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Town House staff remuneration, rentals and general service provision in Harare
Harare Residents' Trust (HRT)
September 28, 2009

The Harare Residents' Trust (HRT) has been following with deep concern the unfolding events at Town House since the City Council adopted the '2009 City Budget', against the residents' objections. The HRT notes that while the council halved the 2009 City Budget, the rates remain beyond the reach of the majority citizenry.

This statement is being made after monitoring the key elements of service provision like reactions to burst sewer pipes, repair of leaking water pipes, refuse collection, street lighting, road maintenance, customer relations at Town House and District offices, transparency and accountability of elected councillors and city officials.

Topical residents' issues at public meetings is the inconsistent billing system, payment for non-available services like refuse collection, infrastructure development, the non-disclosure of the procedures for obtaining title deeds to residents, the secrecy around the breakdown in expenditure by Town House on service provision, staff remuneration and administration costs. The absence of clearly defined monitoring mechanisms for the implementation of council's decisions/resolutions by city employees is a serious cause for concern.

The HRT has observed an unprecedented desire by the City of Harare to spend hard-earned council resources on 'non-priority luxuries' like the purchase of top of the range vehicles for the bureaucrats at Town House. Some identified councillors have totally forgotten why they were elected as councillors and have teamed up with persuasive heads of departments who are manipulating them to do their bidding during council deliberations on staff in return for favours in the release of resources towards projects in council wards. While we appreciate the efforts by the authorities to competitively remunerate senior staff, this unflinching desire for flamboyance is unacceptable. Failure to listen to residents, a major stakeholder in local authorities' administration violates best practices in democratic and accountable governance.

After careful consideration of reports from HRT affiliates and other observations, we make the following comments;

1. The Mayor of Harare has occasionally made statements that can go unsaid as part of confidence building with the residents' of Harare.

2. Some councillors have become more visible at Town House than in their wards while others have significantly enhanced information dissemination about the developments at Town House in their wards. Our commendation goes to Councillors Hebert Gomba (Glen Norah), Maxwell Katsande (Highfield), Friday Muleya (Mbare), the late Christopher Tigere (Mbare), Mandere Girisoti, Resias Masunda, Mangwiro Urayayi (Kuwadzana) for being responsive to residents' concerns in the month of July and August 2009.

3. We will continue to monitor the performance of elected councillors in their respective wards in the service of Harare residents.

4. The District Officers for Glen Norah, Remembrance Mbare, Borrowdale, Highlands and Greendale have demonstrated real community service by attending public meetings organised by residents in July and August and sharing valuable information that has benefited residents. The HRT demands accountability from District officers and their staff to enhance service delivery.

5. The City of Harare charges residents for refuse collection but are not carrying out this responsibility. For example in Mbare, major refuse collection was carried out when national heroes Vice President Joseph Msika was brought to Stodart Hall on 10 August 2009 on his way for burial at the National Heroes Acre. From around 0800hrs to about 0934hrs, while residents lined up along Pazarangu Way to bid farewell to VP Msika, City of Harare workers with the following vehicles, registration numbers (AAE 8300-City Health Department, AAE5586, AAE5301, AAE5315, AAE5263- all lorries) were busy removing refuse piled for months at the intersection of Pazarangu and Rubatika Street, and at the corner of Rubatika and Hombasha Street.

Way forward:

- The Residents' Council (RC) of the HRT, a body of all elected suburban structures, meets every Wednesday in the CBD and has resolved to continuously engage the Mayor of Harare, the Councillors and other service providers to ensure the issues affecting residents are expeditiously addressed.

- The City Council should focus on the speedy replacement of water and sewer pipes, urgently cover trenches dug along most streets once work is completed, revive street lighting, and repair the dilapidated road infrastructure.

- Residents and their elected councillors should stop competing in the communities because they serve complimentary purposes in the broader scheme of local authorities' development.

- Residents need transparency and accountability at all levels of the City's administration to build the required confidence from business, residents and other strategic partners.

- Town House to immediately carry out an intensive civic education campaign on how to obtain title deeds by the citizens in collaboration with human rights lawyers.

- The City of Harare should disclose the City's asset base. Residents want to know the number of properties within its jurisdiction and the average monthly income and expenditure.

Contact us on email: hretrust@yahoo.com, hretrust79@gmail.com or call our mobiles 023 296 806, 023 252 622, 0912 869 294 and 0913 398 033

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