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Minister Walter Mzembi exaggerating his importance to Zimbabwe
Harare Residents Trust (HRT)
September 06, 2010

The Harare Residents' Trust (HRT) was shocked by the reported behaviour of Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister last Wednesday when he allegedly personally ejected an elected councillor of the City of Harare at the launch of the tourism month.

According to the Herald issue of Thursday 2 September 2010, Minister Mzembi ordered Dzivarasekwa Ward 40 Councillor Herman Karimakwenda, who had come in on behalf of the Mayor of Harare, off the high table, claiming the councillor was too junior to attend a United Nations (UN) event, and by extension to share the same table with him. Who is he to prescribe who can attend UN functions in Zimbabwe?

"This is a high esteem event and the mayor should have sent someone senior. We cannot belittle such a world class event by sending a mere councillor from Dzivarasekwa. I have told him to go and tell the mayor that it was unacceptable," the minister was quoted as saying this.

These statements are revealing in many respects. Minister Mzembi has a wrong perception of the UN. The Minister is still living in the past, always thinking in the context of the political environment before the coming in of the Inclusive Government when government ministers treated citizens with contempt, based on political party affiliation.

Mzembi has to understand that the UN World Tourism Organisation did not merely designate 27 September as World Tourism Day as a day to massage politicians' egos, but to promote tourism across the world. Zimbabwe stands to benefit from the good behaviour of its senior officials. If he does not understand this, then he must check with other informed members of Cabinet. For a Minister representing a country that has lots to gain from good behaviour towards other citizens, what he did can only be viewed in the context of an overzealous school boy out on his first date.

The ideal thing to do was for the Minister to allow the Councillor to attend the UN function and subsequently write a letter or telephone Mayor Muchadeyi Masunda and raised his concerns, if at all they are legitimate. The Minister should not attempt to run the affairs of the Harare from his ministerial position because local authorities have too much of the ministerial directives and orders to contend with his exaggerated importance.

The HRT views the Minister's behaviour as an unwarranted attack on the office of the elected councillor in the City of Harare. By attacking and humiliating an elected official, carrying the electorate's mandate, Mzembi has to consider a personal apology to the councillor and to the Mayor of Harare.

The most honourable thing for Mzembi is to apologise and let go his personal anger against he peoples' choices in Harare.

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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