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Residents hail the Constituency Development Fund
Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA)
June 07, 2011

The Residents of Mabelreign have hailed the efforts that are being made by the Harare West Constituency Development Committee to implement developmental projects in the constituency. The Committee, which is being led by the Deputy Minister of Gender and Women's Affairs, Honourable Jessie Manjome, has made a timely intervention in Malbereign and Ashdown Park by renovating dilapidated public toilets and drilling boreholes to supplement the acute water shortages that have bedevilled the two suburbs. The developmental projects are being implemented courtesy of the Constituency Development Fund; a fund that has been availed to legislators to assist them in developing their respective constituencies.

Mabelreign residents have described the Constituency Development Fund as a springboard in providing basic social service delivery at a time local authorities are failing to provide clean water quality public sanitary facilities across the city. In an interview with the CHRA Secretariat, Honourable Manjome highlighted that despite the fact that the Fund is not much, it has made a difference in improving access to safe and clean water for residents at a time when the City of Harare is struggling to provide constant water supplies. The perennial water shortages have seen some residents in Mabelreign fetching water from a leaking valve along Harare Drive, which is a health hazard as the water is not protected.

Other areas which have benefited from the "first phase" of the Fund include Malbereign Clinic where new desks and office chairs were purchased and a borehole was sunk; Westlea Primary School which has been connected to electricity supplies after having gone without electricity since it was opened. The residents of Malbereign and Ashdown Park hailed the efforts by the Member of Parliament and Councillors in their commitment to put the Fund to good use. Honourable Manjome explained that women have suffered a lot for the past decade when local authorities have successfully failed to provide water and health services as they are the ones who bear the brunt of fetching water for household chores. The Deputy Minister described the current local government legislation or policy as a major stumbling block to effective social service delivery, transparency and fair local governance practices as it is open to manipulation and gives too much power to the Minister of Local Government. Honourable Manjome recommended that the panacea to these challenges is devolution of power where local authorities get a proportion of revenue and taxes generated within their localities and equal participation of women and men in decision making processes in the Local and national governance framework. In this whole endeavour Honourable Manjome has worked closely with Councillor Mudavanhu Ward 17, Councillor Charity Bango Ward 41and residents from the Harare West Constituency.

Meanwhile, CHRA recommends that other Constituencies in Harare emulate the good example of the Harare West Constituency Development Committee so as to ensure that developmental projects are done in all areas of the City. CHRA also urges the establishment of water point user committees for those areas where boreholes have been drilled to ensure security and protection of water sources at community level.

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