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Markets should be rationalised in Harare
Harare Residents Trust (HRT)
September 18, 2009

The Harare Residents' Trust (HRT) has read newspaper articles and heard the divergent views on the issue of the scheduled temporary closure of Mupedzanhamo, Machipisa Hardware Market, Mukuvisi Business Units and Mbare Musika for the sole purposes of rationalisation. The prominence being given to the views of this move to Oppah Muchinguri of Zanu PF, Onismo Gore, losing Zanu PF candidate for Mbare House of Assembly, Mp for Harare South and Deputy Minister of Energy and Power Development Hubert Nyanhongo, and Ignatius Chombo, the Minister of Local Government, Rural and Urban Development, has left the HRT in no doubt about the financial impact this move will have on Zanu PF's leadership in Harare.

The crocodile tears being shed by these officials should be dismissed as cheap politicking that has no room under the Inclusive Government. Their outcry against the temporary closure to council to transparently re-allocate the market stalls confirms reports in Mbare that mostly Zanu PF members have held market stalls which they subsequently sub-let to desperate people at exorbitant monthly rentals and discriminated against other members of society including opposition supporters. The HRT says this because if the allocations were above board as they would want the world to believe, how is it that only Zanu PF officials are crying foul.

It has to be recalled that in July 2008, Gore and another Zanu PF candidate in the harmonised elections Jimmy Kunaka led hundreds of Zanu PF supporters in Mbare and set up an illegal flea market next to Carter House. The council has since closed the illegal flea market.

We stand guided by the principle of equity and justice. Every resident of Harare, especially orphans, widows and the unemployed irrespective of their political affiliation, should be given top priority in the market re-allocations , which have to be transparent.

MP Nyanhongo needs to be reminded that the language he used as quoted in the Herald of 16 September 2009 is retrogressive and inconsistent with the spirit and letter of the Global Political Agreement (GPA) which constitutes the Inclusive Government. The Herald quoted him saying: "It has to stop (sidelining) or guns will blaze. Guns will be fired. We can command people to fight those people and drive them out of the city."

Politicians should not threaten our Mayor and his council, for whatever reason. We advise them to engage the council without resorting to hate speech. Genuine residents' of Harare will not be 'commanded to fight council employees and councillors'.

The HRT condemns the remarks attributed to MP Nyanhongo because they perpetuate political divisions and might incite violence against our City employees and our elected representatives, particularly in Mbare where vigilante groups have always existed to carry out the orders of their political superiors.

Way Forward:

1. The City of Harare should establish an Adhoc committee with residents' bodies and widows' representatives as observers and councillors in the responsible committees to process the re-allocations to enhance accountability and transparency in this sensitive matter.

2. This should be a public process that allows for the application by all people who believe they deserve to be allocated market stalls. If there are forms to be given, these should be collected from the District Offices and a timeframe given, with applicants paying a nominal administration fee.

3. The Council is urged to proceed with its plan to rationalise the market re-allocations without consideration to the retrogressive political threats.

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