Back to Index

Report: Mbare public meeting
Harare Residents Trust (HRT)
March 30, 2010

Venue: Stodart Gym Hall

Present:

• Mbare Residents' Trust (MRT) Executive,
• Harare Residents' Trust (HRT) Coordinator (Mr) Precious Shumba,
• Chairperson Mabvuku -Andrew Mutambu,
• MP Southerton- Hon Gift Chimanikire
• MP Sunningdale- Hon Margaret Matienga
• Councillor Anthony Shingadeya (Ward 11)
• Councillor Friday Muleya (Ward 3)
• Councillor Mugove Chingombe (Ward 12)
• Secretary Highfield Residents' Trust Eddington Mugova
• Harare High School Headmistress Mupandawana (Ms)
• Harare Residents Trust Intern (Ms) Pretty Chabuda

Attendance: 200 people

Agenda:

• Rates and rentals,
• Service Delivery,
• Title deeds
• Mbare and Mupedzanhamo markets
• Schools in our community
• Neighbourhood watch committees.

Opening remarks:
Ms Wakatama welcomed all invited guests and residents for coming to discuss their problems and way forward as Mbare residents.

Councillor Chingombe (Ward 12)

• He encouraged residents to pay at least some and all if they can afford to enable the council the smooth running of their core business which is service delivery.
• Rentals are too high because the residents are so far the only source of funds to enable the council to perform its duties.
• To all residents above 65 years old to fill forms in duplicate and these are meant to assist the elderly in payment of council charges in which they will have to pay half the charges and the rest the Council will.
• He encouraged residents to obtain title deeds not just home ownership.

Councillor Shingadeya (Ward 11)

• He promised residents that he and other councillors will be working hard to restore Mbare, in doing so the council has formed ward based groups to cut grass in Mbare but the delays of performing the duties are as a result of difficult in accessing funds to pay workers(grass cutters)
• The City of Harare has received 10 refuse collection and refuse collection will likely improve. They are now 22 with a shortfall of 10 more trucks for each district to have its own truck.
• If all goes well the council has plans to make available 250 dustbins in each ward.
• City of Harare to provided 150 benches to Mbare to cover for Social Amenities
• Neighbour hood Committee to be selected by Mbare Residents
• Power shortages are a national problem and Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority officials have to come in person and explain the situation to residents.

Mabvuku Chairman: Andrew Mutambu

• Mr Mutambu, who is also the Vice Chairman of the HRT Residents' Council told the residents movement should remain non partisan to be able to effectively represent residents.
• He said residents should know about their rights, and they are supposed to request records of previous meetings. This will make the residents' leadership to be accountable at all times.

Member of Parliament: Honourable Matienga

• She told the residents that politics destroy households and this should be a non political assembly because 'divided we fall and united we stand'.
• She pleaded to residents to communicate their concerns to their leaders without making unsubstantiated claims that would destroy other people. She said they made mistakes, like any person.
• "Allow your leaders to make mistakes and correct them if they are repeated,"
• She suggested that the meeting should be convened again because she did not understand what issues people needed to be addressed, prior to the meeting.

HRT Coordinator: Precious Shumba

• He urged the councillors who were present that they should be willing to work together with residents and be available to respond to peoples' issues.
• He reiterated that the HRT will not tolerate corruption which comes in any form especially from Councillors, or any other official, holding public office.
• Elected representatives, especially Councillors should be held accountable and should be willing to provide all necessary information to the residents on a regular basis.

Honourable Chimanikire

• Recreational facilities have to be resuscitated
• MPs will soon receive US$50 000 under the Constituency Development Fund, from the Ministry of Finance which will go towards the construction of schools or the drilling of boreholes.

He said during the constitutional outreach by the Parliament Select Committee, citizens should openly say what they want to be in the new constitution. This exercise will capture the issues as they are from the citizens across Zimbabwe and the information will be recorded by people in the outreach teams.

Harare High Headmistress: Mupandawana (Ms)

• She said it was important for politicians and other stakeholders to respect the walls of schools by not sticking their posters.
• Mupandawana said there were squatters at the back of the school who are now using the school toilets, threatening the safety of school pupils, particularly the girl child. It has been noted that these squatters simply get into any toilet without checking whether or not it is for males or females. They jumped the wall to gain entry into the school premises.

Councillor Friday Muleya:

• Councillors are being victimised by certain youths and are unable to conduct their duties properly.
• Power cuts have affected the supply of water, explaining the water shortages in some parts of Mbare.
• He said Mupedzanhamo Flea market cannot accommodate all residents of Mbare. These followed concerns by residents that the majority of people with market stalls at Mupedzanhamo came from other suburbs, and there were few from Mbare.

Plenary:

• No toilets at Mupedzanhamo always using the nearby Nenyere flats' toilets.
• The residents' leaders should bring minutes of these meetings at the next meeting so that we are able to track our own developments and discussions.
• Part of the Post Office at Stodart Community has been converted into butchery. This must be explained to the residents, who have no idea how this happened in the first place.
• We want a 24 hour clinic not buildings to be turned into beer halls
• Should we always wait for an official to die for refuse to be collected?
• A resident has to pay an interest of $190 per year but council is charging $171 over three months. Muri kutibira isu varombo (you are stealing from the poor).
• The police and the Council should close down shebeens and Greenhouse, where residents have endured noise, violence and other illicit activities, like drug peddling and prostitution. This has also affected school children who are unable to sleep well.
• Makaisa vanhu ve kunyora muma hofisi ekanzuru. What about grounds men?
• How do you go about to recover lost title deeds?
• A resident complained that the City Council was ill-treating people using the Mai Musodzi Community Hall. What happens is that they got permission to use the hall for free to take care of people with physical disabilities but they are asked to go outside when the place is booked for a fee, including when it is raining. There are 58 disabled people at Mai Musodzi. The council has not been forthcoming in the provision of a place from where they can operate. Tinzweiwo kuchema veKanzuru.
• Why are residents being provided with dirty water?
• Etc

Way Forward:

• Do not hesitate to question any activity that resemble corruption by Councillors
• Women should not to sweep and throw dirty in the drainage system as it blocks the systems.
• Councillors to report back to residents of what they would have done in the next meetings about the issues rose.
• The Council to look for donors to fund its activities.
• Residents to complement the work of council and avoid focusing on the negatives by service providers, including the council.

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

Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.

TOP