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Mbare report: Shawasha hostels - the true story
Harare Residents
Trust (HRT)
April 10, 2010
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1. Objective
of report:
a. To highlight the
plight of Shawasha Hostel tenants in Mbare
b. To recommend ways to address the challenges facing the hostel
tenants.
2. Executive
summery:
The Harare Residents
Trust (HRT) undertook this tour on Saturday 10 April 2010 following
widespread reports by tenants who have attended residents'
meetings in Mbare, at Mai Musodzi Community and Stodart Gym Halls.
The delegation comprised of the HRT Coordinator Precious Shumba,
Kadoma Residents Association (KRA) Coordinator Mrs Shorai Domingo,
Mr Arnold Mangezi, Vice Chairman Mbare Residents' Trust (MRT),
Mrs Rosemary Madamombe, MRT Committee Member, Samson Mutsadyanga,
MRT Committee Member and Rudo Mudeyi, the MRT Treasurer.
The tenants' problems
range from inadequate representation by their elected representatives,
poor service delivery, high water bills and unaffordable rentals,
as well as deplorable living conditions tenants have endured for
a long time. The challenges of burst sewer pipes has been resolved
by the City of Harare following the laying down of bigger pipes,
replacing the archaic pipes that had constantly burst, spewing sewage
all over the place. During this tour it emerged that City employees
who earn monthly salaries to provide cleansing services in the hostels
have not been doing their work. In separate interviews with City
council employees, it was established that each block at Shawasha
Hostels is serviced by two employees who have to clean the flats,
particularly the toilets, the bathrooms and the surroundings to
ensure they conform to the expected minimum standard health regulations
in terms of urban regulations and the Public Health Act.
Sadly, these
workers have not serviced the community as expected in terms of
their job descriptions. Tenants claimed that the workers lacked
'seriousness, commitment and lack tight monitoring'
owing to 'politics' whatever that meant. On further
enquiry it emerged that some of the workers were improperly recruited
as they were employed through their political superiors in higher
authority which renders the supervisor powerless to exert his authority
on them. It is said that these workers are constantly shielded from
scrutiny by their influential handlers.
Some of the workers come to work late and leave very early, usually
from 8.30am until around 11 am, meaning they receive their full
salaries which they have not earned.
The focus of
this report is to explore the opportunities arising from this crisis
for the City council, the Ministry of Local Government, Rural and
Urban Development and other key stakeholders. From observations
made during the tour, interviews with some City workers and speaking
to tenants, it is apparent that the major challenge compounding
the health crisis at Shawasha Hostels is the inaction of the City
authorities in the departments that oversee all carpentry and plumbing
work.
For how else would the
authorities justify the continued delay in the partitioning of male
and female toilets, leaving men and women to almost share the same
toilet, with superficial demarcations that directly undermine Zimbabwe's
cultural values. According to some officials, these requests for
the purchase of all plumbing and carpentry items were made a long
time ago but there is lack of commitment to address this situation.
The threat to the health
of around 7 000 tenants cannot be overemphasised.
This report
critically looks at the living conditions, water supplies, hygiene
in Shawasha Hostels and makes recommendations, informed by the expectations
of the tenants.
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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