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Meeting with Muchadeyi Masunda
Harare Residents
Trust (HRT)
March 15, 2010
Agenda:
- Introduction
of Residents' Council and HRT structures
- Provision
of services by the City of Harare
- Performance
of Elected Councillors and city employees
- Any other
business
1. Introduction
of Residents' Council and HRT structures
Residents'
Council
- Chairperson-
Mbare- Eunice Wakatama (+263 733 252 622)
- Vice Chairperson-
Mabvuku- Membership Development (+263 733 717 820)
- Vice Chairperson
- Highfield- Finance (+263 733 371 474)
- Treasury-
Tafara (+263 912 750 802)
- Secretary-
Harare East (+263 913 097 972)
- Vice Secretary-Kuwadzana
Extension (+263 733 296 806)
- Committee
Members- Sunningdale, Mabelreign and Chizhanje
Sub-
Committees:
Board
of Trustees:
- Doreen Richards-
Secretary/Treasurer (+263 912 255 784)
- Emilia Chakatsva-
Chairperson (+263 733 296 806)
- Precious
Shumba- Coordinator (+263 912 869 294)
- Christopher
Mhike- Legal (+263 11 744 008)
- Tabeth Ndoro-
Education and Gender (+263 912 491 873)
- Dr Yevai
Chiradza (+263 913 100 570)
2. Provision
of Service by City of Harare
Water
and Sewerage Reticulation:
- Recruitment
of people by councillors- anomaly
- Water supplies
in the eastern suburbs inconsistent but there has been some progress
in other areas.
- Sewerage
keeps flowing in Highfield, Mbare, Mabvuku, Chizhanje, Glen View,
Warren Park
- The water
charges unaffordable to the majority- residents views ignored
in budget formulation
Refuse
Collection:
- Council
charges for once a week refuse collection but not collecting refuse
in most high-density suburbs
- No refuse
bins at household level and no skip bins at busy places
- Worst at
public places like markets in the case of Mbare, shopping centres
like Stodart hall.
- Need to find
alternative ways of keeping environment clean- recommend partnerships
between corporate sector and residents'
Rates
and Rentals:
- Council
rates beyond the reach of the majority of the citizenry.
- The transfer
from ZimDollar to multi-currency in February 2009 left most residents
in debt, which keeps accumulating.
- Residents
incomes low, consider Murambatsvina impact, socio-economic hardships
- Senior citizens
facility not being transparently been dealt with. Forms unavailable
at Rowan Martin.
Health
and Environment:
- Typhoid outbreak
in Mabvuku/Tafara/Chizhanje- council feedback on issue
3. Performance
of Councillors:
- Councillors
lack understanding of their communities
- Do not meet
residents
- Mixing party
interests with residents' issues
- Corruption
in housing, recruitment, market allocations and bribes
- Clarification
on loans to councillors, in building houses near Vainona Primary
School.
Relationship
of Council and Residents:
- Crucial information
being withheld by City Heads of departments
- District
Officers lack authority- exceptions in Borrowdale, Glen Norah,
Mabvuku, Greendale; others lack interest in attending to residents'
issues.
- Councillors
failure to be the link between city employees at District offices
and residents'
Structure
of City of Harare:
- Reported
200 undefined positions- ghost workers in a sense.
- Structure
of the City of Harare, departments and their responsibilities
- PR Department
lacks resources and information
- Recruitment
policies- mostly led by councillors-partisan- perpetuates a culture
of patronage.
4. Policy
Recommendations:
- City of
Harare needs to empower District Officers to have more autonomy
- Refuse collection-
City should identify dumping sites
- Budget formulation-
need for participatory budgeting processes
- Environmental
management- to avert diseases outbreaks like typhoid and cholera
- Engagement
of all stakeholders- policy makers and service providers
- Use of District
Offices for information dissemination by the residents.
- Use and maintenance
of community infrastructure
- Full Council
are public documents- difficult to access
For details
and comments please contact the Harare Residents' Trust (HRT)
on +263 912 869 294, +263 733 296 806 or email us on hretrust@yahoo.com/
hretrust79@gmail.com
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