MDC councillors and MPs from campaigning for Tsvangirai during the run-up to the June 27 run-off
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Gutu East MDC MP-elect, Ransome Makamure, said: "What Chombo has done is illegal. It is just a way of making sure that all the elected MPs and councillors do not have the power to campaign for the MDC during the coming run-off."

Chombo has over the years mounted a relentless campaign to neutralize MDC-controlled local government authorities. He has dismissed Mayors and councillors, the most spectacular case being that of the last elected executive Mayor of Harare, Elias Mudzuri, who was deposed by Chombo. Mudzuri who was elected on an MDC ticket, was replaced, in controversial circumstances by Sekesai Makwavarara, his former deputy who crossed over from the MDC to join Zanu-PF.

While Chombo's actions have clearly been illegal, being tailored only to protect the interests of Zanu-PF, it was not clear how the refusal to swear-in the recently elected MDC councillors renders them incapable of campaigning for their presidential candidate in the forthcoming election, as claimed by Makamure.

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